22nd December 2013 Sue and I joined a council walk on 23rd November. As it turned out, it was the last one of 2013, as Colin, the organiser’s father, died that morning. We suspected something was amiss, as his mobile repeatedly rang during our amble. He said nothing about his unfortunate circumstances, even during lunch.… Continue Reading

21st November 2013 Since my last blog, written despite the endless warnings of foul UK weather, Leicestershire’s climate seems to be in a state of limbo. By now, we should be enduring Arctic conditions (and perhaps some are), but not here in idyllic Harborough! Yes, I’ve been out with the leaf blower this week, gathering… Continue Reading

28th October 2013 Not having written a blog since my return from Bulgaria, through an atrocious storm, it’s now a British storm prompting me to put fingers to keyboard once again. Plus, with Sue in bed for the past two days with a tummy and chest bug, and another morning painting the garage ceiling wearing… Continue Reading

17th October 2013 David returned from Gabrovo with grim news: the car was very sick. He didn’t think it’d make it back to Ritya and Crassy’s garage couldn’t get the part until tomorrow. Undeterred, he limped into Dryanovo to see if the garage there could save us from car purgatory. They promised the part by… Continue Reading

The thunderstorms promised by the forecast never truly arrived. A smattering overnight, yes, but hardly worth a mention, unless, like David, you gauge rainfall by the dampness of your garden wall or the depth in a coffee cup left out for two days. By his reckoning, it was officially “nothing to write home about.” In… Continue Reading

15th October 2013 A murky but dry morning greeted us, and I managed to coax David into joining Banjo and me on our morning walk. We took our favourite route, and while the only wildlife we encountered was a woodpecker or two, we were treated to a rare appearance by the sun, offering spectacular views… Continue Reading

14th October 2013 I woke early to a dreary, murky morning. Rain had crept in during the night, leaving our once-neat pile of dry, cut logs outside the wood store looking soggy and despondent. So much for the Bulgarian weather forecast; they clearly speak with a forked tongue. We’d planned a mountain outing, but with… Continue Reading

13th October 2013 While I was off taking Banjo on his usual walk (same route as yesterday, though unfortunately deer-free), David got stuck into cleaning the kitchen. I suspect he knew full well that dinner might not materialise unless there was a surface clear enough to prepare food on, utensils free of yesterday’s crusty evidence,… Continue Reading

12th October 2013 I awoke to the unwelcome sight of several more dead kerlinkas scattered across the duvet. Hoping the strange taste lingering in my mouth wasn’t some sort of insect protein, I washed it away with a comforting honey coffee before taking Banjo on his longest walk yet. We passed the cemetery (picturesque, if… Continue Reading

10th October 2013 During the night, newly qualified David Nixon of the RAF executed a bombing raid and returned to base with a dam burst and bomb bays emptier than a pub on a Tuesday night. The day that followed was less glamorous but equally destructive, this time directed at our nerves. With both barns… Continue Reading