Today I've been out to a neighbouring village for their annual horse fair. The event lasts all weekend and is similar to Appleby Fair in the UK. Lots of harnesses, horses, donkeys, mules and other things for sale. Loud music, beer tents and people trying to part you with your hard earned cash!
I did behave though and bought only a hat, I'd gone to see if I could find a nice driving bridle for Milka but didn't see what I was looking for. At least I didn't buy another horse though - there were some fabulous looking animals there and also a fair share of scrawny, overworked and under fed, poor looking horses who admittedly if I had pots of cash lying around I'd have been buying them by the handful just to try and rehabilitate them and show them that people can be kind.
Unfortunately I forgot to take the camera with me, it's becoming a habit that I must break. Horses of all shapes and sizes were gathered on a huge field amid carts, trucks and home made tents. Men milling about trying to show their animals off to potential buyers and others just looking for a bargain. Then there were the many stalls selling food, candy floss, kebabche and kufte and others. People selling bedding, toys, tools, hardware, fishing equipment, clothes and of course the usual tat that is often found at gatherings of this sort. The road to the fair ground is packed with stalls either side, people walking along the road and cars, trucks, horseboxes etc all trying to get either up the lane or down with not much space.
It was great to get out of the village for a while and although the weather still isn't great at least it stayed dry when we were there. The field was pretty muddy though and some of the people who've been staying there with their horses looked a little downheartened, but I wouldn't like to be camping in the rain either. Still there was a good atmosphere, friendly and upbeat. Luckily for us there were plenty of people about to help when we managed to get Nev's jeep stuck in mud, suddenly there were a lot more people pushing and trying to help and within minutes it was free and we were on our way home after saying thanks to those that had given us a hand.
Going out today and seeing all these horses has made me decide I really do need to motivate myself to get back in the saddle, so I'm hoping hubby will help me set up a temporary paddock tomorrow and then I can get my backside into gear and try to re-gain my riding confidence.........just need to let hubby know that I'd like him to do a job here at home, for me and not a client, I'll have a word with him when I go back downstairs lol.
So that was my day, how is your weekend going and do they always go to plan?
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Feeling Washed Out!
Today is a quiet, lazy and rather wet day. Overnight the rain started and hasn't let up at all since so we're stuck indoors wishing we could be outside getting on with various jobs. The worrying part is that this year has been so wet and not good for the crops, come winter there may be shortages and everyone in the area will be in the same boat, so prices will be driven up by short supplies and big demand. We are very lucky to have managed to get the 94 bales of lucerne off the field before the weather turned, but others face the prospect of the second cut of the year being ruined. 94 bales doesn't go far in winter time with all the animals we have so we're already planning on cutting down to ease the workload and make the feed last a little longer. Sorry piggys but some of you will be destined for our freezer!
Usually by this time of the year all of the grass has stopped growing and been scorched by the heat, giving the whole place a slightly golden look, crops have been cut and peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers etc are all producing well so we're eating a lot of salads. Tonight I'm making a pumpkin soup to warm us up a little, it's not exactly cold but with the dreary conditions outside you do tend to feel colder than normal. I won't be lighting the wood burner although I am wearing a long sleeved top and leggings instead of the summer wardrobe of shorts and a vest top!
It's days like this that are made for a good book and a comfy chair, but still I long to be in my garden pottering around as usual, listening to all of the sounds of summer and watching either the animals doing their own things or the mass of insects and local wildlife that are often found in my garden. Instead I'm indoors typing away and the only sound (apart from the tapping of the keyboard as I write this) is the never ending pitter patter of rain on the roof. Strange that part of the reason we moved here was to be able to enjoy the long, hot summers that were rarely found back in the North East of England, and lately they've been basked in sunshine whilst we've been trudging about in mud, sludge and rain! Oh well, it can't always be sunshine, and for me at least, I know that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. At least for now the grass is actually still green here!
Usually by this time of the year all of the grass has stopped growing and been scorched by the heat, giving the whole place a slightly golden look, crops have been cut and peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers etc are all producing well so we're eating a lot of salads. Tonight I'm making a pumpkin soup to warm us up a little, it's not exactly cold but with the dreary conditions outside you do tend to feel colder than normal. I won't be lighting the wood burner although I am wearing a long sleeved top and leggings instead of the summer wardrobe of shorts and a vest top!
