Now, where was I ?..Ah, that’s right…in Bulgaria.

Once I had put all my reservations about returning the Bulgaria to bed, I just had a terrific time with my sister and everyone else that I had time to catch up with.

When I arrived back in the village, clearly the news of my return had spread. I was welcomed back by my neighbours, the Mayor, his wife and my Bulgarian friends. I felt like a long lost daughter….I was truly moved by the experience. I knew I had friends there but was concerned that my friendships were being damaged by malicious gossip. I was right that there had been plenty of gossip. This was bought to my attention by a friend who speaks english, but it hadn’t affected the real friendships I made in Miladinovtsi, the friendships that count.

Also, I was once very good friends with a woman called Stefka…we were great friends, but a couple of issues got in the way and we ended up estranged. When I knew I was going back, and after hearing that she had had a bad run with some of the people that adversly affected my life, I decided it was time to re-establish the friendship. I contacted her from here before I left and arranged to catch up once I got settled…..

I wanted to take Jillian to all the lovely places that I had been privileged to see in Bulgaria. I planned to head for Jeravna and Sozolpol for starters and as Stefka was also on holidays, I arranged for her to come with us.

We had a fabulous time and I even managed to drag my neighbour, Christina along for at least one day out….I figured she probably deserved a day off. We squeezed into my trusty car, and after dropping a couple of village ladies in Yambol, I picked up Stefka and we headed down to beautiful Sozopol. The weather was gorgeous…not to hot…and the old town, where we were, wasn’t too busy.

We had a wonderful day…we did all the touristy things. We walked the length and breadth of the old town, we shopped, we lunched ( as ladies do), we ate icecream, we chatted …we just generally had a really nice day. And it was good to spend a little time with Christina when she wasn’t working, and it was great to get back to the good friendship that I had with Stefka.

I didn’t have nearly enough time back in BG and I knew that I wouldn’t have time to catch up with everyone I wanted to, even in the village, so I decided to throw a barbie..not the doll, the classic aussie summer feed…..

It was a cracking night !! I made the mistake though of thinking that if I invited 20 people, only ten would turn up…silly me. Everyone I asked arrived, both from within the village and from Yambol and Slavyantsi (sic) It was chaos……Jillian, Louisa, Anne, Jeremy and Gary spent half the night in the kitchen making more and more Shropska salad. I ran out of meat and had to borrow some…my poor pathetic little BBQ could hardly cope with the demand…. never worked so hard in its little life…
Thank god we didn’t run out of booze
Thank god the neighbours and various visitors from around the village had crammed my fridge full of fresh veges, cirene cheese and rakia….I had the capacity to feed the thousands…well, with veges, cirene and rakia anyway.

When we arrived in Miladinovtsi, we’d hardly had a chance to get settled before people started to arrive to welcome me back…all armed with food. As my huge fridge got more and more full, Jillian was saying ‘Susie, we’re only here for eight days..you have to tell them to stop bringing food..we’ll never get through it’ My response was that if she wanted to try and stop them, to go ahead…I wished her every success

Mind you, given the mob that turned up for the BBQ, it was a good thing that I had all that food……it certainly came in handy.

My time back in BG was starting to run out and the night after the BBQ, Christina invited Jillian and I over for an evening with her family. She had two of her sisters and her daughters there, with their partners.

Christina laid on the full feast of lamb, lamb drop sarma, shropska salad, rakia and wine….jesus, no wonder I put on weight while I was back in the country. We had a terrific night with them all. Christinas daughters live away, one in London and the other spends time working in Norway. When I left Bulgaria, both her daughters left around the same time and poor Christina was devastated that we were all disappearing at the same time to different corners of the world. It just happened that they were back in Bulgaria while I was there and it was very flattering to be included in their family gathering.

All too soon my time in Bulgaria was drawing to a close. I needed to spend time with Ivan, and in between him working with his sheep and house renovations and me running around catching up with everyone, we managed to get together…we also needed to sort a few things out because, again, wagging tongues had made difficulties between us….all sorted now though and our friendship is back where it belongs, on solid ground.

I wanted to spend time with his uncle Ivan and wife, Gospodina, which I did. I had a lovely few hours with them and though I’d only called in to say a proper goodbye, I ended up being fed and indulging in just the wee-ist of rakias. These are such good, welcoming people and I hated having to say goodbye to them again. In fact, I hated saying goodbye to any of them….I so wanted to stay there and get on with my life surrounded by these beaut folk……

Possibly the hardest goodbye was yet to come though, and that was saying goodbye to my dogs….again.

