Enthusiastic Salad

Tuesday 28 October 2008

Some ignorant people might think that I'm a man who doesn't feel the need to be a cook. That opinion is totally not true and I'll prove it right here and right now! Yes, as a conservative person I do believe that there're some typical masculine activities like drinking rakiya and watching football. Also thare're some natural waman deeds like the longtime shoping. Yes, I proclaim that every frog must knows its pool!
Making food is an act of creativity for every real man. Dear readers, I'm a Creator!
In my family the men are very passionate about the good food. We love eating, but we love cooking too!

Grated turnip and carrots, decorated with olives

This evening I bought few turnips and carrots. I peeled these vegetables and I grated them in two separated cups. Then a put some salt on the turnip and after few minutes I squeezed the stinging juice. Then I mixed the carrots and the turnip, I added oil and vinegar. Finally I decorated the salad with olives.
The result was "Mmmmmmm"!

Picture on the wall

Tuesday 21 October 2008

What a wonderful occasion to start my new rubric Interior!
As I already told you, one of the gifts for my birthday was a nice picture. Today I am honoured to share with you how it looks on the wall in the room where we entertain guests. The picture's framed and covered with an antireflection glass. Now with that fresh chattel the room become more vital, more homelike, and maybe more lydianlike.

Georgi's Art Gallery proudly presents:
Da Club

Dates from the backyard

Monday 20 October 2008

There's a tree in my backyard. An old tree with shiny-green, fine and slender leaves that I remember from my childhood.

I know that my grandfather Georgi planted it more than 50 years ago. Even in that honorable age, it's high just about 5 metres. My family supposed that it's a relative of the palm trees, but from Wikipedia I learned that its botanical name is Ziziphus ziziphus, also known as Jujube or Chinise Date. Some people here call it with the strange not local name hinap.

Hinap - view from below

Trees, belonging to the same species, grow in Haskovo and in the areas south from our city, like towns of Svilengrad and Ivaylovgrad, but also it's possible to find some specimens northern far from Haskovo.

Every autumn our hinap-tree gives to us its ripe brown sweet fruits. Initially green and hard, bit by bit they become more mellow, their colour changes and the pulp is softer.

I pick them and my mother saves them in a dry place, so we have wonderful dry fruits during the winter months.

Like the rose, protecting its beautiful blossoms, the hinap-tree keep its taste fruits with sharp thorns. I have personal experience - believe me, they're truely thorny :) But I now that the result deserve that price!

All you need is just a little patience, be calm and do your work carefully and finally you'll be satisfied with these divine gifts of the nature!

Sometimes I eat the fruits raw and sometimes I put few of them in my tea. The combination of hinap and herbs makes a really interesting blend.

A cup of hinap fruits

A man in love...

Thursday 16 October 2008

I'm enamoured.
When I see them for a first time, I realize that I feel agitation. I drink them with my eyes.
Impatiently I stretch my hands to grasp them, full with passion and desire. They are formed shapely, in very attractive and tempting way. Is that God who created such perfection?

Surprisingly, they place in my hands so naturally and it seems like it's not our first time...
I thouch them softly - they're round and beautiful. I move the tips of my fingers on their smooth surface and then I envelop them with my whole palms. And then they start to react and answer to my stimulation - they become warmer and warmer...

I caress them and I gently kiss one of them. I try to be calm, but my heart beats stronger, in excited uneven rhythm. But I'll not stop right now.
Because I'm in love!
I love my balls.

. . . . . . . . . . .

My balls are made from steel. They originate from France and I recieved today four kits (two for me and two for a friend). Yes, people, I'll play petanque! Maybe tomorrow will be my first game.
Just see what a beauty!
Balls of steel

My new balls inspired that still life :-)

Still life with balls

Before the stones...

Tuesday 14 October 2008

I already introduced you to one of my spare time activities - sticking stone plates on the wall. But I noticed that I missed to tell you about the preliminary stage of the work - putting a termoinsulation material before the stones.