It's days like this that are made for a good book and a comfy chair, but still I long to be in my garden pottering around as usual, listening to all of the sounds of summer and watching either the animals doing their own things or the mass of insects and local wildlife that are often found in my garden. Instead I'm indoors typing away and the only sound (apart from the tapping of the keyboard as I write this) is the never ending pitter patter of rain on the roof. Strange that part of the reason we moved here was to be able to enjoy the long, hot summers that were rarely found back in the North East of England, and lately they've been basked in sunshine whilst we've been trudging about in mud, sludge and rain! Oh well, it can't always be sunshine, and for me at least, I know that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. At least for now the grass is actually still green here!
Monday, 5 July 2010
Hooray For Sunshine
After a weekend of thunder, lightning, rain and hailstones our Bulgarian sunshine has returned, and I've really missed it. Yesterday afternoon brought about a huge storm that had been threatening for hours and all we could do was sit tight and wait for it to stop. The poor animals were outside whilst hailstones pelted them for at least 15 minutes, the dogs, cat, chickens, pigs and turkeys could at least take shelter inside but the horses and Maggie the donkey had to turn their backs to the wind and put up with it. Stranger still is that our a friend of ours who works for the village corporation as security said there were no hailstones there and the place is only 5 minutes up the road on the opposite edge of the village! So I've not managed to get out and about to take some new photos for this blog yet.
Hubby came home on Friday with a borrowed pair of horse clippers (thanks Karen & Pete) and proceeded to almost scalp Sasha our Springer Spaniel and Molly, the gobby Cocker Spaniel! They had got pretty hairy and to be honest in this climate it's not too good for them. They seem to attract every seed head for miles and they end up tangled in their coats and causing huge knots. So it's much easier and better all round for them (and us) to clip the hair off for the warmer months. They do look rather strange at first though and do still need a bit of tidying up work done with the smaller clippers.
This afternoon I'm hoping to get the weeding finished that I started this morning and either pick some more plums (of a different variety) for jam making or strim the garden so I can actually see the veggies properly! Having a smaller vegetable patch this year has cut my work done by loads but has also meant that I'm putting weight on as my body is used to doing more physical work! It's a no win situation but I'll just have to cut my calorie intake and try to be more active to see if that helps. Still not having an enclosed paddock means I can't ride safely, otherwise I'd probably be able to shift a little weight and also tone up while exercising Maya. Maybe I can talk hubby into putting a day aside and getting it done for me.
Well it's time I best be getting on with some work, hopefully the weather has turned a corner and will stay nice for the rest of the summer and autumn.
Hubby came home on Friday with a borrowed pair of horse clippers (thanks Karen & Pete) and proceeded to almost scalp Sasha our Springer Spaniel and Molly, the gobby Cocker Spaniel! They had got pretty hairy and to be honest in this climate it's not too good for them. They seem to attract every seed head for miles and they end up tangled in their coats and causing huge knots. So it's much easier and better all round for them (and us) to clip the hair off for the warmer months. They do look rather strange at first though and do still need a bit of tidying up work done with the smaller clippers.
This afternoon I'm hoping to get the weeding finished that I started this morning and either pick some more plums (of a different variety) for jam making or strim the garden so I can actually see the veggies properly! Having a smaller vegetable patch this year has cut my work done by loads but has also meant that I'm putting weight on as my body is used to doing more physical work! It's a no win situation but I'll just have to cut my calorie intake and try to be more active to see if that helps. Still not having an enclosed paddock means I can't ride safely, otherwise I'd probably be able to shift a little weight and also tone up while exercising Maya. Maybe I can talk hubby into putting a day aside and getting it done for me.
Well it's time I best be getting on with some work, hopefully the weather has turned a corner and will stay nice for the rest of the summer and autumn.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Jam Season
Although my vegetable garden isn't doing fantastically the fruit is starting to ripen on our many trees. A couple of weeks ago I harvested some lovely sour cherries and mulberries which I turned into jam. The sour cherries were also added to various alcoholic spirits and we now have a nice sour cherry vodka and a sour cherry liqueur which is mellowing nicely and should be much better at Christmas time.
Over the last 2 days I've harvested plums and once again made plum jam which is one of our favourites, also made some plum liqueur and finally got round to setting the green walnut liqueur away too. Hopefully they'll all work out well. Hubby is quite impressed with the tiny taste of sour cherry liqueur so I may just have to go pick some more before they start falling from the tree.