Jillian returned to Turkey on the Tuesday, as she was on her way to France to visit our friend Deb Westerberg and then onto Italy to spend time with our sister Helen. This gave me a day to tidy up some loose ends. I organised friends to mothball the house and car for me, but this doesn’t mean the house isn’t available if someone wants to rent it for a holiday. Just email me: aussiebulg@gmail.com if you think you might like a holiday in a very nice little corner of Bulgaria in a particularly special house.

Then it was time to say bye bye to my dogs. Jesus, I was a miserable cow…pretty sad old time for my last day in the country…..I did spend some very nice, though fairly miserable, time with my Gina in the house with me, and then it was time to return them all to the kennels for a few more months until they move to Bourgas. I think I actually heard and felt my heart break as I drove away, leaving them again.

And then it was time to say bye bye to Bulgaria. I’m so glad I went back, albeit for far too little time. I came away feeling exonerated, comfortable in the knowledge that I’m not the problem, it’s certain individuals around me. I’ve sorted out so much ’stuff’ and restored very important friendships and seen the important people in my Bulgarian life.

So, with very mixed emotions I returned to Australia to start another life with the ABC in Geraldton…..and that’s turning into a whole other story…..

So, here I was in Australia, working, catching up with great friends and my fab family.

The work situation was sorted…I had tossed that fateful coin and the decision to take the radio job was made. I had a start date, but I knew there was one thing I needed to do before I started the new job.

I knew in my heart I needed to return to Bulgaria to see my good friends there…to see my gorgeous dogs and to decide what I should do with my house…….and to see how I felt about the country after the rather rotten time I had before I returned to Australia.

My sister Jillian had already planned to visit me in BG and so I decided to return while she was there so I could show her a little more of the country than she saw on her first visit. It was the depths of winter when she visited in 2005 and, though she saw more snow than she could poke a stick at and some lovely winter wonderland scenes, she didn’t really see Bulgaria in all it’s glory…

So. plans were made, tickets were booked and on August third I flew into Istanbul on my way home….or is it ??

Jillian had flown in a few hours before me, so once I arrived and refreshed myself a little, we headed out to experience a little of Istanbul.

With the help of a friend here in Oz, I had got us into a really beaut little hotel slap bang in the middle of the old part of the city, the Sultanamet area. It was a great spot to be and it’s a very beautiful part of the city…..

Look at this for a breakfast view…..

And the mosques and buildings were really very beautiful

And I loved the three and four storey weatherboard buildings that dotted the area

Jillian wanted to do a wee bit of shopping, so I took a photo stroll around and got a few pics of some of those lovely bits of Sultanamet….. and of my sister, of course

The next morning we were up early for the bus to Erdine. We were to be picked up there by the lovely Dimitor and transported through to Miladinovtsi. We had a bit of a wait at Erdine and decided to have a coffee. Wandering around our feet were these two little cuties…though I suspect they were for the pot once they had gained a little more weight

We boarded the bus at lunch time and then hit the road. Gee, I felt so nervous…I guess I knew there were expats in Miladinovtsi who had caused me so much distress before I left, and according to some, were still indulging in malicious gossip while I was away, and the thought of seeing any of them made me feel a little sick, to be quite honest. I was filled with trepidation…..

And I also knew that this was crunch time…I was either going to hate being back in Bulgaria or love it.

Well, as we came over the hill into the village and I saw my house, a lot of my apprehension vanished, and when we pulled up out the front and Jillian stepped up and opened the front door…and I saw just how beautiful the place was, what a fantastic job Ivan had made of turning my ideas into a reality, I knew that Miladinovtsi and the Big House was where I belong.

Sue and Aisha had left the place in good shape and when I headed out to my vehicle, I found they had also left that sparkling….and I thank them for doing that for me and for looking after the house while I was away.

Jillian had only seen the house pre Ivan and there was a lot of Oooo-ing and Ahhh-ing ringing out around the place as she took a tour. Her reaction was important to me and I reckoned if she thought it was a good job, then it was a good job…as far as I was concerned, her positive response was a vote towards me returning to BG.

I had become so despondent before I left BG, that I think I had lost sight of just how amazing the house is and what a huge difference the work I’ve had done has made. Walking back into it was a very good experience for me….very positive.

Anyway…the next most important task was my fat bottomed girls.

I rang Maria (my vet) and organised a time to meet a the kennels. I was sooooo excited about seeing them again…you have no idea.

It was so good to see Maria again and it was so, so good to see the dogs…..and look at the size of them !!! these girls are just eight months old and still have a fair bit of growing to go.

And look at my lovely Gina…doesn’t she look fantastic.

She was vaguely suspicious about my sudden appearance and all of them were a little reluctant to leave the kennels and get into the car. Who can blame them…I’d left them for four months, and the kennels and the people who had looked after them there, including Maria and her family, had become the important people in the dogs lives.

