Goodbye Vasko

I'm a little emotional today and had a terrible nights sleep too. Vasko had been getting slightly worse day by day and struggling to get on his feet, mainly due to the colder weather, his age and the fact that most of his life has been lived without proper care. We can only assume that he's been neglected quite badly and his body has taken enough so this morning I took him to the vets in town to be put to sleep. Everything was done quietly and quickly, he was sedated first then the lethal injection given and I stayed with him until the end, stroking him and talking to him. Then he was brought home and buried in our garden.

To be honest I'm glad it's over and that he won't suffer any more but inside I'm totally gutted, distraught and prone to burst into tears at any moment, in fact I'm crying now typing this and the tears are more anger than anything else. I know we did the right thing but still can't accept the blase attitude to animals and suffering here. We were not to blame for this poor dogs bad life and hope that at least his last 4 months with us were full of kindness and compassion. He's been fed, cared for and loved even though he wasn't really a dog you could cuddle.

I'm not naive enough to think I can save all of these poor animals, but even a few moments of kindness can, I hope, make a difference to some. On a brighter note, our neighbour's goat, Marta, gave birth to triplets this week, but hubby has already said we can't have one lol......he knows me too well!

We are having a new phone line installed hopefully next week that should make it easier for friends and family to keep in touch with us. Our current service See my earlier rant Here is rubbish and the phone line rarely works so we're having a fixed line installed that isn't dependant on electric and shouldn't go off in a storm. Although it will only be for the telephone as there aren't any digital lines/cables this way yet and may not be for some time.

That's enough for today and I'll be back to blogging when I feel a little more positive. Luckily I don't usually stay down for long and something happens to put me back on the right track. So I'll end this post with a simple goodbye and god bless to my Vasko, who's no longer in any pain and can't be hurt anymore. RIP little lad.

Going with the Flow

Today has been relatively busy again and I've been into town to sort a few things out and buy pig feed. Charlotte and her bunch of hooligan piglets have also been busy and managed to break the partition wall separating them so once again all of the pigs are in together. It does seem though that Charlotte's milk production has dried up and to be honest she's not overly interested in her offspring now and is shouting for the boar. We'd already decided that she needs a break from motherhood so won't be taking her to the boar this time. She'll have at least a few months off to get back her figure!

The chickens are moulting right now so egg production is almost nothing and their run is looking a little messy to say the least. Hopefully we'll get in there and give it a right old clean up and sort out before the winter shows itself. This week the weather is much warmer again, the sun has been shining and autumn is going ahead as it should be. Last week we hit a low of 3 degrees C during the day but today has been somewhere close to 18-20 degrees C.

I've still not managed to get out and about with the camera (probably because I have no idea where it is) and would like to go off on a wander to see if I can find some sloes. Last year we made sloe gin for the first time and it was lovely. Despite not being a gin fan I really did enjoy it and would like to make some more for christmas time.

Hubby is due back in a couple of days and I'm really looking forward to seeing him again, it seems like weeks since he left although I know it hasn't really been that long.

Vasko dog has been given a small reprieve for the next few days and is moving about a bit more again since the weather has warmed up. But I know it's only temporary and no matter how much it upsets me he has to be put to sleep or he will suffer. People keep saying that I've done my best and at least he's had a good few months, which is true, but I also feel so annoyed that his previous owner let him get in such a state that it's come to this. Even after 4 months of regular food and attention, being cared for, treated, bathed and had some comfort it's not good enough. We'll never know exactly how old he is and I'd guess he's not far from 8-10, which by Bulgarian standards is ancient but by mine is still middle aged. Maybe one day things will change here regarding animal care and treatment. There are a few rescues trying to help and doing a great job but it's not enough and animals are still suffering from neglect and cruelty. Vasko is by some standards one of the lucky ones, but I think we are just lucky to have him here........even if it has been only for a short time.

To Blog or Not?

I must admit to being a bit haphazard lately and my blogging has taken the brunt of it. Hopefully I can get back to a regular routine and on a much more even keel soon. Some days I just can't find much to write about and I'm sure this happens to other bloggers too. Today is not one of those days!

