Bulgaria with Noodles

Yes, it is the return (yet again!) of the Gardening Bore.  The red peppers, tomatoes and pumpkins are all coming along well, although a drop or two of rain would not go amiss. Perhaps the asparagus and the artichokes will do something next year. I have been reading about the fuel shortages in the UK on the BBC website. (Unfortunately, we only get CNN on our TV here in Daveri). It seems to be pretty bad and the government does not appear to be doing much to improve the situation. As for gas prices, yes, they have gone up a lot and probably they will continue to rise. Germany is building (or has already built) a new gas pipeline, in order to get gas from Russia, but I do not think that the UK is part of that. Here in Bulgaria, I think that hardly anyone uses gas for heating. If they are in the countryside, then people either use wood (logs) or wood pellets. In the cities, most people have apartments and they have some sort of electrical heating or maybe an oil-fired boiler.   I ...

It is a beautiful sunny morning here in Daveri and I am listening to some Beethoven as I type this to you. I have just taken a fat little doggie for a walk in the lovely Bulgarian countryside. For once, she actually came back to me when I called "Tina!" That was because I had some food with me. Bribery usually works. Yes, I am all on my own and my dear wife will not be back for two more weeks. The men are supposed to be coming tomorrow, to fix the roofs on our outhouses. It might take them a while. Probably the old plum tree next to the "summer kitchen" will have to go because I cannot see how they are going to repair the roof with that thing in the way.  I am continuing with my painting and I am hoping to get all of the wooden fence painted with the old engine oil before my dear wife Irisha returns on 1st October. It is a long and very boring job, but it has to be done. The fence is about eighteen years old, so the wood has dried out and it is very brittle. While w...

Dear Peter, It was even more splendid than usual to get an e-mail from you, old fellow! I was a bit worried. As for me, you will not be surprised at all when I tell you that I have NOT been working hard. Yes, once or twice I have turned on the computer and maybe I have played NAPOLEON: TOTAL WAR for a few minutes. But I have also found the time to get beaten at badminton by my dear wife and to play ball with that naughty and rather smelly little dog. She definitely needs a bath (the dog, not my wife!) Irena is due to fly off to the Crimea on 3 rd September and she will not be back until 1 st October. That is, of course, assuming that she gets a negative COVID test in Veliko Tarnovo before she leaves and then another one in Simferopol, her hometown, before flying back. If she gets a positive test while she is in the Crimea, then I suppose that they will not let her get onto the plane. Then her Russian visa will expire if she cannot fly back to Sofia. Oh the joys of international...

Well, I am very sorry that, once again, you could not join us for breakfast this morning. As usual, we did our scoffing on the terrace. The view was wonderful and that naughty little dog was up to her usual mischief.  We have had a dreadful time with Irena’s Russian tourist visa. It has been a complete and utter pain, as well as taking flipping ages and ages. I mean, it is bad enough that she has to even apply for a visa to visit her own blooming country. Have you ever heard of anything so totally crazy? As well as the actual visa, you also need medical insurance. The application form takes a long time to fill in, as there are so many pointless and repetitive questions. In addition to the visa application form, there is also something silly called “a Russian tourist voucher”. We had to go to Veliko Tarnovo, in order to go to some tourist agencies. The only problem was that these agencies did not know anything about this stupid voucher thing, so I had to buy one online. The next hur...

It is really quite impressive. Rohovitsi waterfall is about ten kilometres from our house in Daveri. Just round the corner, really. You drive into Maryan, then take a left turn and then walk for about twenty minutes. Tina was not very happy. Tina had a great time, but she was not very keen on swimming. Although Irena did go for a swim, she said that I was not allowed to put any photos of her in a bikini on Facebook or my blog. Sorry to disappoint  you. As for me, yes, I did get a bit wet. The things that I do for the readers of  my blog! On the way to the waterfall, with all of her clothes on.

  This morning we went to Yokovitsi Reservoir, about 6 kms from Elena. This man-made lake is absolutely HUGE. It was a beautiful day, very sunny and hardly any clouds.  Tina, that naughty little doggie, thought it was all very exciting and so she had to have a little dip in the lake to cool off.

I am sorry that you could not join us for breakfast on the terrace. My dear wife Irena had cooked some yummy sirniki (these are a kind of little cake, made with cottage cheese) and they were delicious with smetana  (a kind of cream) and homemade plum jam*.  Oh yes, and lots of good coffee. I had been given strict orders not to take any photos of Irena, but I did manage to take one of her hand. Just in case you have not guessed already, Tina is a greedy little doggie. She was not impressed with the view of the garden and the glorious Bulgarian countryside that I could see from my chair on the terrace.   * Yes, you do like asterisks, don't you?