Children's Activity Sessions

One of the things that we are most excited about doing here in the village is organizing various activities for the local children. We get a lot out of it too as it helps us with learning Bulgarian and gives Lielle interaction with other children. At the moment we are doing it once a week, and hopefully once the school summer holiday begins in a few weeks time, we shall be able to extend it to twice a week and also make it available to a larger group of children.

Each Sunday afternoon a friend from the neighboring village of Osikovo drives over in her horse and cart together with 6 children ranging in age from 4 - 12. We spend around 3 hours together, usually starting off indoors with various craft activities, and then after a break for a simple snack, we play some kind of game.

This week, after showing them our new chickens, we headed indoors to do some artwork combining oil pastels with water colors for some interesting effects. After the break we headed down to the nearby spring where we let off steam with a water and sponge relay race which was great fun. Other things we've done in the past are tissue paper flowers, making martenitsi and working with salt dough.

We are always interested in ideas for new activities and welcome anyone who has skills to share or who can provide materials.

Creatures in the Garden

As the meadows and gardens fill with flowers butterflies of all colors are suddenly everywhere. There are many different types of spiders too in the garden - this beautiful green one blends in perfectly with its leafy background.
But the thing that has fascinated me most this past week is watching a couple of swallows who have been busy building their muddy nest in the rafters of our barn. It looks as though they have almost finished so hopefully they will soon be laying their eggs and we shall be able to follow their progress.

Garden Update - End of Week 3

We left this one sorrel plant in the garden just to see what it would grow into - and just look at the size of it - about two and a half meters high - and it was barely up to my knees when we arrived three weeks ago!

Almost every day over the last two weeks has brought morning sun and afternoon showers - a combination that has led to amazing growth in the garden, though as I write this we are in the middle of a hail storm - not quite so good for some of the little seedlings out there :-(

The lilac bush and apple tree have already lost their blossoms but other things are taking their place: the strawberries are in flower and beginning to produce their little fruits, as are the grape vines. The seeds planted a fortnight ago have germinated: radishes are in the lead with the chard in second place and the tomatoes and cucumbers not far behind. The sunflowers are growing taller before our very eyes - about 10 cm a week!

Just behind the house we have another small plot of land and this is the first year that we are working it. Our neighbors kindly planted it with corn, beans and potatoes while we were in Israel in April. It's fun working out there as it adjoins our neighbors' plots and give us chance for a chat and to see how they do things. Each time I'm out there I pick up a few more tips so lots of practical learning going on here.

Bulgarian Alphabet Day

The 24th May is celebrated in Bulgaria as Bulgarian Alphabet Day. A few days ago we attended a special performance of the local school children celebrating this event. It was very moving to see this year's first graders receive special certificates and flowers and children from all of the classes performing songs and dances. The performance was held in the village community centre which has excellent facilities with a proper stage and auditorium for seating around 250 people.

In the meantime, we are continuing to pick up Bulgarian in a rather hit-and-miss fashion by just chatting to people and realizing that each time we are understanding more and more of the conversation.

Lag B'Omer and other firey traditions

In preparation for the Jewish Lag B'Omer holiday we have been preparing our bonfire but unfortunately the last two afternoons have seen heavy downpours of rain which literally put the dampers on our campfire plans.... so we have postponed our little bonfire till the first opportunity once the firewood dries out a bit.

Interestingly, Bulgaria has had it's own very interesting fire-festival called Nestinarstvo this weekend which I understand is celebrated mainly in the south-east. It involves walking over burning coals . Here's a link to a video clip that I came across on youtube.

Lielle's Chickens

Last week we bought some chickens - we get through quite a lot of eggs, so it would be great to think that in the future we may be able to provide some of our own. Lielle has given them all names - most of them inspired by the Harry Potter series that we are reading at the moment. You can check out a short video on her blog here.

Cob Course - Sponsorship needed

I need some help and if there is anybody out there reading this who feels they can I would be extremely grateful.

Background:

I have become very interested in building with cob (mud and straw). Many of the houses here in the village were built this way and the materials are readily available for free. Last summer we experimented with mud-plastering the entrance and the results were very successful. This year we hope to recontruct the falling-down summer kitchen using mainly cob, introducing decoratative features with glass bottles, tile mosaics, etc.. I am also in the middle of replastering a small room in the house, again planning to incorporate decorative features (inspired by Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" - I want to make 3-D tree trunks and branches in the corners with a textured leaf canopy effect near the ceiling). Until now my only real experience with working with mud has been the trial-and-error, hit-and-miss approach ... and while this has served me well so far I would really like to learn more about it from someone who has more experience. I have just been told that a two-day course will be taking place not too far from here at the end of June and I would really like to attend.

The help I need:

The course costs 100 leva (50 euro) and since our current budget barely covers our living expenses I am looking for a possible sponsor who could donate this amount on our behalf to the course organisers. I would be more than willing to repay the favor in the future by sharing my new skills and knowledge or volunteering with some mud-related work.

If anyone feels they can help I would be very happy to hear from you:

lielle8 (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk

The Garden - Week One

Fired up with enthusiasm after attending the Permaculture Garden Course at Shipka I have spent this first week back in Voditsa thinking and planning and trying to implement as many ideas as possible. As I mentioned in a previous post, back in March I had planted garlic, onions and leeks but during the following 6 weeks when we were in Israel most of it became obscured by a lush growth of weeds. Did I say weeds?! It turned out that quite a lot of it was deliciously tender sorrel which was enjoyed as salad greens or cooked with rice and lentils. Instead of getting rid of all the weeds I cut them down and used them as a mulch on the pathways between the beds which is helping to keep them clear of mud and further growth. I have noticed that a lot of wild hemp has sprung up in various parts of the garden- interestingly it is mostly where we had bonfires in the past or where I used to chuck out the ashes from the petchka and empty the chamber pot. By clearing the vegetable beds a little room has been made for new seeds: various flowers, tomatoes and radishes... and more tomatoes, peppers and aubergines have been sown in my mini makeshift greenhouse erected out of old window frames and panes of glass on the south-facing outside staircase. Our strawberry plants are in flower, and so too are the beautiful lilac bush and the apple tree. Bees are buzzing around and blue tits, jays and swallows pay regular visits. Spring is definitely in the air!

Swallows, Storks, Martenitsi

A noticable sign of spring is the return of the swallows to the village where they build their gravity-defying nests of mud. The storks are also back and the fruit blossoms are snowing down their petals in the breeze. During the month of April, while we were in Israel, here in Bulgaria the martenitsi were taken off wrists and tied to tree branches in this beautiful custom of friendship and renewal. Here's a particularly impressive example that we came across in the centre of Veliko Turnovo.

Back in Voditsa

The 'all-can-do' petchka (wood-stove) is warming the home, water is on the boil, fresh pancakes are ready to be served.... Outside a light rain and the sound of woodpeckers, cuckoos and cockerels... This is our first morning back in Voditsa!

This time we detoured via Shipka where we spent an amazing few days with an inspiring group of people at Permaship's Permaculture Gardening Course. I shall write more about that later as I came away fired up with ideas that I can't wait to put into practice.

We have already got stuck into a few jobs: cleared away some of the lush wild growth in the garden to discover the garlic, onions and leeks pushing their way up below; helped a neighbour with mud-plastering the inner walls of their barn (and prepared a wall in our own home for replastering). And, no less important, have sat around looking, observing, thinking...