Bulgaria with Noodles

Yes, we are now back in Veliko Tarnovo and of course that means that I am bored to death! There really is not much to do here. On Wednesday, I was doing some strimming, repaired the stone wall at the far end of the Secret Garden and cut the grass with my splendid tractor mower. All very necessary jobs that needed to be done. Here in VT, I can go shopping, take Tina for a walk and that is about it. The Great and Good Vincent has inspected our electric water pump and he says that it is knackered. Some seal or valve inside the pump is bust, so water starts coming out of the bottom of the pump as soon as you turn on the pump. Getting it repaired will probably cost as much as a new pump, he reckons. Electric water pumps do not like very cold weather, according to Vincent, so the sensible thing is to switch them off, disconnect them, try to get out any water that is inside and then leave them somewhere that is not too cold.   The other little problem is that the floor of the Reserved...

I HATE plumbing. Anything to do with fixing a supply of domestic water is something that I really do not enjoy. We have stopcocks at the bottom of Tina’s swimming pool, the square hole in one of our outbuildings. This hole always fills with water, so turning the stopcocks on or off is a pain. It is even more of pain when the lever rusts and comes off in your hand! Well, today the local plumber chap came round and he installed two new brass stopcocks. I actually bought new ones of the right size, to replace the old ones. I suppose that he was working for about an hour and he refused any payment, as he said that he was paid by the water company. I insisted on giving him 40 leva (about twenty pounds).   Then there was the flooding in the kitchen. Alan took his dishwasher with him when he sold the house, but there is still a waste water pipe under the sink, with just a plastic bag over the end! Last year I bought a sort of spiral wire thing with a handle at the end. If you turn th...

Yes, we are STILL in Veliko Tarnovo. It is now the 20th of March and I am wondering if we will go back to Daveri in April. Or maybe May. The other week we had a good walk with the VT Walkers, so I am including a few photos. It was great to be able to offer them some hospitality in our apartment when we did a walk around VT. Bad news. Ira has some serious problems with her teeth (or rather the lack of them). She has had quite a few X-rays and they have made her feel rather ill. She needs quite a lot of work done to repair all of the damage to her teeth, so maybe she will have some implants. More bad news. The car sounds more like an old tractor and I am planning to take it to Stanislav on Thursday. Adrian reckons that Stanislav is the man. We shall see! Although I would like to keep that old X-Trail on the road a bit longer, I might not have any choice and so I could have to get rid of it and buy another car. As for my pension arrangements, I filled in the S1 form and the pension ap...

Yesterday we went for yet another lovely walk, one that Peter has never done. Here is Assenova, our particular district of Veliko Tarnovo, we do have some beautiful countryside very close to us. The sun was shining in a blue sky and it was gloriously warm. I even saw a butterfly. Tina enjoyed herself, that naughty little fat doggie. The day before was not so enjoyable. First I went to one of those exhaust garages, the ones that mostly repair and replace knackered exhaust systems on cars, and they said that they really could not find anything wrong with the exhaust. Well, they lifted the car right off the ground, so I was able to see for myself. Anyway, if it is not the exhaust that is making the noise, then I suppose that it really must be the engine. Bad news. More bad news awaited me when I arrived at the hospital. Our GP, Doctor Ivanov, said that we really ought to have some tests and so we had a blood test and various things monitored our hearts. The results? Well, generally we...

The weather has been decidedly wintry for the last few days. We had a fair bit of snow and some of it has not melted, as the temperatures have been so low. Happy anniversary, Mr Putin! Three years of war, destruction, death, mutilation, wives becoming widows and children losing their fathers. What a bastard! What a scumbag! It made me so angry when Trump said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was really Ukraine’s own fault, just as Hitler tried to say that it was all the fault of Poland. (The Nazis arranged a number of "false flag" operations, so that they could have excuses for their aggression and their attacks on Poland and other European countries.)  The good news is that the Americans are gradually learning what a piece of filth Trump really is. Elon Musk is even worse. The mid-term elections are not so very far away and a lot of Republican senators and congressmen are going to face re-election. It should be interesting. As for Europe, my guess is that many countries ...

Simon! I was just getting ready to reply to your most recent missive when, in my search for it, this email with an interview of you popped up.  For some reason, I hadn't seen this, and so missed hearing you and your wife's dulcet tones (admittedly mostly drowned out by the commentator talking in Bulgarian) extolling the virtues of Bulgaria, particularly vs the overcrowded little island that is Britain. On the subject of how little Britain is, I am reminded that it is impossible to locate yourself anywhere in Britain more than 75 miles from the sea. Sobering when you think about it.  Loved the interview, loved hearing your voice, loved seeing your adorable pad in the Bulgarian countryside, loved the views. And burst out laughing at your Grand Prix driving skills as exhibited on your lawnmower. Delightful. I will revert to you in reply to your more recent emails.  Cheers, Markoi And here is my reply to Markoi's email. My Dearest Markoi,   Monday, 10th Februar...