One of the problems we’ve found has been dealing with the huge amount of fruit that ripens all at the same time. We’ve got so many apples, it’s been hard knowing what to do with them all. We’ve got loads peeled and frozen, ready for pies and crumbles in the winter, some that are in…
Read moreAuthor: Joe
The killing machine
Welcome to the newest member of the family, Fog. We got him on Saturday from some friends nearby, and he seems to be settling in well. He’s a very affectionate cat (a bit too affectionate at times!), but seems to have the killer instinct. I gave him a mouse that I’d caught in the mouse…
Read moreRepairing the roof
One of our most important tasks before winter comes is making sure the roof is water-tight. We’ve had a builder friend inspect it and he says the only thing that really needs doing is re-bedding the ridge tiles. Neither me or Julie are happy working up on the roof, so we’ve employed a builder to…
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Sad tasks
Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games here in Bulgaria. We are creating a food-rich environment for ourselves, and lots of other pests are keen to get in on the game. This includes numerous mice, rats and moles, as well as moths etc. Having tried various methods of dissuading the rats we’ve resorted to trapping…
Read moreChicken bums for dinner
Or, the perils of buying things in supermarkets when you don’t speak the language. Looking for frozen chicken in the freezer and I found something called “трътки пилешки”. Пилешки means chicken, and it looked like pieces, so I bought them. Turned out to be a whole packet of parson’s noses. Yummm, chicken arseholes boiled with…
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Mud, glorious mud!
Having removed internal walls and plaster, we’ve found lots of holes and gaps in the walls which will need to be filled before the insulation goes on. The building is constructed of wood frames in-filled with cob, a mixture of local clay, sand and straw. We’ve never worked with cob before so we turned to…
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Goodbye to the storks
I’ve never seen so many storks in a flock before. We think they are gathering, preparing for their migration south for winter. We wish them all the best, and hope to see them again next year!
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The toad in the woodpile
We have a resident toad, a European Green Toad , who lives in our woodpile. For a while he was a solitary toad, but has now been joined by two much smaller toads, named Linford and Flo-Jo, because they’re very fast over short distances. It gets quite tricky walking around in the evening for hopping…
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