home like home

Pure white snow

2010-02-07T17:20:00.007+02:00

In the morning we were surprised from the beautiful white snow, covering the trees, the cars, the streets and the ground. It was quiet. I took the wooden shovel and I cleaned the space at front the house, then made few paths in the yard.

See our street in 9.00 am.

Street, lime tree, snow and silence

Car traces and a lonely walker

The lonely walker is going down

The cornel-tree in our garden is sleeping under snow

Now I'm in the Living Castle. I want to make some yoga exercises, so I'll leave the computer. It was nice to see you here. You're always welcome back to my home's blog! See you soon!

Simple life exercise

2010-01-31T12:46:00.007+02:00

Today I had a Simple life exercise. It was a calm and a nice day.

I woke up late. My sweetheart was still sleeping and I took my forgotten puzzle. It was waiting for me for long months under the sofa and then over the bookcase.
I cleaned the dust on the pieces and started to put them in order.
I investigated and arranged many pieces all the day. I felt comfortable, homelike and glad.
In the meanwhile, I ate cheese sandwiches and drank tea, listened to the radio, read a book, ate beans, took a bath, talked with my sweetheart.

That's what shall be Mona Lisa someday.

Being lazy and living simply in the Sunday afternoon is a God's grace. Thanks to my beloved Lydia, I had so much time for me. Thank you, my love! I appreciate it!

Orange and clove

2010-01-24T13:06:00.004+02:00

Today Lydia made this:

She peeled an orange and put cloves' seeds on it. It smells nice.

obsession

2009-05-16T15:18:00.007+03:00

I can imagine the living-room curtains only in white, with patterns in black, possibly Art Nouveau style. I wonder if I could afford ordering such curtains from some international website. Would I be able to stamp some patterns myself?

Christmas tree'2008

2008-12-21T22:03:00.000+02:00

Fridge for the masses

2008-12-07T22:26:00.002+02:00

Last night I received my new refrigerator and the old one went in a deserved pension.
It's divided in two parts one of which is a fridge and the other is a freeze.

My friend Rahmie recommended me a refrigerator with two sections, because in that way the freezer will preserve the food for a long time.

The new equipment

When I choosed the equipment, I wanted the upper section to be a fridge and the down section - a freezer. Usually we use the fridger and it will be more comfortable to open its door, to take or to put fod inside when it's on the level of your height.

The freezer is down so you have to bow yourself. And because the people use more rare the freezer, it's better to be down.

Yammy

... like oxygen

2008-11-30T10:02:00.010+02:00

Yesterday a young pigeon flied into my room and alighted at my computer. I thought: "I can't be your father, but I might be like an older brother and a friend for you." The young pigeon didn't hear my thoughts and flew away.

Later The Princess came with bright eyes and smile on her face. She brought me a gift - a blanket with the color of the kings. Pleasantly fluffy and soft, it filled my bedroom with passion and warmth.

The red blanket is a strange thing. It's not just a stuff which makes the place more beautiful and the bed - cosy. It predisposes to sharing and revelations. She shared my life and I shared her life. She looked through my open windows and I looked through her open windows.

Where we are?

Everywhere.

Love is like oxygen.

I'm not an angel, but I was there

2008-11-23T21:19:00.016+02:00

The calm morning surprised me with a bright sun and a fresh air. The house was suffused with light. Everything around corresponded to my inner mood.

It was the best time to prepare our two garden fountains for the winter. The trick here has two steps: first - to stop the turn-clock placed in an underground hole and second - to drain the water in the water-pipe between the turn-clock and the tap. In that way the fountains we'll be protected from the freezing.

The first fountain was ok, but I had troubles with the second. The tap is demaged, said my father who is my private adviser too. After many efforts, finally I found a temporary decision.

But surely in the spring I'll clear my accounts with that fountain. I already have some ideas on this and later I'll share them with you.

I took a breath and then I started something new for me - The Oleander epos.

Usually the people in Haskovo plant their oleanders in used metal boxes for cheese. The last spring I planted four oleanders in the garden. They grew up and bloomed very well. Now I tried to insulate the plants against the low winter temperatures.

