Blog
Grabbing 2019 by the balls
Yup, we built a bad-ass snowman. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Altogether now, exhale. That’s another Christmas and New Year done. We’ve emerged from our self-imposed, prosecco-fuelled hibernation, and are relieved – actually relieved – to have some form...
179. Fondue for Christmas
You know what’s great about Christmas? All the lists. Sure, the mince pies, days off work, and presents are all very nice, but on top of all that jolly stuff, I get to write lots and lots of lists. (Does list-writing count as an actual hobby? I’m claiming it as...
178. Sightseeing in December
I really enjoy winter in Bulgaria. It’s cold and crisp. I get to wear woolly hats every day. It rarely rains. And, best of all, everywhere seems so quiet. We’ve had family staying for the past week, so, in between some epic Trivial Pursuit battles and eating mince...
177. Snow day, the Bulgarian way
How’s this for a short post? Yesterday we had breakfast wine and pork fat with the neighbour, and went for a walk in the snow. Oh, and a hawk flew over our heads. And now, snow pictures… I love it when it's so cold (-9C yesterday morning) that the snow sticks to...
176. Bad food
Not bad food of the ‘bad for you but utterly delicious’ variety, like a bacon double cheeseburger or a Cornish pasty so dirty you smell it on your face (and scarf and coat) for the rest of the day. No, I mean food that turns out to be bad or off or, as seems to...
175. Christmas conflict
When we first came to Bulgaria, Christmas definitely wasn’t a thing. In our village at least, Christmas Day was a bit of a non-event. The shop over the road still opened, the bus service ran as normal, and we were still expected next door for our customary morning...
174. Kittens with dirty bums, and other stories
You’ll have to forgive the slightly sporadic posting of late. Work is busy-busy to an almost oh-dear-I’ve-slightly-overcommitted-myself level. Which, as someone who has zero problem saying ‘no’, is unusual for me. Still, I’m not complaining. Work is what keeps us...
173. Autumn routines
Isn't autumn the best? I mean, today is dark, rainy and freezing – it’s a chilly 8°C right now, when this time last week it was almost 30°C – but who doesn’t love an opportunity to wrap themselves up in an oversized cardigan and legitimately wear Ugg boots?* Wood...
172. Sozopol and Sinemorets
Yes, we went to Sozopol and Sinemorets on holiday. Again. I know, I know. We’re getting a bit stuck in our holiday ways as we get older. Every year we say, ‘Let’s go somewhere we’ve never been before. Albania! Macedonia! Georgia!’ Yet we nearly always...
171. Birthday Weekend
I’m not exactly sure when the notion of Birthday Weekend was born. But at some point I was no longer satisfied with a run-of-the-mill one-day birthday bore-fest. I began to stretch the festivities out over two or (wherever possible) three days. Like a festival....
170. What to do with all those courgettes
Cake. Surely the best use of a vegetable? I’ve not yet found a great way to preserve courgettes. We recently tried fermenting courgette batons in brine (mixed with dill flowers, horseradish leaves and sour cherry leaves of all things – it’s a Ukrainian...
169. Fritters
I love vegetables. No, really, I do. We only eat meat once or twice a month as a treat, so vegetables, grains and dairy make up the bulk of our diet. (After watching some eye-opening documentaries lately about intensive farming and the impact of dairy on our...