That evening my main occupation was to prepare the walls for the sticking of the stones with the building glue.
On the first picture (on the left side) you see the work place before the intervention - like a naked maiden, waiting to be dressed. Lets satisfy the wall - in that case instead clothes we'll use the termoinsulation material (picture 2, on the right side). Whole my house is isolated with exception of the lower part. Of course, it's maden with an intention. When I put the termomaterial, I'll make a stone plint.

So I carefully did cut the material in a way, relevant to the size of the prepared sector, I covered the back side with glue and then I sticked it to the wall (picture 3, down right). It's important after that to hit the surface of the agglutinate insulation, because this improves the cohesion and the material will adhere better! Also it will be goog to fill the gaps between the separated parts of the insulation.

The final step of my job was to plaster the surface with glue (picture 4, right). The expected outcome of that last action is to increase strength of the new construction.

Tomorrow that place will be ready for the stone plates!

Yesterday she made my day

Friday 10 October 2008

The days are numbers... but yesterday I realized that the years might be numbers too.
And yesterday was my 32th birthday.

It wasn't a day whose dawn predicted how it will finish. I surely don't pay attention to the birthdays. In any case for me it wasn't so special day as the people thought. But one person made the difference.
If you ask who is Lydia, I'll tell you something: Lydia is a lady who could be described in three sentences or in three volumes.
Lydia gave me three gifts.
The first present was a exquisite aquarelle picture which she painted for me! I always dreamed that somebody will paint a picture only for me and finally my dream came true! I've never suspected that she's so talanted. But she is talanted, isn't she?

Da Club

That thin house is our favourite place in a beautiful park. After all there's restless question in my mind: Will she paint again for me?
The second present is a book... a book which I'd never buy... but it looks very challenging and wise reading. And there was a third gift which was totally unespected, but you'll read about it in a different post.

Lydia The Painter

Aside if all these things, Lydia wrote me a greeting in her blog, one of the most visited bulgarian blogs. So suddenly I bacame a blogstar.
Thank you, Lydia, for your good company, smile and bright eyes! It was a great birthday.

My life as a shadowplay

Wednesday 8 October 2008

Georgi: Protagonist
The House: Interlocutor
The Voice of Wisdom: Invisible whiff
Background: "Survivor" reality show
Location: the Surplus reality in Georgi's mind

Georgi and The House


Act One - an almost love confession

The House: So, you're my owner...
Georgi: Yes, I guess. It's time to take my role as houselord.
The House: Yes. I think it's time. How you feel as a house owner?
Georgi: I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I feel pride and happiness, because I possess you. You're big and look beautiful outside. On other hand, you bring me concerns.
The House: What concerns?
Georgi: Concerns about your maintenance. You're old and you have defects. I take a huge responsibility to care about you.
The House raises her eyebrows :.....
Georgi: It looks so calmly and quietly to live in a flat, without thoughts about nothing! From the foundations to the roof. But...
I know that in the blocks might exist problems too - like terrible neighbours, or collective irresponsibility, or sometimes - smallminded clashes. When I live in a house, I know that everything depends on me. I'm more independent from other people. In the same time, I'm more dependent from you.
The House: So why don't you give up from me? Sell me and buy a flat!
Georgi shakes his head : I don't want. First, my parrents live here and you're their home too. I can't move them to other place. Second.. I admit that I love to live in you.
The House: Ahaaaa.
Georgi: Yes. I realize that I like to be here. One of the best things in my life is that I became your landlord. I'm more man now. I take new responsibilities now and I have a new experience. I just... I just sometimes feel like... Do you know the proverb both itches and hurts? Maybe I'm tired of repairs in that moment.
The House: You want to live here, but you're tired of repairs.
Georgi: That's right.
The House: I'm so sad! I was afraid that you'll leave me!
Georgi: No! You are my house and I'm your landlord! But I need advice!
The House: What could you do to cope with that situation?
Georgi: I'll call for help the Voice of Wisdom!