Once again the weather here has been strange, sunny this morning, wet and overcast for part of the afternoon then a big thunder storm this evening. As I'm typing this it's just started to rain again too. This is not normal June/July weather for Bulgaria and it's making a huge difference to the crops. Next week is supposed to be warmer and drier and I really hope it is, although it means I'll have to start watering the garden again!
I'm quite sad that there are no more lettuce or radish to be harvested now. Despite the cooler weather they've all bolted and what we hadn't managed to eat was fed to the chickens, nothing gets wasted here! The extra rain has made the grass have another spurt of growth and my weeds are doing wonderfully too, so today I was out with the scythe again for a while, then collected what I'd cut for the pigs to munch on. Charlotte is looking quite pregnant now, although we can't feel any babies moving about yet. We've had to cut her feed down slightly as she was getting a little bit overweight, and the piglets are getting extra feed now as they're so big. I'd love to weigh them all and I'm sure there's a formula out there somewhere on the interweb but I'll look for it another day.
Over the last 2 days I've harvested plums and once again made plum jam which is one of our favourites, also made some plum liqueur and finally got round to setting the green walnut liqueur away too. Hopefully they'll all work out well. Hubby is quite impressed with the tiny taste of sour cherry liqueur so I may just have to go pick some more before they start falling from the tree.
Once again the weather here has been strange, sunny this morning, wet and overcast for part of the afternoon then a big thunder storm this evening. As I'm typing this it's just started to rain again too. This is not normal June/July weather for Bulgaria and it's making a huge difference to the crops. Next week is supposed to be warmer and drier and I really hope it is, although it means I'll have to start watering the garden again!
I'm quite sad that there are no more lettuce or radish to be harvested now. Despite the cooler weather they've all bolted and what we hadn't managed to eat was fed to the chickens, nothing gets wasted here! The extra rain has made the grass have another spurt of growth and my weeds are doing wonderfully too, so today I was out with the scythe again for a while, then collected what I'd cut for the pigs to munch on. Charlotte is looking quite pregnant now, although we can't feel any babies moving about yet. We've had to cut her feed down slightly as she was getting a little bit overweight, and the piglets are getting extra feed now as they're so big. I'd love to weigh them all and I'm sure there's a formula out there somewhere on the interweb but I'll look for it another day.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
No Rest For The Wicked
Yesterday was a really hectic day and very long. The morning started off as usual with animals being fed and watered, the horses and donkey put out to graze, fresh coffee made, shower and clean clothes on to go get some food shopping. That was the easy part. Shopping done, pig feed bought, phone bill paid and a few other small things done in a local town then I was heading home for a late lunch, coffee top up and possibly some gardening if the weather stayed fine.
On my way back into the village I called in to see a local man who sometimes bales our hay/lucerne etc to see if he'd be able to turn and then bale it, and we would collect the bales with the ex-camper van to bring home and store.....No problem was the answer, but let's just check it first, drove to the field and all looked well although the guy did ask that we move the boundary hay on our plot so he could see for definite where he had to work up to. Back to the village, call in to see Neville on the way past to let him know his hay was to be turned also, home, put half of the shopping away, quick change to work wear and back out to start moving hay! Phew, we managed to get both plots sorted and bang on time the tractor turns up and starts turning and rowing up the hay. An hour or so later and all that can be turned is done, there's me thinking we're finished for the day when they guy with the tractor mentions that my hay is dry enough to bale so should he just get the baler and get it done? Ok, phone call to hubby to ask him to bring ex-camper van and cash to pay for the baler, tractor returns and we're producing bales of lucerne at a pretty good rate.
So while it's being baled we start loading up the van, 53 bales on the first load and still the tractor and baler are hard at it. We'd guessed there'd only be a maximum of 60 bales to collect so off we go home to unload the first lot. On arriving home we realise that the donkey has managed to get loose again, hubby and I unload the van, he goes off to load up again and I'm on a hunt for a missing, hormonal donkey on a mission! I quickly located, caught and fetched the donkey back home and put her in the barn for the night. Then fed and watered the animals before hubby returned with another load of bales - we got 94 bales in total which will go a fair way to providing the necessary winter feed for the horses and donkey.A quick cup of coffee later and all the animals are settled and shut in for the night, and we're off out again to have a tidy up at hubby's sisters house before she's due back from her holiday in the UK.
