Picasa Web Albums - spookimag1

Picasa Web Albums - spookimag1
Loads of pictures for you here,hope you find them interesting .Please leave a comment!

Stormy Sky's

I have put these pictures on because of there colour and the stormy clouds,you see so many different sky's here quite amazing.

Will we ever get out!!!

This snow sure is persistent,it doesn't want to budge.We a really stuck at pres and its no fun,we have been going to the little shop for things but they don't carry much stock so its becoming a struggle,ah well just have to hope some great melt comes,not holding out any hope though.Called at Baba Dinka's they seem to be ok,they are in there 80's though so need to keep a eye on them.

Yambol.

Today we have to go to Yambol for some wood,cement,etc so we called at the building form that our next door neighbour Damita has started working at after finishing in the army.15 minutes turns out to be 2 hours here when shopping and this day was no different just funnier.Damita greets us with the usual enthusiasm and proceeds to explain the different products.Two other men presumably the lakies follow,we found the wood and an enthusiastic assistant starts to pull planks and in Bulgarian tells us which were the best to take(Damita interprets)to be honest the wood here is very rough and even the best is poor.Damita then leads us all over the yard showing us what else we needed it was comical,what a sales man and what a fun 2 hours.Return with 2 pairs of gloves,2 bottles of wood stuff,and a bag of free wood cuttings for the fire,as well as the stuff we went for.

Yambol.

Today we have to go to Yambol for some wood,cement,etc so we called at the building form that our next door neighbour Damita has started working at after finishing in the army.15 minutes turns out to be 2 hours here when shopping and this day was no different just funnier.Damita greets us with the usual enthusiasm and proceeds to explain the different products.Two other men presumably the lakies follow,we found the wood and an enthusiastic assistant starts to pull planks and in Bulgarian tells us which were the best to take(Damita interprets)to be honest the wood here is very rough and even the best is poor.Damita then leads us all over the yard showing us what else we needed it was comical,what a sales man and what a fun 2 hours.Return with 2 pairs of gloves,2 bottles of wood stuff,and a bag of free wood cuttings for the fire,as well as the stuff we went for.

A touch of Bulgarian Lesson 2.

Here you are lesson 2 of Bulgarian for you have fun!!

1. Good Morning! Dob'ro 'utro! Доб'ро'утро!



2. Good Afternoon! Dobar den! Добър ден!



3. Good Evening! Dobar 'vecher! Добър вечер!



4. Good Night! 'Leka nosht! Лека нощ!



5. Have a nice day! Pri'yaten den! Приятен ден!



6. Have a nice evening! Pri'yatna 'vecher! Приятна вечер!



7. Goodbye! Do'vizhdane! Довиждане!


8. Bye1 Chao! Чао!

Mr Mole

We have been having a continuous battle with a well known garden pest namely the mole who in the process of going about his business forms large mole hills and ruins our grass!!!!so let battle commence.What to do well Luba the hunter one of our neighbours bonks them if he sees them,Damita next door puts smoke bombs down the holes,WE sit and watch when the mole hill moves we put the hose pipe water full on down into it and flush them out,patience is a must we have caught about half a dozen like this it doesn't harm just wets them and then we let them go over in the forest.If you watch the mole it only takes seconds for him to disappear into the earth AMAIZING thing the mole!!!

Cutting down the pear tree(7thMarch2008)

Back at the Dinka's to trim the tree we were supposed to trip the other day when we sorted the chimney( seems we always get way layed)anyway the tree turns out to be a large pear and directing with his walking stick Grandpa Dinka proceeds to point to the branches he wants cutting.These were rather large branches,here we are grandma and me standing right back David cutting, Grandad moving the branches,when whoops the old lad was on his back rolling in the soil like may I say a weeble,the old lass started giggling and so did he, David and me.We pulled him up dusted him off finished the job had a drink of vino said our goodbye's and set off home with another jar of vino!

SHOP/BAR 2

This is the shop side of the shop/bar,and in the picture you see Stoian who with his wife Elaina are the owners.

AT THE SHOP/BAR.

Here we are in the local shop/bar having a coffee with Maria the doctors wife who has a house just lower down than ours.Behind the bar is Stoian the owner.It is still very cold and impossible to get the van out so the local shop is best.

The Dinka's.(March 5th 2008.)

Grandad and grandma Dinka need our help,Baba Dinka was shouting Maggie David over the fence and when the old lass calls, you have to go.so we went knowing there was a bit of tree trimming to do .David took the chainsaw,when we arrived she was waiting waving her hands which looked rather sooty,we set off into the house where we found Grandpa on top of the petchka,(oven)trying to replace the chimney,at 80+this I have to say was an unnerving sight so we began to try to fit the thing back which even for us was a struggle.