Like an ethereal whiff, on the stage appears the Voice of Wisdom.

The Voice of Wisdom whispers : Calm down, Georgi. Take it easy! Take your time to relax! You have to find the balance and the resiliance in your relationship with your house. When you care about the house, She'll repay to you. Just take a breath and rest. Don't force youself. You can't repair the house with one clock og your fingers. So... take it easy. And don't worry! I'll be always with you!
The House: Do you hear what the Voice of Wisdom says?
Georgi: Yes, I do.
The House: What you'll response?
Georgi: It's true. I'll do as the Voice of Wisdom says!!!

Curtain. Applauses.

Sunday morning with pancakes

Sunday 5 October 2008

The good pancake is a real poem, a song full with joy.

This morning I woke up and I smelled the sweetness of pancakes oozing through the stairs and permeating the room.
I like these sunday mornings, when my family have more free time. Among my mother's specialities are the pancakes and the fried slices with eggs.

Sunday breakfast

Can I dеscribe the gladness of my hungry soul and body when I saw my Sunday breakfast on the table in the kitchen? It will be hard. So I'll limit my story, sharing with you this photo. A delight for my eyes!
Few pancakes, three pieces of cheese, a cup of yoghurt, a little cup of huney... New culinary record of my mother. Enjoy!

On TV and the dishes

Friday 3 October 2008

Many people argue about the use of television. The dispute for the benefits and the harms of TV watching continues long years. I think that there are not only good and bad things or white and black colours and that discussion. Perhaps everyone has his/her own answer on that subject.

One of my friends and colleagues doesn't have a cable television at home. He explained me that he wants to reduce the impact of the mass culture (and especially the lack of culture in some channels) on his children. Yes, it's great to get information, said my fellow, but the models of the popular culture deform the minds of the adolescents. I admit that his way of thinking is very close to my thoughts. Aside of this assertion, I suppose that for the kids' development will be better if they have some more creative and intellectual activities, sports, outdoors...
Probably I can't add some more psychological arguments to the topic. It's not necessary to discover other motives against the flood of the cable television.

Before few years I stopped the cable television at home with two main reasons:
(a) almost all channels consist of stupid and low-quality shows and movies;
(b) the local cable television is a monopolist and continuously increases the tax.
Without any pity I rejected the bloodsucker cable television and started my happy life far from the public brain-washing TV industry. Thanks to one modest and cheap antenna, my family watched two national ether television channels - the state BNT and the private BTV.

But sometimes, if you find a reason, the things change.

Just numbered days ago I began a new era in my televisionary life. In order to improve my English language, I decided to mount a satellite dish at home. I'm still a sworn enemy of the TV deviations and the consumer's society. In the same time, now I realize that I can avoid the demaging channels which irritate me.
There're many good English-speaking channels which can be useful for my language learning. I think it's a good way to train my ear and my brain. Truth, ususally the speakers of BBC or CNN speak too fast and for me is very hard to catch the whole information. But in my eyes exactly this seems to be a serious challenge.

In the left side of the photo you see the old and loyal antenna, which we'll continue use. We need it because we can watch the Bulgarian news. In the center is the new satellite dish. For me it is strange why the sateliite dish is called just d i s h, but Lydia (in Bulgarian: Лидия) assured me that's the correct word. All right. My dish recieves transmissions from a satellite named Hotbird.

Which English language channels I watch?
  • news and political journalism on: CCTV 9 (Chinese), Arirang TV (Korean), BBC World, CNN, VOA, Al Jazeera International, Bloomberg;
  • sports on: Real Madrid (Spanish), Dubai Sports (UAE);
  • fashion on: World Fashion and Fashion TV;
  • religion on: EWTN, Love World, 3 ABN, God TV, Islam Channel, TCT.
My plan is to watсh some channel for 30 minutes every day and step by step to get accustomed to the sound, the rhythm and the vocabulary of the English.

What do you think about the possibility of the satellite television to improve my Englsh language?

 
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