The result is strange, but funny. My mother helpped me to wrap the oleanders with old cloths. Then we wrapped the plants again - that way with nylons, and finally we binded fast the nylons with knitted fabrics of different colors.

Is the Christo the only one who wrap the things?
No, now we're two :)

Now the oleanders look like an avantgard art. Both in the gardening and the wrapping I own an unique style, a scent of immediate aestetic, an imagination and a creative power, but the critics just don't know me.
In Sofia there's a monument of the poetry. In my garden there's a monument of the ... they look like... well, if you have some suggestions or analogies with these covered oleanders, you can give me some free ideas in the comments section.

Wrapped oleanders

Later I closed the gaps in the treliss-vine's construction with silicon. After that I went on the roof. There I made some good things and took nice pictures.

Look to the yard

On that photo you see a part of the garage (in left), a part of the garden with the wrapped oleanders and and our summer house (and old building which we use as a store).

The garden - a closer view

A view to the surrounding houses

The local kinder garden

I love my day... Maybe soon you'll see puctures of an winter garden.

Time to say Goodbye... Happiness is the Road

2008-11-17T17:29:00.024+02:00

My weekend was separated in two parts.

Part 1

The Saturday was cloudy and I prepared the garden for the winter. The leading voice said with the words of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman: "Time to say Goodbye".

I decorate the garden with some pots, creating nice ensembles. They lay or stand among the plants. My great pottery is a treasure for the graden. But now I cleaned the pots and I put them in the summer house. Six numbers - here they are. I felt a little sadness to part with them, but I know it's in the order of the things, it's a part from the circle of the life. I'll take them out when the snows melt and the spring bloosoms.

The six pots

Even the phlegmatic face of the autumn has its beauty. I used the chance to take few photos of the blooming autumn chrysanthemums .

The old boxshrub

Part 2

The Sunday was sunny and brighter. The main refrain in my day was Marillion's new album. For me "Happiness is the Road" is the best progressive rock album of the year. When I worked, when I made some things, I said to myself that the work is happiness.

The wall finished with plaster

I plastered the outside wall of the yard with mortar, and I sticked few stones in the small closed garden in the northwest corner of my estate. The music of the labour was triumphant in my head, but finally I remained with conviction, that the good rest is a happiness too.

My mother - the chief director, the Iron Lady of the family

Later my march with Lydia gave me more complete meaning on the idea that the road is happiness.

Another cliche - another masterpiece

2008-11-15T19:10:00.003+02:00

I really don't know how we create miracles. We just do it. And because it happens so often, it might sounds like a cliche. But its true - we did another masterpiece!

Banitsa is the Bulgaruan response of the Italian Lasagne. I don't want to say something arrogant, because I deeply respect the kitchen of the Boot (especially pizza), but our banitsa is more tasty.

When you eat banitsa, you feel the nobility of the Bulgarian culinary genius and the wisdom of many generations of Bulgarians who grew up with that perfect food - a combination of the best pastry ever made (of course from Bulgarian grains), the unique eggs of the hens (happy to live under our warm sun), the aromatic butter of the sheeps (the smartest in the world) and the proud white cheese of the local cows (makers of the best milk in the world, the Swiss are behind them)! The people who eat banitsa are predisposed to feats, victories and achievements in every field of the life.

Home made banitsa

I bet that John Atanasoff created the first computer because his father brought the gene of Banitsa-lover in the genetic code of of his ancestors.

My mother cuts to pieces

That evening with my parents we mad that one and only masterpiece. I didn't have time to make photos during the process (my hands were dirty). Now I share with you the result and I run to eat. Bye :)

The life without electricity

2008-11-14T20:31:00.015+02:00

What the people can do when they don't have electricity in their homes?

Few days ago because of some technical trouble, we were in that condition at home. I wondered: how could I live without electricity?

So I started a conversation with my parents on the subject. The members of my family have different experiences of education, living conditions and wealth. Here are the childhood memories of three persons with their specific background.

Me

I don't have so much to say. My childhood was the ususal childhood of a usual boy in the late communist age. I remember when my father brought the new multicolor television Electron, which replaced the old black and white apparatus Temp. I remember the accumulating stove - I used it to sit on it during the winter.

