Day 37 Alone, Sophie, Damsons, Wasps, Welsh Stalking Jehova Witnesses & All That Grows In My Garden

Good news of the week sophie is back, after being missing for 7 days I opened the kitchen door & there she was wagging her bum! She looks very well & even looks like she has put on weight! Her collar & flea collar were missing so I know someone has had her.Sophie still jumps the walls & fences to chase the cats & unfortunately there is nothing I can do at the moment I am certainly not going to tie her up 24 hours a day!!!!! She comes back in a few mins but again yesterday one min she was there without her collar the next min she was there with her collar!!!! LOL It was torn where she had obviously garnered her escape & someone had fixed it with copper wire sewn through it so now she had a too tight collar as they obviously didn’t know how to loosen it!. I have removed the offending collar in hope that they will have no way of tying her up as she will chew through whatever they do it with! So upshot is someone very close to my house is trying to steal my dog!!! When Mary comes to stay in a weeks time we will visit Peter the policeman & talk to him about this.

Other than all that Sophie is no worse for wear, is very pleased to be home & makes such a fuss of me that she has head butted me twice in my front tooth which is now quite sore, O Boshe’, Plays very happily with Reggie & doesn’t complain if I chain her up as in when Anton came to scythe the paddock.
 
I am getting used to being on my own now & I am not so emotional & I seem quieter in my spirit somehow. I am used to my own company again & keeping busy most of the time but even when I am not I’m OK!


When Sophie was gone I was very upset & cried for her but it was different not a poor me emotional thing but I was so sad for her as being on the streets all her life I was sad that she would be scared or hurt.

I am off course still missing Nigel like crazy but I am better handling it now. I new it would be hard to start & then be better but it went on longer than I thought possibly this is the worse time of year to be in a small village alone as it’s a very busy time for everyone so not much socialising is being done plus everyone is watching world cup in their down time & I hate football!! So stronger every day, I am getting myself back. Yeay, its not nice being all vulnerable & feeling weak! Mind you I am vulnerable & do feel it but its different a real vulnerability not exasperated beyond reason.
I love living here, love my life & can't comprehend having to live in the Uk.

I have coped with quite a few problems while Nigel has been away & this is part & parcel of village life things go wrong or need fixing almost every day. Today a couple of problems that I cant fix myself but hope one can be sorted!
I employed Anton to chop down the back so I can, 1, put the dogs down in the cool & 2, I can pick the fruit when its ready which happens very quickly & I need to keep a close eye on it! So today he finished that & I asked him to move the roof tiles which we have had to take off barn from house no 2 & garage here.
I went to collect the ripe Damsons & saw that my very large enclosed barn had collapsed, bloody hell!!! I went back up to the house, its by the pool & leads off the open barn, to have a look inside. Half the roof has completely collapsed all the beams rafters & tiles are on the floor & its taken half the side wall with it as that was beams & wattle & daube Argh!!! How come I didn't hear anything it must have made a huge noise!
So ok nothing I can do I go back to collecting the Damsons & heard Anton call me to him. He found a wasp nest in the tiles! So off course I said we need to kill the nest, his response Ne! The Bulgarians have so many fears its crazy that they manage to live here at all. Now I hate wasps & hate to be stung so I need this nest killed asap as the days of endless sunshine are back from Monday & the pool will most definitely be needed! I phoned Mary as I need to find someone in the village that does pest control but apparently after a few calls no one will come & help as they are all scared even the bee keepers!!!!! It’s a bit mad isn’t it? We had a huge nest last year in what will be my new kitchen but Nigel killed it with a few cans of fly & bug killer, it was a huge nest with hundreds & hundreds of wasps& if this is left it too will just get bigger. Last time I was in the pool there was no wasps which is only a short while ago! I havent got any fly spray so If I cant organise pest controll then I will get the bus to Gorna on Wednesday & buy 4 cans & do it myself!
 
Also today my stalker retuned. Problem is I don’t know how???

I opened Yahoo to find 2 emails both of which are comments on my yahoo updates? I don’t use it so I haven’t put anything on it ever! I think I have disabled it now but don’t really know! Anyway one just said F** Off , nice, the other called me SATANIC, well they are Jehovah Witnesses so should really know better! I am very annoyed she keeps finding different ways of stalking me, I’ve had lots of emails & even had someone request to be my friend on FB & ask about booking for B&B, it was when I saw this person came from the same part of Wales I had a look on their friends list oh & there was this family! Honestly what are people like I have had to go through all the annoying things of blocking them from FB from Yahoo & now this!!!! I will not retaliate as its pathetic. I haven’t reported them but today I felt I had to do something ha that’s easier said than done I cannot find how to report them to Yahoo. I have saved all emails etc so one more thing & I will contact the Welsh Police I am not & have never been someone who puts up with rubbish from people!

My first ever Sunflower is out & it looks amazing! the pumpkins are doing really well & lots of weeding & plant transplanting has been going on in the garden :D
Everything is growing really well especially the grapes they are all getting quite big now still a long way to go but another bumper crop this year so lots & lots of gallons of red wine. The wine from last years crop is ageing nicely in the cellar, each time we drink some it gets better & better so by the time this years wine is ready we shall be in a good position with matured wine to drink & wine maturing too! The problem here is that as soon as they have made the wine & the Rakia they drink it & they don’t get the benefit of good wine or good Rakia. Our Rakia too is maturing & is far better already than any that we have been given.




I have been making Damson compote today & have 5 lovely jars waiting for Nigel & my Mum when they arrive in August, Mmmmm! I have a couple of tree's down in the paddock, timing has to be right as I can't see them from the house & last year we missed them just managed to get a few!
I have also made green Bop which is our name for a casserole type dish of runner beans & it is delicious! It is a Bulgarian recipe & I cant get them to tell me what the name is they just call it “Bop” which is the name for beans & its either green or white! I will have it for dinner tonight with lovely bread rolls & then freeze the rest, cant wait!

Green Bop, Mmmmmm                                                                     Damson compote, the first 5 borcane
                                                                                        

 While I am showing the preserve I may as well show my future preserves, these are last years efforts yes we are still eating them & very nice they are to!

My first attempt at pickled Peppers & Gherkins

The Peppers are also my first attempt at growing them. Lets hope this years efforts are just as good!

 My first ever Sunflower grown from seed :)                      The first of this years tomatoes, soon be ready!

My first attempt at growing Pumpkins.  Grown from seeds saved from last years Pumpkins

These grapes are actually red or will be when they are ripe! We also have white grapes which are Nigels favourite so we have the best of both worlds.

The grapes are quite sweet too so you can eat them straight from the vine

 The grapes are doing really well & I am looking forward to the many gallons of Red wine, Rakia & lots of grape cake's, Mmmmm.





Only seven days to go then I get two weeks of company, yeay, mary is really looking forward to it its lovely actually as I will benefit from her company & she will benefit from being back to her roots she is a very free spirited Bulgarian, i love her she makes me laugh & is very honest about her country her people & how life really was in the communist era. The Bulgarians today have a very rose tinted view on how it was, as Mary says they have forgotten they had no freedom! I look forward to spending time with her!