Where to start…. Its been about a month since I really got into this email and of course, loads has happened. After a month on my own, Jennie from Cornwall was here for about 3 weeks. She did loads of work on the fences and really bonded with Alan Shearer who incidentally has forgotten that she’s a sheep and runs around pretending that she’s a dog! I learned loads about Girl Guides from Jennie and she used her knotting skills to make a shelter on the lawn from corn stalks. She is now thinking about buying a house here next year and she’s coming back in April for the barn raising.
Then Max from Australia arrived – he lives a nomadic life around Europe in his caravan and has helped me with all of my computer stuff. The laptop works now and next we’re going to sort out the website. He is going to rent a house in Popovo for a couple of months which also has a washing machine- washing at the spring is fun but putting stuff into a machine is sometimes useful.
Tom and Laura from Ireland and England arrived next and they painted the front of the house – its now looks great – white and yellow and really stands out. We used whitewash (Var in Bulgarian) on the walls – the neighbours all say it will wash off in the rain but we figured that if it stays on in Donegal, it will stay on here. We’ll see! They are now in the process of buying a really nice house in the village so they’re staying around for a few more weeks.
Then Ed came back to sort out the purchase of his house down the road. He and Jess are hoping to move in next spring. Oliver from England also arrived – he had heard of the place from Christina in Finland and he’s been doing loads of weeding – I forgot to say that it rained for a few days and then everything suddenly started growing again.
Alex from Holland came next – he met Jennie somewhere and was interested in doing something different. His project is to paint the windows and he’s sleeping in the hammock under the walnut tree.
So we have quite a little community here right now – we have great food, good conversation and loads of things are getting done. We’ve build a cob toilet and Laura and I have made loads of jam, chutney and tomato stuff called Lutanitsa – and various bottled fruits. I have so many lovely things in jars that I was inspired to sort out the cellar – a very spidery place that I never really went into. But we cleared it all out – found a few scorpions but nothing much else. Me and Ed, Alex and Oliver spend a very tiring day making cob (mud and straw) and put in a new floor. We improvised some great tools and pounded the earth down to make a smooth floor. I remembered what I learned in India about making cow dung plaster and we’re putting that on the walls – its not yuky or smelly and is a great building material. We should be able to do the whole cellar without buying any extra materials – just using the natural resources from the garden.
Before it rained , I was concerned that I only had 4 pumpkins but now I’ve lost count – they’re everywhere! I took my eye off the ball in relation to the garden cos I’ve been doing house stuff the last couple of weeks and the whole thing is quite overgrown – millions of tomatoes and courgettes and I have great plans for next year!
A couple of days later – Alex and Oliver have left and Aslak from Denmark is here now. He and I spent a couple of days plastering a new ceiling in the cellar – using mud plaster – we’re now waiting to see if it stays on! He’s interested in bricklaying now and has also cut all the grass in the field with the Kosa. Tom has done a wonderful job sorting out the tomatoes which ha gone crazy after a few days of rain. Laura and I are still making things in jars – I have now completely run out of jars!
I am so lucky with the volunteers that I’ve had this summer – everyone has got into the communal aspect of life at St James – we sit around the dinner table on the lawn every evening, eating great food, drinking rakia and having really good conversation. I’m now going to have lovely neighbours in the village and I’m feeling positive about running various workshops next year. I don’t have nearly enough food in my store cupboard compared to my neighbours but I guess I can live off walnuts and pumpkins! Or and the apples of course! I have a couple of boxes of dried apple pieces, I have apple compot, apple butter, apple and beetroot relish, apple and green tomatoe chutney and tomorrow we’re making apple and mint jelly and maybe apple juice!
Elaine who lives up the road has household encyclopedia from 1905 which has everything you need to know about living, eating and looking after servants! I’m going to learn how to make a press from it and I’m going to try pressing walnut oil – I have 10 walnut trees so I’ve got scope to experiment!
Laura from Manchester is coming next week and hopefully her and I are going to focus on the field and the land for a god few days. I also have volunteers booked in for October – very hard work time!
Love to everyone and look forward to hearing from you all.