21st October 2012

Visiting David usually means diving headfirst into a series of projects he’s dreamed up over the summer. This time, the top priority is sorting out the collapsed walkways around the pool, followed by finishing the barn roof, which was originally erected by a couple of Bulgarians, and then replacing the section of kitchen ceiling that has spectacularly fallen in. In the past, keeping David focused on the most urgent tasks has been something of an Olympic event; he’s prone to wandering off on tangents, often forgetting why I’m there. This year, however, he’s been surprisingly restrained. Our discussions on planning the next steps have been far less frustrating. On the rare occasions we couldn’t work on the pool, we’ve managed to make headway on the barn. In previous years, we’d have flitted haphazardly between projects, even starting new ones before finishing old ones. Now, we’re determined to make sure the pool won’t slip, slide, or collapse again in our lifetimes, which requires some very serious concreting.

On rainy days, or when we’ve been waiting for concrete to set or materials to arrive from the builder’s merchant, we’ve focused on the barn. During these attention shifts, we’ve uncovered quite a bit of remedial work that must be tackled before winter (more on that later).

The Pool: Initially, I thought the pool project would take about a week. Ha. Silly me. As we’ve peeled back the layers and exposed the shoddy workmanship beneath, it’s looking more like a three-week job, though I’m learning not to make predictions. Where we expected to find solid concrete, we instead discovered something called “sippet,” a curious substance resembling crushed breeze blocks, which is supposed to harden when watered. Clearly, it didn’t. The original builders had started with concrete, as one might reasonably expect, but then switched to the much easier-to-lay “sippet” for most of the tiled surface. The areas that were properly concreted (to a depth of two inches) have barely shifted, while the “sippet” sections have moved by as much as twelve inches. You can’t tell what’s under the tiles until you lift them; when it’s concrete, the tiles break, and when it’s sippet, they don’t, which makes for an interesting guessing game.

We also discovered the skimmer, which takes the pool’s overflow back to the pump, wasn’t housed properly. Instead, it had been buried under compacted soil and overlaid with concrete. How anyone expected to fix it if it leaked is a mystery. We had to dig it out and create a culvert for it, though we’re still debating what kind of removable cover to fit. The original foundation for the pool walkway was a laughable 2–3 inches deep at best, so we’ve been laying footings at six inches, battens at eight, followed by a layer of metal-reinforced concrete at four inches. The tiles themselves are still a work in progress.

While digging out one side of the pool walkway, we unexpectedly broke through into a well. The original builders had simply tossed a few stones over it and left it at that. After some debate, we decided to cap it with concrete, as we couldn’t see the bottom, and filling it properly would have taken forever and required far too much material. David, of course, has grand plans to turn it into a garden feature next to the pool, probably for when I’m not around.

Apart from filling the large gaps between the various layers of materials with concrete, we’ve also inadvertently made several residents homeless, including rodents, lizards, and even a snake or two. Banjo seems thrilled with the new neighbours, though.

The Barn: There’s no doubt that Bulgarian workers come cheap; they earn around 25 Levs a day, though David generously pays 30 (roughly 2 Levs to the pound). Yet an old saying springs to mind: “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” The curious thing about David’s workforce is that everything seems perfectly fine… until they actually start a job.

Take the barn, for example. It was supposedly “finished,” but it didn’t take long to uncover a catalogue of issues. The roof tiles hadn’t been cut in half on alternate rows, nor did they hang properly over the edge, so we had to do the cutting ourselves. Two of the cross beams were bending alarmingly because they weren’t adequately supported, so in went some extra props. The bases of the wooden pillars hadn’t been concreted to prevent movement, which, as you might expect, we promptly fixed.

One side of the roof rested on short pillars perched atop a stone-and-mud wall. We strengthened and concreted those pillars to make sure the whole lot didn’t collapse next time a gust of wind came along. A couple of roof supports still need replacing, because instead of using a single solid piece of wood, the builders had balanced two separate pieces awkwardly on top of each other, a feat of carpentry that could only be admired from a safe distance.