In the late eighties there was a regime of the electricity and often we stayed without light in the nights. We did spend our evenings mainly singing songs. Since then I have many Bulgarian renaissance revolutionary songs in my repertoire.

Soon the electicity returned and the communist chief Todor Zhivkov fell down. New times began and then we had electricity but we didn't have much money to pay it.

My mother

She was born in a family of citizens - farmers... a strange combination. My grandfather was a fanner, devoted to his land. The life in the city had many good sides: books from the bookstores and the libraries, theatre, modern medicine and of course - electricity. In the usual evenings my mother and her older brother did read books and the whole family listened folksongs or children shows on the German radio-apparatus Blaupunct. In the rare cases without electricity they used a gas lamp and went earlier to sleep... a wise, healthy and untroubled decision.

My father

my father remembers...

He is the real expert. Dad was born in a mountain village far from here. From a current point of view his early years might be described as poor. The modest village family had low incomes, owned few pieces of land and few animals. Like the other local people, my ancestors lived in distance from the most achievements of the civilization. The water-supplies were an unseen miracle, the only way to get water was the draw-well instead . Electricity was a magical word, both strange and attractive for the child's ears.

The peasants used gas lamps all year and fireplaces during the winter. They didn't have radio or television, the electric cooker was totally unknown stuff, the donkey was the tram's alternative, but in the same time these people led very interesting social life.

Usually almost every evening the young unmarried girls made gatherings called sedyanka or poprelka. Every evening the gathering took place in a different house. The maidens did bring with them some handiwork. On the light of the gas lamp or the flames in the fireplace, some of them knitted, other - spined, other - sewed or arranged tobacco.

The young lads went from gathering to gathering, singing songs and making jokes with the girls.

The romantic side of the country life.

* * *

After that pleasant coversation, I made a conclusion: I'd like to stay without electricity sometimes but only when I choose it... especially I like to take a bath on the light of aromatic candles' ... but I'll not endure for a long time without that weal of the civilization - the electricity.

This year's clipping campaign

2008-11-04T18:40:00.016+02:00

I go where I want go and I stay where I want stay. I can de everything I want to, but I know that I'll never run from my roots. I will never hide from my family's past and I'll always bring it in me. I admit that the traditions, the history, the taste and the manners of my family made a seal on my thinknig and behavior. For good and for bad.

As my ancestors were sophisticated farmers, my childhood was predicted to be related with the physical work and the land.

I am grateful for all I have learned from my grandfather Georgi. I don't mean some special skills - I mean thе feeling of love to the trees, the ground, the natural food and wine and the simple life.

I am also thankful to my father who teached me how to do different things. He gave me his will, knowledge and know-how in various areas.

When I work in my garden, I have both emotional and rational experience. In fact, my wishes are still stronger than my abilities, but I'm an optimist: I believe that bit by bit, I'll reach the balance.

Armed with that combination of mighty willing and growing skills, I take care about my trellis vine. When I exert efforts, the vines repay to me with beautifil grapes. Few days ago I was surprised. Until I worked at my job, my untiring mother picked the grapes and now it was my turn to take the baton.

And like every golden autumn my heart plays the elegant and sweet song of the grapevine's clipping. A quiet joy fills my body and my soul, I take the clipper and I start... Yes, there's no mistake. In distinction with the other people, my family clips the vine branches in the autumn, not in the spring season. You ask why? I find at least two reasons:

1. We clip the vine-stocks before the leafs start falling. In that way we save the daily sweeping of the yard during the season.
2. We give a chance to the sun rays to light up and warm up the south rooms of the house's ground floor (especially the living room and the bedroom), which the trellis vine keeps in shadow and coolness in the summer. The new season requires a new strategy :)

... the history of our trelissed vine - that's the story of few generations. The years go by, new vines replace the superannuated and a younger hand takes the clipper, but the story remains the same - the men of the family care about the vine-arbour.

This year's clipping campaign passed like the previous one. First my father in the role of a military general inspected the location of the available resources - a step-ladder, a clipper and a human power. When he found that everything is ready for the attack, i.e. there're a standing step-ladder, a clipper on the table and two soldiers prepared to fight (mama and me), he undertook the beginning action. Daddy did mount the ladder and did cut few vine-twigs, explaining how much buds must leave on every branch.

