update on a good day

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Well haven't cracked the photos situation yet but other things of significance have happened.Firstly I am enrolling for bulgarian tutoring(one on one at the moment) For 2 hours each time and 30 sessions overall.Am going to pay the 168Lv for the priviledge today and begin tomorrow. I will be glad of this new skill more especially in dealing with officials and red tape!! The latest being that my last visit to Yunets coincided with the electric man coming to read the Boyana meters. He was able to read 24 , but since (current )one is inside he needed the key.fatmay let him ring from her house but only3 words I could understand were electricity,key and Boyana.I worked out (correctly as it happened) what the problem was but could not reply to let him know I was back on Mon. At the time I was neighbouring with Dave and Mary at their house and they speak even less Bulg. Hailing from Downpatrick ,Mary had tried to learn at Queen's ,but said it was too hard. They and family have been coming to Golden Sands for 15 years and bought a property last year in village next to Yunets.They emigrated in May 2007 and are in the process of renovation. (A chance meeting in Metro that I hope will lead to many contacts.)They recommended a lovely restaurant just 3Km away from the house and after surviving 2 days of solid rain I treated myself to a meal.What a meal - Bottle of Targovishte Tramminer,Roast beef with fries and mushroom sauce, a pancake full of chocolate and cream , with hot choc to start with (warmer-upper) and cappucino to finish.Needless to say I rolled out of there (and into the car) 'lighter' by only 7 GBP !! Still find it impossible to believe food prices occasionally. Also managed some re-arranging of furniture within house and visited Obzor and Kamchia.Obzor proved to be as interesting as I thought when I saw it from the coach from Burgas (last Oct) and though more of the traditional resort - not over loud or grotesque and I got some nice photos despite the rain. Also took photos of Kamchia including lagooon that had produced my 'frog's eye 'contact this summer. With photography,food and a good book 4 days passed smoothly with the exception of 2x getting bogged down in the mud of the track.(Well a rural place was requested by the family!!)Even that was ok with help from neighbouring farmer.No tractors of course but stones broken tiles and wood helped with purchase and a good deal of pushing also.I got him a bottle of wine as a thankyou and subsequently parked as close to the house as the 'level'track allowed.About 100 m away.
Next news is that one of the Kapital workers wants to buy the van.we agreed a price of 2700 Lv and my usage to and from uk before transfer. He will also go with me to look for a suitable car on my return. This of course means this period(some 6/7 weeks) Bottie can be with me and not relying on neighbours for food in the dead of winter.I now have to find a vet(again thro' Martin a font of all info)!! Once he has his jabs and micro-chip he can travel with me on a 'passport' as I understand it.Builders have also started on next phase having done both lots of waterproofing at the houses and coming on Mon to fix tiles on roof of 24. Hopefully he can then finish redesigning upstairs before I leave for UK. Hope to call with friends in Berlin for 2 nights on my return journey and with my great-neice(+parents of course) in Portsmouth before Cornwall for a few days,flying visit to the Wirral, short stay in Sheff and on to Kells. Return to bulg may be able to also include some family visit(s) as I am driving not flying.Plus heavy goods if necess,clothes and pots of marmite can be carried too without airline weight restrictions.!!It also means that I won't have to hire a car to get around whilst looking for a replacement motor vehicle.
One other innovation is that they have re-surfaced the pot-holed road from just outside Botevo all the way down to the first division of roads in Boyana and on to Dobrich road, train station inthe opp.direction. The local train is a (streamlined) modern 2 carriages and can be caught about a mile from the house.Might try it for fun sometime if I can find out times.Enjoying Animal Planet access at 24 and escape to isolation(occasionally) + any decent weather means using there( rather than the beach),ensures an all over suntan because of it's seclusion. Yes things are happening and everything appears to be working itself out even if slowly. So I'll sign off now from my property portfolio ,lovable rascal and reliable, newly - rebraked van!! Supergran

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