The last of this years volunteers, Mark and Melody, have now been and gone, they arrived at the perfect time and helped us get back on track. Along with other jobs Mark re-laid and widened the path in the chicken run that the pigs had destroyed and helped Joe get the windows fitted in the kitchen, while Melody helped get the kitchen back on track by putting the final layer of cob on the unfinished wall and helping with the painting. They also harvested the maize which will be used as feed for the chickens this winter. We got use our ancient corn-remover which we found in the barn. Mark kindly videoed it for us.
September also saw the arrival of my first friend from the UK, she flew into Bucharest airport so we took the opportunity to spend a day there site-seeing, and took Melody and Mark with us so they could at least say they’d been to Romania. If you’re planning to go to Bucharest DON’T DRIVE! Although the city is nice enough it is a nightmare to drive through, sign posting is just about non-existent and when there are signs it doesn’t tell you in advance which lane you should be in till you are at the junction, which isn’t helpful when there are 4 lanes to chose from.
June’s timing was also spot on, most of the kitchen floor was ready for tiling (the rest will have to wait till the stairs go in) and unknown to me she had done loads of tiling in the past so we set to work on the kitchen floor. We didn’t make her work all week 🙂 she was let out of the kitchen to help crush grapes for wine and we had a very enjoyable day in Ruse. A week was far too short for a visit.
The tiled skirting is almost finished and Joe has begun making the shelving and preparing the wood for the kitchen units. Away from the kitchen all the hazelnuts have now been harvested and the walnuts are starting to fall. The tomatoes have now been made into sauce to free up space in the freezer and the first squashes have been harvested and Joe, the man of many talents, has finally put left-hand-drive head lights in the car with the use of a screwdriver and his trusty Haynes manual.
Thank you for the experience Joe and Julie. We had a blast while helping you put together a small bit of your Bulgarian Estate. I’m really glad you like the path – it was a challenge and a lot of fun to put together for you. We had a blast, learned a lot, and look forward to following along as you guys build something beautiful with your bare hands. Cheers!
Those tiles look fantastic! Very interesting post especially the video. The corn remover is fascinating….how old do you think it is ? Wouldnt want to be wearing a tie when operating. I kept thinking of the film,Final Destination …. All best wishes,Alex
We have asked around and all we get is that the corn stripper is antique, but here that could mean anything that is old.
Crushing grapes, stripping corn, wonderful friends and scenery! I really enjoy seeing your photos of the activities and work you are doing as you build a new life.