86 Days Down 70 To Go... Happy Birthday Mum, Preserving, Mooching Around, no Bloody Voda in Bathroom

I have been preserving again, although had I known all the faffing that went into pickling garlic I may have started at 4am!!!!

Oh boy, hours of peeling the blooming cloves & that was after blanching the blooming things, but it will be worth it!!! I picked this small Pumpkin to make chutney but didn't use it after all next week!!
I think what I have learnt is only do one thing at a time.

I was actually doing chutney too so when I had finished I was exhausted with it all. Think I will wait a while before I do the rest. That's the problem here there is no such thing as seedless! Grapes in the garden are all seeded so for grape cake hundreds of gapes have to be deseeded by hand. Same with the cherries! Still, two lovely jars curing in the fridge & lots of rather warm chutney for Nigel.





I can’t eat onions, & after just licking a teaspoon of some of the sauce I had two days of pain so none for me then  I have just bought 2kilo of large plums & will see if I can make some fruity chutney just for me :D
I can't wait for a proper kitchen with lots of lovely work space & a proper sink with a spray attachment on the taps for cleaning off the dirt! Ohhhhhhh, I can dream the dream ........ I love cooking & in a proper kitchen I would love preserving & baking all the produce from the garden but its is so flipping basic with no space no cupboards no proper sink no draws, & certainly no work triangle, too hot i the summer & too hot in the winter, need aircon to cope, haha all very depressing really but needs must I have to cope with what I have for a good few years yet :-( But I can still dream the dream ...
My Mum celebrated her 86th birthday on Friday...
Happy birthday Mummy, I love you so so so much!!!! Miss you terribly can't wait to see you so hurry up!!!!!
Had a very lovely day out Friday. I went to Gorna on my todd first time I didn’t meet anyone there!

Got the new bus again, had to take this photo of the drivers cuddly toys!!! Although I am not sure you can see them properly there are two on the right one on left & some around mirror along with Bulgarian & European flag! We also have English music radio blaring not a bad experience but the old jalopy is more comfortable with bigger seats & more leg room shame they cant integrate the two then we would be coooooking!!!




I will say sorry now for the quality of the photo's taken on my phone, which is now old as phones here in Bulgaria are stupidly expensive, & the very strong sunshine!
I wanted to go to Gorna to mooch around, find my way & the little shops & alleyways you always miss when you are on a mission! My sense of adventure is as high as it was when I was just a little girl but My sense of direction has never improved in fact I have been so terribly lost out on my own like scarily so that now fear & anxiety combined with bad direction can hold me back. So my mission is to find all the lovely little places to eat, drink & shop! I will rediscover my love of mooching!! So I didn't get lost but I was constantly making myself aware of where I had come from & where I was going, when I know one area like the back of my hand I will explore off it! I have already found a new quicker way to vet instead of having to walk the long way round ha!
Then Thursday night the battery lead blew up literally smoke sparks which were looking like flames were coming out of it :( I really was annoyed one because it cost 40lv & I had only had it two months & two I really did not want to go on a mission & there was no way I would find the computer shop easily! I was thinking about where to start when I had what I now consider an epiphany, yep thats the word alright. I decided even as it seemed an impossible shot to have a quick look on the market stall that sells second hand leads ancient but new radios bits & bobs of stuff you would find at one of those car boot tables that hold nothing of interest or value :) you know the ones! Lo!!!! guess what, the first things I spy a whole batch of power leads woopwoopwoop! 1lv each they fit & worked, I off course bought two & could really have kissed that man!!! instead of 40lv it cost me 2lv aprox 80p& thats with a replacement, so a bloody good start to the trip now I could relax into it & boy I did just that :D
I had a good old mooch through the market unfortunately the only thing I saw that I would want was too big but some great clothes if you are on the small side! I explored the roads around & where they went & was gratified to know I remembered where to pay electric if I miss it at my post office here, which believe me is very very good. No warnings here just cut you off bang wollop nada!!!

There are some interesting buildings in town not least this chateu type roof, I must find out what it is?

The shops around the market join in too

This is a littlre rug shop I found that has some really funky rugs in, I am going to take Nigel in when he comes home, have seen a great one for the bedroom! & check out the prices as when I asked, the person who knows was not there, typical!!!!

I did something I never do, I heard people talking in English & said hello!!! They were here outside this restuarant & were a really nice couple, I have their number in case I get very lonely & need to talk, how nice is that & their email add so we can arrange lunch here! I am so glad I was brave :D









I think this may be a place to frequent on my next visit, it looks comfy cosy to although you cant see it through the suns rays, I love these two photo's nothing I did could stop this effect, nice!

This area is shops & cafe's, very pretty I like it a lot!

I decided to have an icecream as it was so lovely & I hadn't had one since last summer. I chose this stall as she had no customers & I couldn't see that she was any different & she has my fav flavour

Mmmm Coconut & Caramel with strawberry sauce, it was delicious & only 1 lv

I sat here watching the world go by

Sitting watching the waterfall on my own with an ice cream, very enjoyable the weather was glorious & not overwhelming

I made my way around & found another way to the vet's this is what I saw.....

The vet treating a horse out on the car park, Love it! You won't see that in your English vets :D Off home now all sorted

Time for coffee so it was off to the "bathroom"
Its very relaxing place to read \& serves a nice Milako s cafe

I really enjoy it here with itschill out music & it brings me closer to Nigel, I think this was the last place we had coffee out together & exactly the type of ambience we like!!!

Looks good too which is why there is always people frequenting this cafe

So then home on the old jalopy but not before I went back into the market for plums & peaches. As I was getting on the bus Pavlinka was there with Emille, coming to the village for the weekend, so the day was rounded off nicely with a couple of drinks in the Mehana & an invite for rakia on Saturday!

Best day yet...... to be ended with no bloody water to the bathroom as the pump decided to throw a wobbly!!!
No way I am going to let it get me down yet, will speak to Nigel see what can be done!!!!!

Saturday I spoke to my Mum & Nigel as mum had her birthday party, always good to hear their voices & chat as it brings me closer to them for a short while! then off to see Yovo Pavlinka, Svetlana & Emille. Had a very interesting feast & heard a very strange story. Anton's friend had a pig & his pig broke his legs! now pig is kaput! I couldn't get to the bottom of how the pig broke his friend legs, was it while they were killing it or did he charge him or did he bite him in a frenzied attack??? I will never know but there is a guy in my village with two broken legs from his pig !!!!.

So I had salade then luke warm potato & fide soupa then cold chips with luke warm fried egg plant & peppers x 2 helpings then my own perfectly made rice pudding :D then burnt cake smothered in a very thin choc coating which I think was to disguise the fact it was burnt, which was impossible to do! Very nice Rakia, fantastic red wine & funny chatter all in all a good evening!
And today well have spoken to Nigel & Mum again, lovely!!!!! & all of a sudden the pump decides to work????? Strange, very strange :D