Even though Maria is now the owner of Rosa, she decided the dogs should all be together as a family for the few days I was in town, which was very kind of her, and I think time with her mother and sister was really exciting for her…they were like a bunch of kids, even Gina.

We got them all in the car eventually and talk about a car FULL of dogs…..jesus !! There wasn’t much space left once they were all settled in, but they were all on board and off to Miladinovtsi we headed…

Again, on arrival they were a little wary…not sure what was going on, but again, once they got back amongst familiar smells and sights, they proceeded to play….and play…and play…and play. Not only are they huge for their age, but they seem to have endless energy…..

I had such a wonderful time with them. After a few days, Gina reclaimed her position in the house and got very settled indeed..and this is where my heart got broken again. When it came time for me to leave, she knew. She started following me around the house and hanging around my suitcase, checking the contents and giving me whithering looks as I put more bits and pieces in it. She just looked hangdog for the last 24 hours or so and I could hardly stop crying….

I love Mia, but I adore Gina…she’s my mate and best girl and I still feel an overwhelming sense of guilt when I think about deserting her….I just couldn’t bring myself to give them up completely, but maybe this is something I have to face in the near future. I can’t seem to make up my mind where I want to be, and that’s not fair on the dogs.

And their future ??? well, Rosa’s is in place. She has the best owner she could have in Maria and for now, the other two are being looked after by a friend of Maria’s. It’s the best possible arrangement, because if I return to Bulgaria I can have Gina and Mia back, on the condition that the guy can put his male Karakachan over her next year and he keeps the pups, and if I don’t return, I will either ship them out here to Australia….or wherever I decide to settle….or he can keep both dogs for himself. I’m bloody lucky, aren’t I ….things just seem to be falling into place for me, not matter which way I turn.

I have loads more to tell about my visit. We crammed an awful lot into eight days… Jillian and I had a beaut time and I have so much to tell about the village, the villagers, Ivan, days out with Christina and an old friend that I had lost contact with, Stefka, Stefka’s daughter and her amazing art.. Take a look at this www.inatrifonova.com

there’s stories, there’s pictures and I’ll be back with all that and more another day….

Right now, I have to make marmlade…and that’s ANOTHER story

bye for now

Mercer xxx

and so we went from deep and crisp and even, to slimy, muddy, damp and downright yukky !!! And every day is now a battle against the black sticky mud that is the soil here when water is added…

The weather has actually been quite nice the last couple of days, but we had day after day after day of really heavy, wet fog last week…and it was really depressing. There just never seemed to be an end to it..then I awoke Friday morning and realised that I could see blue sky !! and a large, yellow ball in the sky, the name of which I had some difficulty remembering
I was chatting to my downstairs guests and we realised that we have not seen the sky since well before Christmas…just greyness, that’s been it. No wonder everyone’s been feeling a little low…and what a difference blue sky and some sunshine is making. The temperatures are still low, but the sun has some warmth in it and I stood out in the backyard yesterday and soaked up the warmth like a lizard on a rock…god it was good !!

and the puppies !! Holy, moly, you should see how filthy they are ….in between still being the most gorgeous creatures on gods earth just now

I’m now letting them out of their compound every day so they can burn off a little of their endless energy, and now that all that lovely white snow has gone, they’ve discovered the place where I’ve been dumping the ashes from the fire…and Oh, what a lovely place it is for them to play. I took my eyes off them for about half an hour the other day and when I went out to check on them, I was greeted by two of the blackest, dirtiest, happiest puppies you’ve ever seen….. I put them back in the compound for the night and I don’t know whether it was them rolling around in the hay or whether Gina was a very busy mother, but the next morning they were back to being lovely and snowy white…..but not for long !!! no point trying to keep them clean…..and they are just having so much fun being puppies…..truly delightful.

And Gina ?? well, I suspect in her previous life, there wasn’t a lot of play, and she now seems to be learning how to play with her pups. The first few days she wasn’t doing very well and was way to rough with them, but now, she is just having so much fun with them…and they with her. This is what I wanted for her..the chance to actually enjoy her pups. I’ve found out that the first lot she had died and the second lot she ate because she was starving, which must have been so terrible for her. She’s been the most fantastic mother, and she really does love these pups. It’s been a joy to watch her.

I bundled them all into the car the other day and took them off to the vet for their shots. I asked a friend, Sue, to come with me because I kinda thought they would be a real handful, but they weren’t. They were lovely, though one of them did get a little car sick…and I give them porridge for breakfast…….so you can imagine what I had to clean up in the car

They were fine with the vet..a little whingy, but didn’t embarrass me at all. Now, keep in mind that these guys are 8 weeks old…..Rosa is weighing in at a hefty 15 kilos !! and Mia isn’t far behind at 13 kilos…..My fat bottomed girls indeed !!

