Bulgaria with Noodles

The business of taking that naughty little dog for her daily walk becomes rather more serious during the winter, especially when we have minus temperatures during the day. (Any Canadians reading my blog will probably stop reading at this point, in total disgust at yet another Brit's complete wimpishness.) Unlike the Fox Terrier we used to have years ago, Zoika, Tina actually seems to like her special doggie coat. In the winter, the Bulgarian countryside somehow seems much bigger and even more devoid of people.

My brother Andrew has started doing some promotional videos, in order to promote his first crime novel, DEAD DRIFT. You can watch the whole video by going to this link  https://youtu.be/T6SuHuUQcyY

Recently I wrote to an old friend, to  suggest that he might  like to buy a country house in Bulgaria. Yes, it is a bit of a wreck, but it is such an interesting and unusual property, and it is so cheap, that I sent him the photos.  Was I being serious when I suggested that he might like to buy a dilapidated property in Bulgaria? Well, I do not really think that he would actually buy it, as he is quite a cautious person and maybe he would need to spend at least twenty thousand euros to get it in some sort of state for comfortable living. But the truth is that many people are now re-assessing their lives because of the pandemic. Many have already decided that they want a simpler, back-to-nature life in the countryside. And a rural house in Bulgaria is absurdly cheap, compared to the outrageous prices you would pay for a country house in the UK. What really makes me angry about the mass-produced Barratt and Wimpey garbage is not that they are so badly made (and yes, of cour...

Yes, it was rather disappointing that my previous video did not win a Golden Globe. There was not even one nomination for the Oscars. Well, despite popular demand, I have made another video! Move over, Stephen Spielberg. I wanted to make my friend Peter jealous, as there is never "proper" snow in the south of England.

Well, my brother Andrew says that it is not actually going to be published until the end of January. but I must scribble a few lines to congratulate him on having his first novel in print. It is rather splendid to have an author in the family. Well done, bro. In case you are wondering, it is a murder mystery tale, a sort of Inspector Barnaby in the New Forest instead of Midsomer. So what comes next? The TV serial? Or the Hollywood blockbuster?

As her rather late anniversary present, my dear wife now has a jacuzzi. We have two bathrooms in Daveri, the ensuite one next to our bedroom and the large "guest bathroom". Well, the latter one was big enough for a jacuzzi. Yes, we could have settled for an ordinary bathtub, but Irena does have some back problems. It is a rather impressive thing and sits in the corner of the bathroom, where the shower is.  First Iyaylo had to do some serious work to the plumbing and the electricity supply, in order to prepare for the installation. He also had to remove the washbasin and take the foor of its hinges. Then the two chaps from the bath company in Sofia arrived in their truck. After a couple of hours, it was all finished. Tina does not seem to be impressed.

  The Savoya Spice restaurant in Tryavna has lived up to its growing reputation. The Onion Bahjis we had as our starters were excellent and my lamb was delicious.  Irena had a Chicken Korma, as usual, and it was very good too. The Peshwari Naan were a bit unusual and sweet, but they were most enjoyable. The piece de resistance was the sticky toffee pudding. No, this is probably not a traditional part of Indian cuisine, but it was jolly good with icecream and very filling.