Finished had a bit of a giggle left with 6 eggs great!!!

KUKEROV DEN.

The old Pagan ritual performed in early spring,to chase away the evil spirits of winter and ensure a good harvest.The ritual includes Kukerski igri (kukeri games)and processions through the village,its worth seeing the noise and merry parade of men dressed up in animal costumes with goat or sheep bell,and wearing wooden masks adorned with multicoloured threads,sequins and small mirrors.

BABA MARTA 1stMarch 2008.

Today the first day of March is it seems a special day,Baba Marta on this day young and old in Bulgaria put on a Martenitsa (made of white and red threads)on their jackets or wrists to bring them health and to keep them from evil spirits.As tradition goes,you are to take the martenitsa off only after seeing a stork.then you have to put it under a stone or hang it on a tree branch.the person who gave name to this day is Baba Marta(Grandma March).People believe her to be a old grumpy woman,who comes every March to expel Winter.Her unpredictable swings of mood account for the frequent weather changes during this certain month,which may be the reason why men call it the women's month!"Charming"

(Sorry no pictures of this event so I have just picked random March pictures)

Our Good Neighbour

I would like to introduce you to our good neighbour Damita,over the last 2 years he has helped us with many things and we are very grateful.Although Damita and his wife come mainly in summer it is always interesting to see the different things they do e.g bottling fruit,tomato's,beans,and salting cabbage for winter use,things that are done in a small way now in England most family's in Bulgaria still do every year,best thing I've learn,bottling tom's we have used loads in soup and stews through winter and its free.Summing up the west may be further forward techno wise but there is still a lot our Bulgarian friends can teach us.Nearly forgot he's a dab hand at Raki and Vino too!!!so what else do we need.

BELOW ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is absolutely FREEZING well below -1 around -15 at a guess the wind doesn't do you any favours makes it even colder.

Shopping Trip.

After braving the cold we decided the van was going no where,so still togged up we walked to the Maga'zin(Магазин)Shop for bottled water Don't really believe in buying bottled water cos of the waste element,but we have been advised by people not to drink tape water others say its OK so not knowing we play safe.I do boil tape water and use it to cook though.Anyway we arrive at the Mag'azi and Stoyan the owner greets us with a smile.Stoyan and Elaina his wife are in their 40's,he works on the local farm ,she in Yambol, Baba(grandma)looks after the shop through the week.
Stoyan announced Go'lyam Snyak(Голям Сняг)Big snow!!for Saturday,Problem we needed more then water for big snow.

Cheren Bop(Black Bean)черен боб.(Feb 2008)

End of February 2008,Damita our neighbour has given us some cheren bop, черен боб Bulgarian for black beans of course we are eager to plant then.These beans are planted before the frosts finish which stimulate growth,the same as chesan(Garlic)чесън.

Grub Time.

Grub up!!!Blue tits feeding in our garden,there is about 6"of snow on the ground here so we have to keep the GRUB coming!(Bird feeder made from a broken solar light David's invention)

Fun Days.

What can you do if stuck in snow?play,play,play well for half an hour too cold to stay out long.So not that we have totally nothing to do we spent some time letting Winston stretch his little legs,Jaz however had more sense and stayed in bed old lad feels the cold even with his coat on.What fun!!but hard work walking through the snow with the drifts up to my knee's nearly lost poor Win although quite large he's quite short if you know what I mean!!!

Told You So!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it has arrived in abundance WHAT! you ask the blinking SNOW we are well and truly stuck for a while.Last night our neighbour Damita came and announces the forecast was grim,lots of snow,temp as low as -20 next week so that's put a stop to my walks "fitness Na"dammit!I'm sure it wasn't forecast.

The One Armed Man (Febuary 20th 2008)

This Feb has been colder than January,the village has gone into hibernation and so have we pottering around the house painting this and that looking for any signs of life outside, and then one morning an elderly gent could be seen with a wheel barrow climbing up and down the embankment gathering twiggy things,sort of gauze with really spiky thorns well why?until we learn the lingo we may never no,for goats or the fire we thought.Anyway back to the tale,the man only had one arm,how dose a guy with one arm steer a wheelbarrow?all to much for David,it was bitterly cold so armed (excuse that)with the words pomosht помощ(help)off he went got the van out next i saw was a prickly wheelbarrow lift into the van and the man heading for the van door and away they went.On his return we laughed,the poor sole was bemused think he thought David was pinching the barrow,anyway man and load got home the easy way for a change (if i can help somebody as the song goes).

Pretty Thing's.

Some of our garden friends going about there daily chores,there are loads of butterfly's here all different colours,red,blue,white,even tiny coloured ones.