We tried to get Gina on the scales, but she was too big, but Maria (vet) estimates she’s probably around the 40-45 kilo mark and in perfect condition….so I’m very pleased and happy. She’s come back from the brink of starvation and is now a happy, healthy girl..lovely

And when I haven’t been completely and utterly engrossed in the dogs ???

Well, this year we held Babin Den at my house. I asked Donna, Christina’s sister, if Babin Den was happening at the bar and I’m not quite sure why, but it wasn’t, so I offered my house. The local ladies sorted out the inviting for me and brought all the food and I just provided the house and lots of really good chocolate…they love a chocolate in this country…and my friend, Aisha, bought a large batch of scones, which really went down a treat. I love the fact that if you produce something different at these do’s, the folk here will always give it a go. If they like it, they descend upon it and it’s gone in seconds… if they don’t, it sits, a solitary, unpopular food item….Scones were a huge hit !!
And so the local ladies arrived and we got down to the important business of eating and drinking….

god, you should see how much rakia I now have…could start my own bar with the booze they bought…
and then, I put on my Bulgarian music and the dancing commenced !!

It was a really beaut day and I thoroughly enjoyed, as did everyone here….mind you, if I do it again next year, I might have to buy a bigger house ..or knock out some walls….or something.

Before the snow thawed, we had a bit of drama across the road. I was sitting here keeping warm the other day when I heard an almighty THUMP !! I then heard Teodora, the lady across the road, wailing. I ran out of the house and, bloody hell, the weight of the snow had bought down their outhouse..which was full of their sheep. Jesus, it was awful. Karlina from next door was already running over there and I joined them to see what we could do. It was freezing cold and there was no way we could lift the roof…obviously the priority was the get the sheep out and hope that none were dead. I ran back to my house and got Gerry to run up to the bar and get men to help and I also shanghaied a few blokes that were walking past to come and help. Another brit in the village stopped and helped and eventually all the sheep were rescued..intact. This was fantastic, because when I first looked under the wreckage I could see blood and was sure that there would be casualties…..
Anyway, there we all stood afterwards and I realised that they had nowhere to put their sheep…so I offered my garage. An offer that was taken up, and a few hours and a few metres or wire later, half my garage became a temporary home to seven large, surprised looking sheep. They were only there for just over a week while Giorgie and friends sorted out the rubble of the outhouse, which then gave them access to their other outhouses, so the sheep could then be moved there, but it was rather nice to hear them out there when I was with the dogs..almost felt tempted to get some….NOT !!!

On the ‘Bugger !!!’ list…..I sometimes make mention on here, after a hard days work, that I have a Nana back….gets sore, few twinges here and there, makes strange cracking noises sometimes when I stand up, usual stuff. Well, before Christmas the problem seemed to escalate and I’ve had some really serious problems..a few days where I’ve been pretty much crippled with the pain. Once again, the Bulgaria medical system has picked up something that should have been found years ago either in Australia or Scotland, both places where I’ve had XRays and MRI scans….

My mother had a curvature of the spine and it appears that I have inherited it from her. When they told me here that I had it, I asked the question ‘how could that happen’ to which the doctor responded, ‘it didn’t just happen, you would have been born with it’
Anyway, it’s obviously been there forever and has caused a little problem here and there over the years. Now, I’ve done something…the doctor suggests perhaps lifting heavy things that I shouldn’t be lifting…and one of the vertebrae on the curvature has herniated and is pushing up against a nerve…Shit, Shit, Shit !!! And boy, am I experiencing some pain…and no, I’m not having an operation. At the moment I’m having a course of injections, which Aisha, a friend in the village, who’s a nurse, is administering. Poor woman, has to face my bum everyday…… I’m also taking some pretty good drugs and this is keeping things under control..sort of. Next Sunday I’m off to see some guy in a village near Sliven who is, apparently, a bit of a miracle worker with dodgy backs. My doctor is taking me there, so he must be OK….I hope I told my doctor that I don’t care if this guy’s a witch doctor and wants to smear me with pigs blood, as long as he fixes the problem…I want my life back and just now, this is really slowing me down…..

and just a small aside….Poor old Aisha rang me today to tell me that one of the village ladies turned up on her doorstep this afternoon, injection in hand, asking her to please administer it to her….and she’s coming back for the next one in five days !!!! So not only does she have to face my backside everyday, but now she’s got the villagers coming to her as well and presenting theirs….

God I love this country..there’s always something slightly bizarre that brings a smile to my face everyday

And last, but not least, today is Australia Day, and I was asked to do an interview for the Sofia Echo, an English language newspaper that’s produced in Sofia. They wanted an Australia perspective on living in Bulgaria..apparently. Anyway, it’s done, and I’m waiting to see what it’s like. I have no idea, but they’ve promised me a copy for me and some for my family…..so lets hope I haven’t made an idiot of myself ….

