Saturday 20 February 2010

Is Spring Finally Here?

Yesterday and today the weather has been fantastic, in fact I caught the sun and am looking a little pink! The snow has almost gone and we managed to get out and extend the ditch above our main garden to stop the melt water reaching the house. Last year we did get flooded and we were determined it wasn't going to happen again.

The animals are enjoying being out and the horses are happily grazing on the field. I've checked my small winter veg plot and there are signs of life there, just need to wait until the water has gone from the garden and I can start my planting again properly.

Today is Todoroff Den, which is a celebration of the horse. Usually there is a race in the village and the locals bring the horses and carts and have some fun, but numbers have been dropping over the last 2 years and only 1 horse turned up this morning!

Our neighbour has been round this morning and has decided he'd like to give us a beehive and colony of bees which is lovely, but I think we had better get reading up on how to look after them properly! Mmmmm honey

Thursday 18 February 2010

Anyone For a Mud Bath?

Mud, glorious mud and we have lots of it! The horses have been having a fantastic time the last couple of days digging holes which then fill with water that they love to splash in. It's great seeing them enjoying themselves after being stuck inside for a few weeks. Poor Maggie the donkey on the other hand does not want to be outside at all as there is still some snow on the ground and shouts at anyone who opens the door of the house to take her back into the barn!

All of the pigs are doing really well, the piglets are getting bigger every day and more confident too. They've taken to chasing each other around for parts of the day and look like they're having great fun. We've already been asked if we'll be selling some as the locals know they'll get healthy and well covered piglets due to the fact that everything here is well fed!

Today I'm praising our local police force as they've managed to locate and retrieve my sister in law's stolen laptop, 2 months after she was broken into and she should get it back within 10-14 days time which is great news. I hope they've also found the scumbag who committed the crime and nailed him by the testicles to the village hall! But that may not be the case lol, still praise where praise is due - well done the local bobbies.

Monday 15 February 2010

Yay the seedlings have started

The seeds I planted last week are coming along great, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, lettuces and leeks are showing themselves and growing nicely. Let's just hope the weather improves soon so they can go in the ground before they get too big!

Yesterday we spent the whole afternoon trying to get the car off the field where it had been since tea time the day before after getting stuck in mud and slush. Everything is thawing quickly here - in fact we're at danger from flooding and have been trying to keep the yard clear, making sure the flood outlets are kept free from muck and straw etc and I've had to open up one of the overflow drains in the stable yard as the new tool room was in danger of being under water. The field outside resembles a river and it's snowed heavily again today which has hidden some of the wettest parts.

Today I've been out to stock up on pig and chicken feed, plus to pay for the new village security service which has started up. For 5 leva a month I'm not sure how effective it will be but it's worth a try. 200 plus houses have signed up now and are proudly displaying their stickers on gates and doors although there were none left for us today so we'll have to wait for new supplies to get here. Anything is worth a try if it deters would be thieves. We're still going to fit window and door bars when we can as an extra deterrent and I do think that they can look quite pretty when well made.