Home by 10.30pm, a quick sandwich for tea and half hour in front of the tv before what is now past our usual bedtime! Alas no sleep for me as I had to go pick said sister in law up after her long journey in the early hours of the morning. So I was showered, changed and back out of the door by 3am in awful weather to go collect her. Back home by 5am to fall into bed for a couple of hours sleep. I doubt I'll be able to stay awake too long tonight and we've had a day off from other jobs today to try and pull ourselves together again. The one thing I can say is that I'm really glad we did get the hay baled and stored when we did as there's been nothing but rain since.......which isn't looking too hopeful for anyone who still had hay lying on the field to dry :(
On my way back into the village I called in to see a local man who sometimes bales our hay/lucerne etc to see if he'd be able to turn and then bale it, and we would collect the bales with the ex-camper van to bring home and store.....No problem was the answer, but let's just check it first, drove to the field and all looked well although the guy did ask that we move the boundary hay on our plot so he could see for definite where he had to work up to. Back to the village, call in to see Neville on the way past to let him know his hay was to be turned also, home, put half of the shopping away, quick change to work wear and back out to start moving hay! Phew, we managed to get both plots sorted and bang on time the tractor turns up and starts turning and rowing up the hay. An hour or so later and all that can be turned is done, there's me thinking we're finished for the day when they guy with the tractor mentions that my hay is dry enough to bale so should he just get the baler and get it done? Ok, phone call to hubby to ask him to bring ex-camper van and cash to pay for the baler, tractor returns and we're producing bales of lucerne at a pretty good rate.
So while it's being baled we start loading up the van, 53 bales on the first load and still the tractor and baler are hard at it. We'd guessed there'd only be a maximum of 60 bales to collect so off we go home to unload the first lot. On arriving home we realise that the donkey has managed to get loose again, hubby and I unload the van, he goes off to load up again and I'm on a hunt for a missing, hormonal donkey on a mission! I quickly located, caught and fetched the donkey back home and put her in the barn for the night. Then fed and watered the animals before hubby returned with another load of bales - we got 94 bales in total which will go a fair way to providing the necessary winter feed for the horses and donkey.A quick cup of coffee later and all the animals are settled and shut in for the night, and we're off out again to have a tidy up at hubby's sisters house before she's due back from her holiday in the UK.
Home by 10.30pm, a quick sandwich for tea and half hour in front of the tv before what is now past our usual bedtime! Alas no sleep for me as I had to go pick said sister in law up after her long journey in the early hours of the morning. So I was showered, changed and back out of the door by 3am in awful weather to go collect her. Back home by 5am to fall into bed for a couple of hours sleep. I doubt I'll be able to stay awake too long tonight and we've had a day off from other jobs today to try and pull ourselves together again. The one thing I can say is that I'm really glad we did get the hay baled and stored when we did as there's been nothing but rain since.......which isn't looking too hopeful for anyone who still had hay lying on the field to dry :(
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Hormones!
There's something going on around here this week and I'm betting it's hormone based! Maggie the donkey who's usually quite amiable and happy has managed to get loose twice today and wander off to visit a male donkey down the street - Oh and didn't she give me the run around when I went to catch her, she's normally not known for speed but believe me she can move when she wants to!
She's not the only hormonal one here at the moment, my horse Maya was in a foul mood tonight and refused to be caught to come in, she managed to get loose and went careering off down the track at a flat out gallop, so that's 3 times today I've had to round up unruly animals! Pah, all on my own too as hubby has gone fishing, maybe it's a hint and I'm hormonal too although I certainly don't feel it.
My cart is still waiting for a puncture to be repaired and hasn't been used at all this year so far, usually we get Milka on the cart during the spring and autumn and go for a jaunt around the village. It amuses the locals and helps keep the horses weight down a little. Admittedly it's not a very comfortable thing to ride in but I do enjoy it. Horses or donkeys and carts are still used a lot around the village for transport and are an everyday sight. Next month there is a huge horse fair at a neighbouring village, Kamen, and we'll probably go for a day out.
Let's hope the hormones have calmed down a little tomorrow and things will be back to normal.