I think that’s it….If the puppies ever stop running around like whirling dervishes, I’ll get some more pics and post them, but for now, ciao, ciao

God, I’d like to find the idiot that wrote that song and make ‘em come and live here just now !!!

I think these shots say it all..and no photograph can describe just how bad things have got…..

and those last few pics are taken on the main street up to the village centre..

Well may you ask ‘what street’….it wasn’t seen for days and when it eventually showed its face, it was a sheet of ice not disimiliar to a pane of glass. OK I saw some funny sights as cars tried valiantly to get up said street, and we really had a lot of fun just making our way up to the local bar for a few warming tipples, but when ALL the streets between you and just about everything are like sheets of oily glass…smooth, slippery and not really for driving on, the fun starts to wear off fairly quickly.

But, we did have a truly White Christmas…which was gorgeous. I had two guys from Australia, John and Roy, staying with me and two friends from the village joined us for a very enjoyable, very relaxing, very champagne-y Christmas Day.
The house looked lovely
and yes, I know the pics not that clear, but my camera just isn’t good enough for night shots…

and the table very civilised …well, at least for a the first few hours

The guys staying with me were fantastic and a great help with lunch and drinks. I thought I’d had an easy Christmas day last year, but this year was a walk in the park…very relaxing, very enjoyable.

We had the Koleda singers through on Christmas Eve, which was a great experience for my guests

The snow stopped, but the temperatures got colder and colder and what you’re seeing on these trees is, in fact, frost

how beautiful does that look. and I have a little fir tree at my front door and when the frost settled on it, it looked like I’d sprayed it with pretend snow…..

Cold but beautiful…and a real experience for two young Aussie lads with little or no experience or what can only be called, a ‘real winter.’

We headed in Yambol just before New Years and the boys were treated to more Koleda singers who John just couldn’t resist getting involved with

My winter was made just that little bit warmer with the arrival of my very dear friend, Deb Westerberg, from her much warmer home in the South of France. When she decided to come visit the weather was certainly forecast to be cold and snowy, but I don’t think either of us realised just what the words ‘cold and snow’ really meant……

I arranged to meet Deb in Varna, so boarded the train and headed down there. I had found a hotel on the internet that I told Deb we just HAD to stay in. Why ??… because it was called the ‘ Hotel Perfect’ and I figured that we needed to find out just how perfect it was. What can I say….it was actually a most gorgeous place, very reasonably priced and slap bang in the centre of the Old Town. We were actually in stitches about this almost cheap ‘luxury’ place that we were staying is…and yes, we were so impressed, we took pictures…

We had a luxury apartment each and Deb’s had a terrace big enough to throw a very large BBQ on…a thought for summer perhaps

Anyway, we had a night in Varna and spent time wandering around having a look..and it has to be said, this is one town that really knows what the term ‘Christmas lighting’ means..the place looked fabulous, a real picture

and I have to thank Deb for the Varna pics….dunderhead here wandered out without her camera when we went to look at the lights and I was also too lazy to tidy up my room to take pictures of it…so the nice tidy room you’re seeing was Debs !!

We made our way back to Yambol the next day noting that the temperatures did seem a tad warmer than Varna..just a tad. A precurser to snow perhaps ?? oh yes indeedy !!

So, Deb came all the way to Bulgaria and basically spent the whole time snowed in here……and to add to her holiday, the power went off for three days !!! So, we had heating in the big lounge room and a gas hob to cook on…but that was it. no electric blankets, no hot water and Deb, John and Roy were sleeping upstairs, an area we were keeping warm with, yep, you guessed it, electric heaters !!! It was a bloody miserable couple of days and there was great celebration and much showering in the pink palace when the power was restored.

It has to be said though, it’s certainly been a much warmer winter in this house than my first one, when the weather was pretty similar to this, so malko po malko (little by little) I may, one day, get this house warm….ish

Anyway, our next challenge was to get Deb, John and Roy out of Miladinovtsi so they could catch their respective planes to their respective countries……..We got Dimitor, the lovely taxi driver, to brave the roads and come and get us for a trip to Yambol to organise train tickets. After my accident in similar weather conditions in 2005, I am just too scared to drive on ice, so the responsibility fell to Dimitor, a man I trust and a man with far more experience on icy roads than me. It was still a very scary trip in and took over an hour, but he drove so carefully and got us there safely. We also organised for him to return on the Saturday to get Deb on the train and to return on Sunday to get the boys into Yambol for their train. We’re talking appalling road conditions here, basically kilometres of packed down ice, but he came through for everyone and got them all where they needed to be in plenty of time to get to where they were going…. a good lad and totally reliable.