Hubby and I have both been down to the weekly market/coffee in the village cafe this morning for a change. Usually he doesn't come along due to other committments so it was nice to see him chatting with one of our neighbours over a strong espresso even if they did sit at another table away from "The ladies".

As usual there were bargains to be had at the "Drip Shop" or nearly new clothes stall and today I bought us all something to wear. Hubby got a lined fleece jacket, daughter a pair of jeans, son a winter jacket and I bought myself a padded waistcoat. All for the pricely sum of 10 leva (£4.29ish) brilliant! They'll come in handy as the weather continues to get cooler and the nights are drawing in. And as Autumn is officially here we've started draining the pool today so it can be cleaned and stored for the winter.

My remaining crops are due to be harvested this month and the plants all pulled out so the garden will be looking bare again. I made a start at removing the dead flowering plants today and already the garden is looking very different. I need to decide whether it is worth trying to plant peas at this time of year and have bought a packet just in case, but may hang onto them until spring. There are the house plants to bring back inside and find space for, a lemon, olive and avocado tree (ok so they're only small trees) and lots of geraniums that I'm going to butcher for cuttings to plant next spring. I WILL have a beautiful garden next year!

Another job for today was to vaccinate and seperate the piglets from their mum. Poor Charlotte has lost a fair amount of weight now feeding 10 hungry babies and is starting to look a bit poor, plus she seems to be slightly under the weather (although that could be due to a food change as our usual pellets were out of stock) so we've moved her into the back of the barn and let the piglets in with their older female sibling. There has been a good amount of squealing but everything is quiet now and hopefully within a couple of days they will all settle down. Charlotte will be getting extra attention and rations to help her gain some weight.

The chicks we were given a few days ago are not doing well either, in fact they are dying and I've no idea why. They're warm, fed, have water and a clean box to stay in but one by one they are getting poorly and very quickly dying on us. Tonight we have only 4 left and it's quite upsetting. Vasko is also a little under the weather, as I've said before he's an old Bulgarian hunting dog and not in the best of health. He has more than likely been abused/mistreated and never fed correctly for his whole life and although he has made improvements since coming to live here we are worried how the winter and cold will affect him. He's already opting to spend longer in his kennel during the day than last month and is not eating as well as he has been. In fact he's barely even putting on any weight and I'm quite worried that a lifetime of neglect is finally catching up with him. Maybe it's kinder to have him put to sleep before the bad weather really appears and while he's relatively pain free. What do you think?

Arggghh so much to think about and what with hubby and sister in law heading off in the next few days I'll be stuck home on my own for a large part of the day with too much time to dwell on things.

Normality Resumes

I'm feeling much more settled and less emotional again, which is a relief. In fact I'm feeling rather positive and looking forward to seeing the kids when they come home in about 2 weeks time. Hubby has been working here this week mainly and it's great seeing the house change, jobs being done and some of the things we've been dreaming about starting to happen. Tomorrow we should finally be able to knock through the old house wall and have access to the extension that hubby built last year. It should make a huge difference to our lives and finally the kids won't have to share a bedroom! The house and ourselves have gone through so many changes in a relatively short time and I'm really glad we took the plunge and moved here.

Molly has been out in the yard today trying to play with the piglets, but she's not too sure about them and is a bit wary. The piglets on the other hand are not fazed at all and really enjoy the time they spend outside and rooting around in the barn. They've discovered the delights of apples, cucumber, pumpkin and tomatoes lately and are all eating well and gaining weight. At just over 3 weeks old they look really well and are very boisterous.


Vasko is once again having minor health problems, I discovered a burst abcess a couple of days ago and have been treating him with antibiotic spray and making sure it's kept clean. Today I gave him a brush and found he also has a skin complaint so I'll have to get some medicated shampoo and give him a wash while the weather is warm. He's very patient now and allows me to handle him, and even sometimes decides he wants attention. It's great to see his personality emerging and tea time is still his favourite part of the day.

Lastly, I can't believe I've managed to ramble and rant my way through 210 posts here! Thanks to all of you who continue to read the blog and share parts of our life story with us.