Wednesday 6th May 2020

Last year, when I was struggling with bouts of depression, I started noting down little moments of human contact and kindness in my diary, so that on bad days I could look back and have a record of reality instead of giving in to the murkiness in my head which tries to convince me I'm all alone and that good things rarely happen. Well I've continued this habit this year, albeit in the fancy smartphone version of a diary. Anyway, I mention this because thankfully I now have something to refer to for this latest blog entry as appallingly it's been almost two months since I updated! It's going to be a random mishmash of events as they occured, so bear with me, and hopefully a few bits here and there will be of interest.

Not long after my last entry I had most of the upstairs windows replaced, and having big, clear panes of glass instead of subdivided windows with metal jail bars in front of them, just made such a spectacular difference to the views. Also, there's no more danger of me opening a window to look out and smacking my head on the bars, forgetting that they're there!

I think I've probably mentioned before that over here you tend to get exactly what you pay for and no more. When you order new windows they'll come along, rip out the old ones, fit the new ones and leave. There's no re-plastering of walls or clearing away of debris, as you can see from the picture, so during several rather cold and snowy days, I dug out the trusty tools and began filling the gaps myself. Thank God the walls are wobbly from the wattle and daub anyway - my lumpy bumpy plastering fits right in. I'm sure once it's had a bit of sanding and fifty coats of emulsion it will look AWESOME!

It's nice being able to sleep upstairs again, and in a proper bed. The settee was beginning to feel way too saggy, and, having no curtains anywhere, it had become a bit of a game of Russian roulette flinging off the jammies and getting dressed each morning praying that someone wouldn't choose that moment to walk past the window.

Whilst the windows were being put in I had to unhook the internet cable, but as soon as they went I poked a hole in the foam filler round the edge of the new window so I could feed the cable back in. With everything reconnected to the router I went downstairs to put the TV on and have a cuppa. Arrgh, no internet! I tried my usual tricks - switch it all off and wait for a minute or two, unplug the cables again and blow on the ends in case dust had got in, try all the various sockets in the router in case one wasn't working... still, nothing.

Naturally it was the weekend, and after spending most of Saturday trying to get hold of an internet guy I finally got through to one on Sunday. He said there was no problem at their end and that they'd try to get someone out on Monday, but no promises because of the latest government anti-coronavirus rules limiting the towns you're allowed to enter and leave. Dear Lord, don't tell me I've to spend the entire lockdown without internet!

Thankfully they arrived on Monday armed with surgical gloves and face masks, and on glancing at the situation announced that I'd plugged one of the cables into the router when it should have gone in this other little black box thing. Clunk click and the internet was back on. I felt such a fool and apologised profusely for dragging them all this way for nothing. They were very kind and said it wasn't a problem and that I wasn't the first person who'd done this. Phew, sweet sweet internet again.

As I just mentioned, on March 21st the government brought in restrictions on what towns you were allowed to go to, in order to restrict the spread of the virus. Friends from Gostilitsa said they were allowed to shop in Dryanovo or Sevlievo but nowhere else. I tried asking the local villagers here but no one seemed to know for sure, with opinions ranging from not being allowed out of the village (yikes) to only going to the next village, to going to Gabrovo.

To prevent people straying the police were setting up check-points on the roads, and without a declaration with a valid reason for travel (e.g. going to work) then you wouldn't be allowed through. I had visions of causing a huge traffic jam by trying to travel into town illegally, and having to face a possibly officious policeman. Do they just turn you back? Would I get fined? Who knew. So I decided to enlist help and persuaded 88 year old Dotka that she needed to come shopping with me.

She came down to my house with a piece of kitchen towel wedged into the top of her polo neck jumper by way of a face mask (it wasn't even touching her mouth, never mind providing any protection) so I went back in and got another diy mask out for her, which was what I was using. We headed towards Gabrovo first as there's a shop on the outskirts where Dotka wanted to get some frozen fish. She stayed in the car whilst I queued up to go in. They were only letting a couple of people in at a time, and the shopping trolleys were all being wiped with disinfectant for each shopper.

Having purchased the fish I then drove off onto the main road towards Sevlievo, thinking that maybe that was the town people can shop in. Within seconds we hit the road block. The policeman asked where we were going and where we were from. You can shop in Gabrovo he said, and told me to do a u-turn. Well, that's sorted that mystery, I thought, and being able to go to Gabrovo suits me perfectly as that's where I shop normally anyway. I refused to let Dotka pay me for taking her shopping, but now, every Saturday, she brings me two litres of fresh milk from the dairy in the village, and I try to take her shopping or to pay her bills each week.