And so everyone has departed and I had a lovely time with them here, especially Deb….But, Oh, my house is Sooooo quiet with their departure ……..

The conditions are still pretty grim. Temperatures have fallen into the minus 13 to 15 range but so far, I’ve managed to stop any pipes from freezing. The roads are still a nightmare, but the temperatures are rising …slowly…but now we seem to be encased in a very thick fog……but the house is reasonably warm and the electricity has stayed on since those unfortunate three days that it was off….

And in between all of this, has been these

They just get cuter and cuter….and bigger and bigger !!!

My love affair with them is ongoing and every day they bring me a lot of amusement..they are still my ‘fat bottomed girls’

and I just love them to bits…..

and as they grow more and more adventurous, the fun they provide grows bigger and bigger. They are truly hilarious in the slippery, icy conditions and it’s very funny when they disappear into snow way deeper than they are tall.

I certainly don’t want three great hulking Karakachans gallumping around the yard in the future, but it’s going to be a very sad day when I say goodbye to Rosa and hand her over to Ivan……

I guess that’s about all there is for now…though I do have one more little thing to show you. Some of you may remember a very long time ago I talked about a ‘cart’ I had seen in the village of Rosa, a cart with a difference as it was the arse end of an old Trebent car that had been converted. I remember kicking myself because I didn’t have my camera with me that day. Well, the gods have smiled upon me. Just before Christmas I was driving into Yambol…with my camera in my bag and, Voila !! look what was coming down the road towards me

Brilliant !!!!

and on that note, I’ll wish you all Chestita Nova Godina ( Happy New Year)

May you all have a safe, happy and prosperous 2008….

Yes, my third Christmas in Bulgaria is just a few days away …

But before myself, Sue and Aisha, a couple of good friends from here and John & Roy, a couple of young lads from Australia settle in for a few glasses of good Bulgarian wine and perhaps a small tipple of good Champagne, let me show you the last few weeks……

Last Friday I awoke to this

and this

and it really doesn’t matter how cold it is, I just love to look out my window from the warmth and safety of my bed, and see this sight 

now, this was over a week ago, but the temperatures have been cold enough for there still to be plenty of snow on the ground and visions like this around my house

Yep, they are massive stalagnites (sic) and who needs flowers in the garden and decorations on the balconies when you get displays like those…..

If the temperatures remain cold ( and methinks they will) then there will still be snow around for Christmas in Miladinovtsi….so a white Christmas is on the cards, which will be great for my friends and guests, especially the Aussies…you don’t get a lot of white Christmasses there 

And I’m all prepared as well….I’ve made a Christmas cake, I’ve even conquered my short crust pastry demons and made some fairly presentable mince pies. the christmas turkey is being slaughtered and delivered locally on Christmas eve (don’t come fresher than that), the drunken berries are festering drunkedly in a bottle, and tomorrow I make the Christmas Ice Cream

Thanks to generous contributions from friends and anyone else I could convince to bring me some, the fairy light display on the house has increased expedentially and I now have lights at the front of the house, the back of the house and down one side of the house…..and it looks fantastic…even if I say so myself     And with my slightly more mature years, I’ve adopted the ’less is more’ policy for my tree, and instead of cramming every damned decoration in Christiandom onto the tree, I’ve just put my favourite ones up plus lots of white fairy lights…….and it does look lovely…..

I’m ready !!!!  and I can hardly believe it, especially given the craziness of the last few months…..speaking of which….my doggies. my infatuation, the loves of my life 

I’ve had a new premises built for them.  I asked Ivan if he could rustle up something, as they were becoming very active and getting very hard to confine. One day Ivan’s uncle, Ivan turned up and in no time at all, the makings of the new, luxury dog apartment was underway

and just a couple of days later, through snow and sleet, this was the result

It’s got all the creature comforts…a raised floor, a good fence, that only manged to confine Gina (or Houdini, as she is now known) for 48 hours……and bales of clean, warm hay spread all over the place.  They moved in and appear to be as happy as pigs in poo…

And just take a look:

I can’t resist them……I’m wasting far too much time with them, but I just can’t help myself.  I go out to feed them and spend ages just cuddling them, and talking to them and watching their antics. They are as funny as buggery and keep me amused for ever.

Oh, and I was reluctant to name them because I wasn’t totally confident that they would live.  My fabulous vet, Maria, who I can never thank enough for her help, advice and support through all this puppy stuff, asked me what they were called.  When I told her they had no names and my reason for not naming them, she told me that if I didn’t name them, there would be no place for them in this world…so I have …and so now they’re called Rosa and Mia. Mia will be mine and Rosa is my gift to Ivan…….

