17th October 2012

Family Curry Night on Friday the 5th was a cause for celebration, with Sarah absent, back at university, and Ellis managing to keep his dinner firmly where it belonged, unlike last week, when he spectacularly redecorated Charlotte just as we were about to leave. Jamie, on the other hand, gave the welcome news that he had bagged a pay rise and a £300 bonus for securing an order for his company. Not a bad evening all round, then.

The following day, Sue kindly gave me a lift to the train station for my trip to Bulgaria via Manchester Airport. Oddly enough, I ended up travelling First Class all the way, as it turned out to be cheaper than standard. Go figure that one out. Thankfully, all three trains I had to catch were punctual, and the seats were comfortable. I arrived at the airport with ample time to enjoy the sandwiches Sue had prepared before breezing through security, having already checked in online with EasyJet. The flight departed on time, and, much to my delight, I had no one sitting next to me. Bliss.

True to his word, David was waiting at Sofia’s Arrivals around 9 p.m., proudly clutching his newest companion, Banjo. The little puppy sat on my lap for the 3.5-hour drive to Ritya. We made a single stop en route, both for Banjo to stretch his legs and “do the necessary,” and for us to enjoy coffee accompanied by a rather impressive sausage roll.

Banjo’s story is quite something. Just over a month ago, returning from a shopping trip to Sevlievo, David and his family spotted him chasing their car along a remote stretch of road. Only a few weeks old, he had likely been abandoned and left to fend for himself, easy prey for the local jackals, as is sadly all too common. After a few rounds of stop-start chaos, with Banjo hiding under the car, they finally caught him. Once home, he received a thorough wash, a de-lousing, and, over the next few days, a small fortune was spent on vet bills for vaccinations and check-ups. Banjo now even has his own passport.

He’s an adorable dog, if a little unconventional in appearance. His front legs are shorter than his back legs, his paws seem disproportionately large, and he’s long and low to the ground. His head is slightly oversized, his neck a little too long, but his ears are beautiful, and his eyes could melt any heart. Full of energy and fun, he’s thankfully using David’s house as a toilet, not mine!

These days, Banjo follows me everywhere, since I’m the one feeding him (and doing most of the cooking). Evenings are spent on the sofa, watching movies together, and occasionally sharing a beer, though it doesn’t take much for him to get a little tipsy!

During this visit, the main focus has been on fixing the swimming pool, which has sunk at one end and gone slightly askew elsewhere. Progress has been slow, thanks to a combination of working in fits and starts, visits from friends and neighbours, and the occasional bout of inclement weather. So far, we’ve dug out the footings, concreted several battens, and laid two lengthy concrete beds in preparation for re-tiling. We’ve also reinforced the roof of a barn David had built, which, rather worryingly, had begun to slip in the same direction as the pool.

We’ve had some assistance from a local Bulgarian worker, though, true to local custom, he appears at rather unpredictable times! I’ve been in charge of lunch, making salads, and cooking in the evenings, which suits me perfectly, as David handles all the cleaning and washing up. Given David’s rather questionable culinary skills, I’m more than happy to avoid being poisoned.

On a couple of evenings, we went out for dinner. On those days, we kept working on the concreting well into the night, often making it a challenge to see the spirit level properly, and often ending up far too tired to bother with cooking or cleaning afterwards.

David has an iPad, so to access the internet, I had to dig out his old Sony Vaio, which, of course, was broken again. Fortunately, this time I didn’t need to replace the screen, just coax it back to life.

The other night, a tremendous storm shook the house for hours. It was spectacular to watch the countryside light up through my bedroom window.

Every morning, I take Banjo for a walk down the cart track, collecting walnuts that have fallen from the trees. Afterwards, I sit outside the kitchen and share them with Banjo for breakfast. I’m fairly certain they’re good for me, less sure about dogs, but Banjo seems blissfully unconcerned.

Unfortunately, Suraj and Charlotte had a rather rough time last Sunday. At a car boot sale, Charlotte’s purse was stolen. Security and the police were involved, and a group of girls were arrested while still trying their luck on other unsuspecting shoppers. Legal proceedings are now underway, but not before the thieves attempted to empty Charlotte’s bank account. It appears they may belong to an organised crime group, likely Eastern European. The Rothwells are now busy arranging new bank cards and dealing with the aftermath.

Meanwhile, Sue has been harvesting vegetables from the allotments to share with the family, especially Nan. Sadly, the tomatoes suffered from frost and went rotten, though she managed to make some green tomato chutney from what remained. The white grapes are ripening slowly, and it’s a race against the early frosts to get them harvested. It’s been such a disappointing summer that even the hardiest gardener has struggled to ripen anything.

This morning, David went into Dryanovo to pick up more supplies for the pool, leaving me in charge of Banjo. It’s cloudy but warm, so hopefully we’ll make good progress once he returns, though with Banjo supervising, “progress” is sometimes a relative term.