Daddy in action

"Let's see what I can do here" I said to myself. The clipping area was like a large river to swim. I didn't want to stay on the beach! Take the clipper, take the mood - you will cope because you're good!

Daddy leaves the position. Mom is always like a loyal soldier by him

We changed our places and initially Daddy, in the role of mentor, observed me from below.

Of course, he made deserved remarks on the technique and the tactics of my performance, but after few minutes on the sly he went to drowse in his bed :)

Hey, Daddy knows that it's not my first vine-arbour's clipping! I know what to do. I'm the young prince of the kingdom! In few hours my yard recieved a new look.

Before...

... and after

Enthusiastic Salad

2008-10-28T20:07:00.013+02:00

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

2008-10-21T21:06:00.007+03:00

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

2008-10-20T19:58:00.017+03:00

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...

2008-10-16T19:51:00.012+03:00

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...

2008-10-14T21:21:00.013+03:00

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

2008-10-10T19:45:00.013+03:00

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

2008-10-08T21:41:00.016+03:00

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

2008-10-05T10:29:00.014+03:00

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

2008-10-03T20:40:00.017+03:00

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?

How I sticked stone plates on my home's walls

2008-09-28T20:19:00.016+03:00

The task of my business yesterday and today was to make a stone footing on the outside walls of my house. That means generally speaking to stick stone plates on the down part of the wall. According to my aesthetic paradigm, the stone plates with their beautiful colors do match with the color of the house in a way, which in Bulgaria we call like bottom and pants.

Armed with plates, a glue and instruments, I started with an enthusiasm the execution of my goal. The work is not hard, but requires both patience and passion...

Take the plate, cover the back side with the necessary quantity of glue, stick it on the wall, hit with the hammer to make a stronger cohesion, then fill up the gaps with more glue...

Here is a view of the rough result after the job's initial stage:

As you see, my work is not completed, so I continue... These small wooden splinters are used with two aims:
1. To prop the separated plates until the glue dries;
2. To make a distance (a gap) between the plates, which will be filled with glue later.

My dad despite the warm sun was wearing his hat and jacket. At first he did sit on a plastic chair and all the time gave me his wise advices :) My father has a restless heart and in some moment he did stand up and included himself in the work...
Finally he was convinced that the situation wasn't hopeless and even if I'll never be a good master, I can cope with th work. So then he sat on his chair again ...

I really endeavoured to arrange the stone plates in a homelike and nice way... Here is the last picture that I took that evening. That wall is almost ready but there are few other sides of the house as well as a stone fence in the front side of the yard!

The future feats are waiting for me :)

My family

2008-09-24T23:41:00.035+03:00

family [social group] a group of people who are related to each other, such as a mother, a father, and their children...
(from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

What is the home without people? A cold and empty building... When I said that my home has a soul, I had in mind my relatives, who did put their love, imagination and hopes for better life in this house. So let me introduce to you my family!

My parents are pensioners. Today we live together in our family house. They inhabit the groud floor and I live on the upper floor. My mather's name is Petronka and the people call her shortly Petya. The name of my father is Angel. My father is a very skilled and hard woking man and he did many improvements of the house through the years. My mother was a careful and sympatethic nurse. Now she takes care on my nephew and teaches him after school.

For me my parents are priceless! Sometimes I think about myself like "Man of the Family". My old parents and all my relatives were probably the main reason for me to return in Haskovo after I graduated the Sofia University. And I don't regret about my choice! The truth is that often we have different points of view and make strong arguments, but nothing can't break our sense of commonwealth and our support in times of crisis.

Also I have a brother who's ten years older than me. He is married and has his own family. They live in their apartment in 10 minutes on foot. I have two beautiful and smart nephews - a girl, called Zlatina and a boy, called Angel.

Angel and Zlatina

Angel is 8 years old and Zlatina is 14 years old. Don't you think they look like me? I think so. In my opinion it's better that the kids have the features of their uncle, because their father is not an example for numan beauty... don't mention that in front of my brother!