The fact that they lived when I thought they weren’t going to is probably a contributing factor to my infatuation, but they are just so gorgeous…..

and I know some of these images are blurred, but trying to photograph these two is like trying to photograph a bucket of worms….

and still Gina hates me taking pics …

But even she’s providing me with amusement as I watch her dealing with the snow…….meet Gina of the Klondike

The poor thing has such huge teats and when she tries to have a wee, I can’t help but laugh as she tries to avoid resting said huge teats in the cold, cold snow.  She tippy toes around the back yard like she walking on hot coals……I thought Karakachans were designed to survive the harshest condition..perhaps I’m making her too soft with all the warmth and comfort…

and to everything else…I have rented the bottom floor of the house out to some folk who bought a property through Krassie and I. They needed somewhere to live while they start work on it, and as the bottom floor is now fully self comtained, they can live down there comfortably.  It’s a great arrangement where they look after themselves and we both have privacy.

and for winter entertainment and to keep those arteries packed, the pig killing season is underway !!

Ivan and his uncle, Ivan, despatched one the other day

And here he is, up to his elbows in guts.

This is one really lovely man, and he and his wife have been very welcoming to me.

And what are we doing here ???

We’re cleaning out the pigs intestines to make ‘Barwhoor’, a very nice, but very, very rich sausage made from pigs liver and pork meat…..you can almost hear the screams of my arteries from there, can’t you !!  But, jesus, the products that result from the pig killings are just so damned delicious……..

I think that’s probably all I have just now, except to wish everyone who reads this and gives me such great support, the very best for Christmas 2007 and a happy and fulfilling 2008 to each and everyone of you……

for now……Caio   xxxx

and busy I got……bloody hell…..I just wasn’t expecting it and when a rush of guests came from left field, I was only partially ready. I’ve had bird watchers from Scotland, the Sparrows, a really nice family from the UK, and even more Aussies. I had a really beaut couple from Queensland stay with me, Jan and Andy. 

I really enjoyed having them here and they seemed to enjoy their stay.  Their visit to me culminated in a very pleasant evening at one of the nicest restuarants in Yambol with some other friends plus Ivan and his wife.

We have mutual friends in Adele Millard and her husband, Mat.  I worked with Adele some years ago at the ABC and I’ve known her brother Nik, who’se a cameraman for the BBC, for many years  It was lovely to sit down and catch up on other aspects of life in Oz and people that I’ve not had a lot of contact with in recent times.

There are many times in this country when I rue not carrying my camera with me at all times….but sometimes I have it and I get to see some classic sights…..And ‘Men at Work’ in Bulgaria has got to be one of the great classics.  I’ve seen a number of situations that have made me laugh but for these two, I was lucky enough to get the matching pics

This was taken up in the mountains past Smoylan where one man was working like a bastard….while the rest looked on, smoked ciggies and gave lots of advice

and then, bugger me, if I didn’t look out the window the other day to see the men of Miladinovtsi doing exactly the same thing

you gotta love ‘em……..

I also found a little gem resting here quietly in Miladinovtsi.  Now, I’m not a religious person by nature, but this doesn’t mean I’m not interested in churches. I’ve wandered past the little church in Miladinovtsi many times but the doors have never been open……the other day they were, and what a wonderful vision hides behind those big doors…

It’s a truly wonderful place to visit and is beautifully maintained by Dida, the partner of the man that runs the local bar. it’s beautiful, and certainly worth a visit if you ever make it to this pleasant little village.

We’ve had Mayoral elections throughout Bulgaria and it was with great pleasure that I discovered that our encumbent Mayor and a man I consider a good friend, Dimitor Dimitroff, succeeded in getting another four year term in office. There were those who sought to manipulate the villagers and endeavour to get someone less desirable into office, but on the day, common sense prevailed and the right man was returned to the job…….

There’s probably a million things I’ve missed this month, but there’s been one occurence that has probably taken the most of my time and attention……

and here she is…

But this isn’t quite what she looked like when she came into my life…she was starved and abused and a truly pathetic sight

Her name is Gina. She’s been with me less than four weeks and her recovery has been remarkable.

up to and including her love of being in the car and her almost immediate liking to being inside the house…….

She is a most beautiful natured creature and a joy to to have around…but there’s more…

The more observant of you have probably also noticed that she’s pregnant….SHIT !!!  Yep, there’s puppies on the horizon and I suspect I’m in for a whole new experience……delivering the bloody things……. 