She's not the only hormonal one here at the moment, my horse Maya was in a foul mood tonight and refused to be caught to come in, she managed to get loose and went careering off down the track at a flat out gallop, so that's 3 times today I've had to round up unruly animals! Pah, all on my own too as hubby has gone fishing, maybe it's a hint and I'm hormonal too although I certainly don't feel it.
My cart is still waiting for a puncture to be repaired and hasn't been used at all this year so far, usually we get Milka on the cart during the spring and autumn and go for a jaunt around the village. It amuses the locals and helps keep the horses weight down a little. Admittedly it's not a very comfortable thing to ride in but I do enjoy it. Horses or donkeys and carts are still used a lot around the village for transport and are an everyday sight. Next month there is a huge horse fair at a neighbouring village, Kamen, and we'll probably go for a day out.
Let's hope the hormones have calmed down a little tomorrow and things will be back to normal.
A Swift Recovery
Over the last week or so I've had trouble with my back and left shoulder so not really got much done in the garden apart from a spot of weeding. The wet weather has meant I've not needed to do any watering but has also made the grass grow quickly. Yesterday I went out with the scythe to "Find" my vegetable plots again and was surprised to see how well some of the vegetables are doing. Even though my tomato plants are small in comparison with the locals there is fruit on some of them and that made me happy.
The photo above is of Butch, our little Bulgarian bitsa who lives outside in all weathers (with access to a kennel of course), he's a fab little dog and quite good at guarding too despite only being small. I love his funny, short legs and he's also very bright and will sit, give a paw and sing on command. Scruffy Vasko, the dog who decided he wanted to live here, is putting on weight, looking much better and starting to get more of a personality. He likes to follow me around when I'm feeding the animals and barks at the window for his tea, although he's not very good at figuring out when tea time is yet! We have found a couple of problems with him, he's food aggressive, especially towards men and a couple of days ago he bit hubby on the leg quite badly so we'll need to keep an eye on him at meal times.
Our gorgeous piglets are growing up so fast and will be 6 months old in July, they're still great to be around and love human company, but they can be rather boisterous and will mug you for food! Oh and boy can they be noisy when it's feeding time. Soon the 2 male piglets will have to go, we can't and won't risk any interbreeding. They are slightly larger than their sisters and should give us plenty of meat for the freezer. I'll be sad to see some of them go but our next litter of piglets are due the first week in August and Charlotte is looking huge already so maybe we'll get a bigger litter.
I'm still missing the kids dreadfully and hope they're having a good time. They've been to visit my mum who has been on holiday in the Lake District and my sister said they're ok. Neither of them have rung but they do keep in contact via Facebook. Right now I'm off into my garden while the weather is dry to get more scything done.....the pigs and chickens will get the cut grass when I'm done and hopefully the garden will look a lot better :) Hope you all have a great weekend.
The photo above is of Butch, our little Bulgarian bitsa who lives outside in all weathers (with access to a kennel of course), he's a fab little dog and quite good at guarding too despite only being small. I love his funny, short legs and he's also very bright and will sit, give a paw and sing on command. Scruffy Vasko, the dog who decided he wanted to live here, is putting on weight, looking much better and starting to get more of a personality. He likes to follow me around when I'm feeding the animals and barks at the window for his tea, although he's not very good at figuring out when tea time is yet! We have found a couple of problems with him, he's food aggressive, especially towards men and a couple of days ago he bit hubby on the leg quite badly so we'll need to keep an eye on him at meal times.
Our gorgeous piglets are growing up so fast and will be 6 months old in July, they're still great to be around and love human company, but they can be rather boisterous and will mug you for food! Oh and boy can they be noisy when it's feeding time. Soon the 2 male piglets will have to go, we can't and won't risk any interbreeding. They are slightly larger than their sisters and should give us plenty of meat for the freezer. I'll be sad to see some of them go but our next litter of piglets are due the first week in August and Charlotte is looking huge already so maybe we'll get a bigger litter.
I'm still missing the kids dreadfully and hope they're having a good time. They've been to visit my mum who has been on holiday in the Lake District and my sister said they're ok. Neither of them have rung but they do keep in contact via Facebook. Right now I'm off into my garden while the weather is dry to get more scything done.....the pigs and chickens will get the cut grass when I'm done and hopefully the garden will look a lot better :) Hope you all have a great weekend.
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