And that’s just the start. There’s still the small matter of boarding up the back of the barn, building the supporting walls to the correct height, installing guttering and downpipes into the drains, and wiring in some lighting and electrical sockets. By the time we’re done, the barn should be more secure than a Swiss bank vault, though slightly dustier, and with the faint scent of Bulgarian carpentry lingering in the air.

The Kitchen Ceiling: So far, inside, our main focus has been the kitchen ceiling. The plan is to remove the old ceiling completely. Behind it, there’s concrete, so we’ll use expanding bolts to secure the beams in place. Between the beams, we’ll fit insulation boards, held with raw plugs and screws, before plastering over them. The aim is a rustic finish, though we’ll see how it actually turns out. There’s always a little surprise waiting!

Daily Routine: Our days have been busy: we start at 8 a.m., begin work by 9 a.m., and finish around 7 p.m. for dinner. Lunch is usually a simple salad, mostly from the garden, while dinners vary depending on what I fancy cooking. Apart from occasional trips to the builder’s merchant in Dryanovo, our outings have been limited, which includes restaurant evening meals.

A Night at the Fair: The fair came to Dryanovo this week. On Thursday, we dined at the Sporting Hotel next to the fair, with David parking near the side stalls. After a long, leisurely meal, we returned to find all the stalls closed except the one opposite our car. As we prepared to leave, a Bulgarian man tapped on the window to point out a flat tyre. He gestured at the pavement edge as the likely culprit, though the flat was actually on the roadside. With David’s electric pump, we had it inflated in minutes.

Watching the stallholders, I noticed one tyre resting over an electrical cable powering the remaining stall. Naturally, they couldn’t close up until we moved: their electricity supply was literally in our hands! Curiously, the offending tyre wasn’t flat the next morning.

Unexpected Visitors: During the week, a British couple David knew stopped by. They claimed to have fallen on hard times and were returning to the UK. They even asked if David wanted to buy their car, on hire purchase, no less, and then requested a loan for flights home! Needless to say, they left empty-handed, though they did take a bag of ripe tomatoes from the garden. The nerve!

The Weather and Evening Sky: The weather has mostly been kind, with warm evenings and clear skies. Being far from city lights, the stars are spectacular, and the Milky Way is clearly visible. Lying in bed, I often watch planes crossing the starlit sky while listening to the distant calls of jackals. It’s the sort of view that never fails to calm the mind.

Banjo and Our Morning Routine: Banjo has been an absolute delight, full of energy and fun. Every morning, we hunt for walnuts under the trees around the house. Once my pockets are full, we return, sit outside the kitchen, and crack them open. Banjo shares in the spoils with gusto. Walnuts may not be ideal for dogs, but he doesn’t care! Finding them is becoming trickier, often forcing us further afield. Occasionally, I discover little piles of opened shells beneath a tree. I can only imagine the squirrels’ taste-test routine!

Family Updates:

• Sue: She’s been babysitting for Charlotte while she and Suraj attended Lucas’s parents’ evening, which went well. Sue also went to the cinema in Harborough (film undisclosed), began picking the white grapes for juice, and started freezing the ripening sweetcorn. During the week, she visited Brigette and Jim, had lunch with Nan, and stopped by to see next-door neighbour Doreen.

• Sarah: She’s planning a trip to Alton Towers with her university friends and went to Skegness with Lee last Friday. We’ve chatted on Skype, and it seems she’s a bit bored with university work and keen to start her research. One flatmate has been ill, and Sarah has taken on the role of Florence Nightingale, caring for her.

• Jamie: I haven’t heard much from him lately, though he brought over 32 pork chops for Sue; she’ll be eating those for a while! Last week, he went chestnut hunting near Foxton with Charlotte and Sarah, though the chestnuts weren’t quite ready.

• Charlotte: She treated herself to a massage and facial, and helped sort out Nan’s care warden costs with the council.