Rather sadly, Ivan, in a fit of pique, has taken Byal away from me. I was very sad to see him go, but also realise that with a  pregnant bitch in the house, a huge slavering, sometimes uncontrollable brute on the property (and I dont mean Ivan ) was probably not a great idea…..so he’s gone, after all these months. And I will miss him…..and so will the new friend he made here

So it’s goodbye to my old mate…..a dog I formed a great bond with. 

and hello to Gina….   

a dog I’ve paid for and who can’t be taken away from me and with whom, I am already bonding very strongly…she is just a delight and already I love her very much…fingers crossed her health is good enough to have these puppies and nothing happens to her.

I finish this month on a very, very sad note indeed. This time last year I had a Scottish couple, Jan & Harley, staying here with me while their house was being renovated. This was one couple that I admired so much.  Neither of them in great health but willing to take a chance on a new life in a strange and foreign land.  They’ve had their ups and downs here but all in all, were enjoying Bulgaria and what it had to offer them.  Sadly, Harley passed away today and it is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I say goodbye, not just to this month, but to a man that I considered a very good friend indeed….and my heart goes out to Jan, who has lost her best friend and soul mate…

Caio Harley….

Having waved Karen and Gary off, and having slaughtered hundreds of mice, I returned home and turned my thoughts to the next visitors I knew were coming, my brother Tony, his wife Enid and their old friends, John and Jan Ducat. I was really, really excited about this lot coming. I love my brothers and sisters very much having Tony and his fantastic wife Enid here was something I was looking forward to very much indeed.

They started their Bulgarian holiday in Sofia and made their way down to me the next day.  This took the house numbers to 8 people, 3 dogs and 13 chickens !!

After all the fabulous weather we’d been having, they were actually greeted by a very nasty, windy day in Miladinovtsi.  For the first time in weeks and weeks, we actually moved inside to eat.  A massive storm whipped up and when some of my huge windows blew open and stuff went flying around the room, I suspect there was a moment when they wondered what they’de come to.

Fortunately, things were back to normal the following day, though happily, a little cooler than it had been.

Ivan came to the fore as he is want to do when I have guests, and announced that he would be slaughtering a sheep and having it cooked for the mob.  And he did..and it was fantastic.  He arrived here with great trays of roasted lamb, a huge slab of drop sarmi, accompanied by his wife Kremena, who was weighed down under bowls of salad…Oh, and let’s not forget the bottles of this years Rakia……..

Tony looked pretty damned happy as he sampled everything on the table and his mate John wasn’t sitting there complaining either 

It really was a great Bulgarian feast, and a good memory that I’m sure they all took away with them.

I decided that seeing Veliko Turnovo would be nice for them and I also wanted them to experience my favourite restuarant while there, so we set off to spend the night.

I thought that going over the Shipka Pass would be good because of the extraordinary views to be had from the top…….when we got to the top, a great fog descended upon us !!!  You wouldn’t believe it, would you…all that way and not a view to be had….Bugger !!!

We had a  little wander around anyway and then resumed our journey to VT.

I booked us into the ‘Kashata’ ( House) as always, got us a table booked at the resturant for that night and then we had a little touristy wander around the town.

Come the evening, we made our way to the resturant and settled in for a night of truly wonderful Bulgarian food…..and the odd drop of Bulgarian wine.

The next morning we roamed around looking for a breakfast spot and found a great cafe.  It’s been there for a long time but they’ve now extended upstairs and we settled in to enjoy breakfast with these fab views

But in the true style of sods law, just as we got settled, we spotted a bloke driving a largish piece of machinery up the street. I do believe Tony made the comment that they were probably here to spoil our breakfast…and how right he was.  The buggers cranked up a bloody jack hammer !!!!   Arghhhhh!!!!

We still managed a nice breakfast, but from the relative quiet of the inside of the cafe……

We headead back to Miladinovtsi with plans to head for Sozopol the next day…and we did.

The weather was gorgeous, and beach looked great and the town was, as always, a charming spot to wile away a few hours…and just in case we hadn’t had enough, we ate and drank some more 

All too soon the time came for them to leave me and I felt quite devastated when that moment came….this is the hardest part of being here.  I know I’ve got a great life, but Jesus, I miss my family and friends…and from here they were going on to spend time with my great friend, Deb Westerberg, who now lives in France, my sister Helen in Italy and my niece Elizabeth in Prague….all people I desperately want to see, but whom my sparse lifestyle here doesn’t allow me to afford the fares to go and see…..

Sometimes just chucking it all in and returning to a more conservative lifestyle seems like the right thing to do….

And these thoughts certainly came to the fore for a while as I considered heading back to Australia to at least make a few bob to ease the pressure here a little…..but, as always, fate stepped in and I suddenly found myself with a run of bookings for accommodation …..

and there’s when the time pixies took my time and ran away with it…….

I’ll be back with more soon…….lord willing and the creeks don’t rise

caio for now