In the last 30 minutes or so it's become very humid and still here....because there's a storm on the way. The forecast is for thunder and lightning with rain today but this morning was beautiful. Still it just goes to show how quickly the weather can and does change.
I'm not complaining though as my garden will benefit from some rain, the ground is cracked, parched and dry on top and just like concrete - Digging is really hard work and our mini rotovator doesn't stand a chance, I might as well wave it around like a flag for the use it is on the garden. I think we'll have to stump up some cash and buy a "Real" rotovator this year, something that will eat the ground and frighten the children lol.
As I'm typing this I can hear thunder starting to rumble in the distance and getting closer all of the time. The kids have just been asked to get the dry washing off the line and also close up the patio umbrella before the wind carries it away. Storms here can be fantastic but pretty powerful. I'm tempted to get the horses and donkey in but will wait another few minutes in case it just skims over the top of us. At least the breeze will be keeping the fly population grounded so the horses will get a some peace from them.
I guess I should get this post published now as we may lose electricity during the storm when it arrives properly. If we do then tea time will be an easy one for me as we'll have salad and salami with pickled eggs and whatever else I can find in the fridge that's ok to be thrown on a plate! Don't you just love summer eating?
Friday 7 May 2010
Monday 3 May 2010
New Charlotte Pics
Here are a couple of photo's I took of Charlotte enjoying the sunshine a couple of days ago. She really does enjoy time outside and extra attention from anyone walking past. She's so friendly and loves company usually but still isn't keen on Yordani, our friend and village pig expert. I'm not sure why she's taken a dislike to him (especially since he bred her) but she has and makes it well known when he goes near her!
These pictures don't actually do Charlotte any justice, up close she's very pretty and quite a size - probably close to 200 kilo's now and looking really well. She loves a shower with the hose pipe and then a mud bath to follow! But it stops her from getting sunburnt and she thinks it's great fun. Luckily for me the piece of garden she was in is to be converted to raised beds this week so all the rooting around hasn't really damaged anything.
Well I'm off to get some sleep now and prepare myself for another day in my little rural paradise. Where is the place you'd most like to be now?
These pictures don't actually do Charlotte any justice, up close she's very pretty and quite a size - probably close to 200 kilo's now and looking really well. She loves a shower with the hose pipe and then a mud bath to follow! But it stops her from getting sunburnt and she thinks it's great fun. Luckily for me the piece of garden she was in is to be converted to raised beds this week so all the rooting around hasn't really damaged anything.
Well I'm off to get some sleep now and prepare myself for another day in my little rural paradise. Where is the place you'd most like to be now?
Sunday 2 May 2010
Barbecue Season
Barbecue season has well and truly started here in Sushitsa and we love it. Eating outdoors around the big table while the sun sets is great, better still with good company and maybe a few cold beers.
Last night we had a lovely meal, then once the sun had truly set, moved indoors for a tequila or 2 and a game of cards. We had a good laugh, played poker and pontoon and had a good night. Although once everyone else had gone to bed and I was the only one left awake there was an awful commotion outside - off I went to investigate and I think I disturbed a fox trying to raid the chicken pen. Poor Butch, out Bulgarian heinz 57 varieties dog was frantic, barking like mad and dragging his kennel (to which he's chained) across the garden. On closer inspection I found the large cockerel outside in attack mode and a small black hen huddled under a bush looking a bit tatty! So today hubby has made the chicken house more secure and we'll be making sure all the birds are safely locked away at night times.......at least I know now where our 2 bantam hens and 1 bantam cockerel have gone to!
Soon we'll be having home grown salad with our meals as the lettuce and radishes are almost ready to eat mmmm. We're still no further forward with the main part of the vegetable garden as there's so much water there. The top soil has dried to a hard crust but underneath is mud, although the spring that appeared after the last rain has slowed right down now so hopefully it won't be much longer before the tomatoes, peppers and chillies can be planted outside.
Work on the raised melon beds has stopped and Charlotte has enjoyed a few hours out in the sunshine in the area that we will be using as it's fenced and she can roam loose, chew on the grass and please herself for a while. She's made a huge pit in the ground which I filled with water so she could have a good, old wallow. Half hour later and there she is, mud everywhere, grunting away happily and even posing for the camera! I'll get the photo's added later though as I'd like to take a few more of various things.
My squash, pumpkins and peas are finally starting to show themselves, everything else is coming along well and I have yet more seedlings on the go in the house to be planted out this month. The next few weeks should be quite busy in the garden and also with lucerne being cut and the grass that needs scythed, dried and stored for winter. I may even lose a little weight (fingers crossed) and will most definitely be topping up my tan while I work :)
Last night we had a lovely meal, then once the sun had truly set, moved indoors for a tequila or 2 and a game of cards. We had a good laugh, played poker and pontoon and had a good night. Although once everyone else had gone to bed and I was the only one left awake there was an awful commotion outside - off I went to investigate and I think I disturbed a fox trying to raid the chicken pen. Poor Butch, out Bulgarian heinz 57 varieties dog was frantic, barking like mad and dragging his kennel (to which he's chained) across the garden. On closer inspection I found the large cockerel outside in attack mode and a small black hen huddled under a bush looking a bit tatty! So today hubby has made the chicken house more secure and we'll be making sure all the birds are safely locked away at night times.......at least I know now where our 2 bantam hens and 1 bantam cockerel have gone to!
Soon we'll be having home grown salad with our meals as the lettuce and radishes are almost ready to eat mmmm. We're still no further forward with the main part of the vegetable garden as there's so much water there. The top soil has dried to a hard crust but underneath is mud, although the spring that appeared after the last rain has slowed right down now so hopefully it won't be much longer before the tomatoes, peppers and chillies can be planted outside.
Work on the raised melon beds has stopped and Charlotte has enjoyed a few hours out in the sunshine in the area that we will be using as it's fenced and she can roam loose, chew on the grass and please herself for a while. She's made a huge pit in the ground which I filled with water so she could have a good, old wallow. Half hour later and there she is, mud everywhere, grunting away happily and even posing for the camera! I'll get the photo's added later though as I'd like to take a few more of various things.
My squash, pumpkins and peas are finally starting to show themselves, everything else is coming along well and I have yet more seedlings on the go in the house to be planted out this month. The next few weeks should be quite busy in the garden and also with lucerne being cut and the grass that needs scythed, dried and stored for winter. I may even lose a little weight (fingers crossed) and will most definitely be topping up my tan while I work :)
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