The weather's been very topsy turvy, literally going from shorts and t-shirt temperatures to snow within twenty-four hours, but I've managed to get quite a lot done in the various garden areas. Yesterday, for example, I got the grass all cut in the orchard and today planted some runner beans and various squash plants in there.

After a few weeks of limbo, the farmer from Michkovtsi phoned to say the manure delivery was ready, and the next day a lorry load was poured out by the garage gates.

A lot of it is still unrotted cowpats (boy do they stink!) but there was enough good stuff for my raised beds. The rest has been heaped under black plastic to rot down properly. Nothing goes unnoticed of course, and within a day the old boy over the road had asked if he might have one or two barrow loads for his garden. I took a few sackfuls over to him and in exchange he's promised me some of his tomatoes as well as giving me a crate of seed potatoes. I do like this bartering system!

I've got the three raised beds ready and so far they've got cabbage, brocolli, onions, leeks, broad beans, lettuce, radishes and carrots coming up. In another area I've made a big frame ready for tomatoes and aubergines, and spuds are being planted in the plastic bins again. I spent quite some time re-routing water from drainpipes into my water butts, and digging overflow ditches to take the excess away

In the front garden I've shaped some flower beds and planted quite a few flowers I've either done from seed or bought. Whilst doing that I came across this little chap tucked under some bags of sand:

Mr Google says it's a Balkan Anatolian crested newt!

It's taking shape nicely out there and on sunny days it's really relaxing to sit out watching the little birds coming down for sunflower seeds and seeing the snow-capped mountains in the distance. I must admit, I can easily fritter away several hours on the sun lounger with a good book and the odd cuppa.

I still see most of the neighbours regularly, including Kamen who has been here throughout the lockdown as he's been unable to work in Sofia. One day a few of us had a naughty coffee together out in the street up by his place, and he told me a story one of the other neighbours had told him. Apparently, many moons ago, a huge thunderstorm came whilst some of the men were up in the field at the top of the village, cutting hay. There were some animals around too,and when the storm broke they all took shelter under a tree (unfortuntely). Later on they were all found dead, having been killed by a nearby lightning strike. The neighbour who had related the tale (her father was one of the victims up there) said a snake with a head the size of a cat's was also found dead there. I smell a bit of an X-File...

In between gardening and plastering I've continued taking the dogs on walks, trying to find circular routes to and from the house. We've now got a nice walk that loops past the airfield and then down along a valley with a pond, before climbing back up through the forest towards home.

It's lovely seeing the different wildflowers appearing as spring moves towards summer - yellow crocuses, violets, star of Bethlehem, swathes of deep purplish blue flowers, cowslips, and even a large patch of scarlet peonies.

This green one is very delicate and unusual:

I'm told it's a wild hellebore, and I love the fact that a flower can be such a lovely shade of green. I've also kept an eye out for mushrooms as I'm told it's a good area for edible ones, but so far all I've seen is a puffball. It was tasty, so I'll keep an eye out for more.

Now that the electrical work has been more or less completed I've turned my attention to the bathroom. Because of the potential lack of water in the summer, I ordered two 500 litre storage tanks. I didn't hear anything back from the firm for a few weeks, so had to phone again to request them, and they were due by courier the following Thursday. Sure enough, at around lunchtime, the courier phoned to say he would be here in ten minutes or so. I told him my house was the first on the right, and went out in the street to meet him. Five minute later he phoned again. I'm by the big white church, he said, where's your house? I paused for a moment. We don't have a church in this village, I told him, wondering what building he was outside. No, I'm definitely by the church, he insisted. I tried to clarify the route he'd taken; had he passed the turn off to Uzunite? Had he been through Michkovtsi? He hadn't a clue about either of these villages, but as soon as I said I was only about 8km from Gabrovo he realised his mistake. Instead of Mezhdene, Gabrovo, he'd gone to Mezhden, Silistra - about three hours drive further east. It was another week before a different delivery guy showed up with the tanks.

Tomorrow I'm going to get various bits such as piping, connectors, valves and whatnot, then hopefully next week I can visit the firm in Veliko Tarnovo where they sell the panels and bits for solar hot water. Then I need to finish emptying the bathroom, which at the moment is stuffed to the rafters with old clothes.

A sample of the retro collection

I also found several bags of sheep fleeces which I'm envisaging as Viking style wall hangings when I get the big barn re-roofed. Then there'll be some major work putting it all together including tiling the bathroom, making a shower cubicle... the list goes on. At least the weather will be warmer by then and I can mostly stay outdoors. I must admit I'm really looking forward to the day I can just turn on the tap and have a lovely hot shower instead of sitting in a basin in the barn.

I tell you what else I'm looking forward to; hairdressers being open again.

Well on the way to my first mullet.