So we talk about the beast and here he is! Some people say that there're similarities between me and my brother. I don't know really, but you can evaluate alone the reason of that affirmation. If I close my eyes and use my imagination, probably I'll find many common features...
In the left is my older brother. (did I say that he's 10 years older than me?) On the right side is my honour...
But lets leave the joke aside.
The true is that my brother Stanislav is a nice person. Before many years he introduced to me the music of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, who are among my most favourite bands. Today I'm even bigger fan.

Location and neighbourhood

2008-09-23T20:28:00.021+03:00

neighbourhood - the area of a town that surrounds someone's home, or the people who live in this area...
(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

The location of the house

My house is located in a small and relatively calm residential district in the south part of Haskovo, Bulgaria. The name of the area in Bulgarian sounds likes “quarter Ovcharsky”, which means “Shepherds’ district”. Many our neighbour families live here from many decades. Actually some of them are living here from the beginning of the quarter.

Visit a link to Google map of Haskovo (my house is right in the centre of the picture)

According to my friend Ivan the latitude of my house is 41.926978815610575 and the longitude is 25.562632083892822.

The neighbourhood

The story began fairly 160 years ago, when few clans from the villages south of Haskovo moved and settled the town. They created a new quarter and because their main occupation was the shepherd’s trade and the farming, the name of that place naturally received the brand “Shepperds’ quarter”. The section lies between two small rivers, which cross Haskovo – the self-titled “Haskovska reka” [in Bulgarian: Хасковска река] and the river “Byal kladenec” [in Bulgarian: Бял кладенец]. There’s a short distance between the house and the city centre - about 15 minutes on foot.

The church "Saint George" is one of the most remarkable places in the neighbourhood. The old church was built up from the first settlers before 160 years. It was low-rise building without bell tower. Later, when Bulgaria became a free state, the people made a new church with tower and bell. I was baptized here.

Probably "St. George" is the most suitable name for the local tample. No, not because I bring the saint's name. As I said, the first residents of the district were farmers and shepherds and according to the Christian tradition St.Georgi is their protector.

The story of my house

2008-09-22T21:36:00.012+03:00

story [description] - a description, either true or imagined, of a conncted series of events...
(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

The banal and true phrase says that every house has a story. The house is just a building in which the people live. A heap of bricks. Should I bother you with my house's story? Well, dear reader, in that case you always might leave that page. But if like my blog and the story of my house, you're welcome agian.

Like every other house, mine has a story. And my house has a soul.

My home was built from my grandfather Georgi in 1957. The previous two years the family made bricks for the building. Mom was just 16 years old but she helped in the production too. The house had two storeys but the lack of money became the reason to be not completed. There wasn’t a bathroom and a solid stairway, some of the rooms of the upper floor even didn’t have doors.

When my father married my mother in 1965, they decided to live in Haskovo, in my mother’s family house. So dad started his life in the house of his parents-in-law (situation not very usual for the Bulgarian tradition). But dad wasn't frustrated - he's very ambitious and hard working person, so in a short time he made strong staircase and a terrace.
In the late 90’s with my parents we started new massive repair. We earned enough money to replace the old wooden floor between our two storeys with concrete. That cause many subsequent repairs and … well, we still work on our house with intention to make it a better place for living.

That's my blog...

2008-09-20T16:04:00.012+03:00

... about my house, about my yard, about all little things I do at home. Here is the place for my modest and home like life.
You'll read about some my amateur repairs and my gardening passion and how the people and the house live together... and maybe you'll catch the spirit and the atmosphere of that place which I name "a place to call my own".

Home like home

The blog is organized in few categories like Hammer and trowel, Different topics, Family matters, Garden of delights, Days are numbers etc.
For your facilitation I made a search engine, so you might search in the blog using different keywords.

The inspiration for the blog's name and subject came when I was listening to a song from the last album of Toto.

Simple life

Days feel so long
My life seems short as years go by
The chance that I took
Feeling so strong I had to try
All of the pain I left behind

Been down the road
My heart has been sold
The price was steep
The world that we have
The wish that we made is ours to keep

All of our emotions are so deep
Cuz I can't stop falling in love with you

All I want is a simple life
All I really want is you
All I want, all I need
Is a simple life