Slow posts...

So things have seemed to settle down a bit... its been a long long time since this place had anything of interest to read...

Back in South Africa at the moment, I say at the moment because we need to return to collect our Temporary Residency cards before our visas expire! Yes we gottem!

Since being on this page last, this scribe has had surgery on remaining hand, suffered, and I mean painfully with Rheumatoid arthritis, not a happy place, and returned to Sunny South Africa  now trying to get the body sorted!

Being in Bulgaria in a situation where one is so so so dependent on knowing the language - hospitals and doctors- was quite an experience! Needless to say we managed! Thanks to dear caring friends all went off without a hitch... plenty of stitches though. Carpal Tunnel release op and then just a quick two trigger fingers thrown in...

It doesn't rain, it pours.

Relationships deepened and appreciated a lot while overseas, new ventures tackled and repairs on house, this is a constant when we are there. Though this time I must say that my mista was an absolute gem, more so than usual! He would come in after working like a Trojan outside to do things like make dinner, a cup of tea and other precious things... in his work clothes and grime no less. Thank you so much for all your love and care during this time.

Blessings to all... and yes, I'll be here a bit more than I have been. Able to type now...see?

Yesterday was a long day of metro and tram riding to different parts of Sofia, just discovering and experiencing the place. We had a long walk back to our temporary place called home from somewhere in the city…long, long walk. It’s so funny, Jean-Pierre and I are such opposites! (just in case you had not previously noticed) When we travel like this, Jean-Pierre is forever expanding his understanding and knowledge of the layout of the land, while I am like a puppy in the car… I go along for the ride, am quite good company, but really useless when it comes to navigational skills or worth. Jean-Pierre told me how much he appreciates me being the dog, as he is as a blind man when it comes to language!

Where I come from chess is a two man game, here it seems to be a twelve man sport.

Breakfast in the park, apple strudel in the park (a different park) later. 

gotta love it!

good times

Wow, while Rita sits drinking coffee, made by her mista…eats meals prepared by the man wearing the correct outfit, said mista continues to do absolute miracles with the appearance of the house in Gostilitsa. 

This scribe is really proud of his achievements. He is working with materials that speak a different language, react in foreign manners and still manages to do all this. Whether inside or out.

We have been truly blessed to have the use of an apartment in Sofia, this is a good, good thing. Not just for the opportunity to visit the city but also because it means Rita is so much less frustrated having to ‘do nothing’ with her hand that is still misbehaving.

It’s that much easier to rest it when the todo list for the day involves long walks to the city centre through parks and interesting little side streets. Admiring the amazing talent of local artist....Talking to strangers in a challenging language, by the time she gets back to the apartment she’s too tired to do anything else…. Methinks that was the plan!

waiting...

It is really great seeing all the page views on this blog. Seems as if people are WAITING for me to post.... I will try and be more diligent here....
Feel free to leave comments, here or even on facebook, that way even more people get to read.... grin.

I remember driving in the car with my Mum as passenger, I needed to come to a rather quick stop and my arm automatically reached out to protect her. It suddenly dawned on me that I had, somewhere through the passage of time, become the parent.

How often have we looked at older people, dressed in jerseys that look as if the last time they were washed was sometime just prior to the war? How often have we seen old men playing checkers in the park and felt sad that they had nothing better to do with their days? Or known an old lady who would rather spend time in her Lazy-Boy stroking her mangy cat than get dressed up and go out with her family to a more ‘exciting’ time? Have we ever said out loud, or even thought the thought of “If I ever get like that, then shoot me”?

The funny thing is… you got it, this is who we are. It might not be right away, though we would probably not recognise it or ourselves when it does happen. But think about it…

That favourite pair of jeans, you were wearing them when you did the laundry, “Ah, never mind, I’ll put them through next time”, and

Wouldn’t it be great just to sit quietly with friends rather than dash about shopping or trying to impress people that don’t really give a care? And what about parking off in your lounge, reading a good book instead of the rush and noise and just plain busyness of young families, kids squabbling and raucous laughter at inane jokes? Then of course there’s that thought of something that needs doing, but you are quite sure that offspring one or two could take care of it for you quite easily…Aargh, so scary.

There are some things that happen that are funny…well laughable anyway, like looking for readers perched on your nose, trying to get that ‘something that was previously on your plate’ out from under your new bridge, while sounding like a kreepy krawly sucking air….lamenting gravity’s effects  when it’s been there all along and how Time flies when you are having fun. Never stop having fun.

Know that the definition of fun is certainly age related!

data again

It’s already April, we have been in Bulgaria now for near on a month! Can’t believe how the time has flown past. Yet at the same time, it feels as though we have just landed here.

We have experienced some truly wintery weather, which, I know, is a novelty for us, and surely the rosy glow will fade, but as we do not have to work outside, or get out of bed really early to ‘go to work’, we enjoy the serious change in tempo. Also really appreciate second fireplace the Van Tonders installed upstairs and the electric blankets we brought along in our luggage.

Revisiting places and people is rather wonderful.

Our focus has been primarily language but work on the house is a continual backdrop to our everyday life too.

Before leaving South Africa Rita was battling with a really troublesome wrist… that has not changed, and language learning acquired a whole new vocabulary boost when dealing with local doctors here. The villagers are very happy to cook meals and treats for the handicapped foreigners, though Jean-Pierre has been a model husband taking care of cooking and cleaning as well as his forays out and around the house.

 Take-aways take on a whole different shape here as it means food and goodies taken from other homes to ours.

Right now Spring is certainly in the air and summer is hard on her heels. I always wanted a “savage garden” definition being “untamed”, erm the garden here is more than I dreamed? Wild flowers everywhere, definition of wild flowers… weeds! And, methinks it will probably remain this way for a while yet.

Some crazy quirks of the house…the fridge sounds like a chicken cowering in the corner of the kitchen. When you run water in the kitchen sink, the radio gets all excited and loses its station (have since relocated said radio).

When you work on outside walls upstairs, debris falls in little puffs downstairs (similar to moving a toaster…little bits everywhere). If one sneezes loud enough an electronic rooster crows and the resident cat meows like a duck. (not when one sneezes – all the time)

On a more serious note we are here on a Type D visa on invitation of the Bulgarian Consulate in Pretoria, this means we get to apply for temporary residency. We have a few hurdles to climb before it is granted, however, one of them being that we need to present an unabridged marriage certificate, which has been applied for, but we have no idea how long it will take before we actually have it.  

pictures say so much

our last evening in SA. Ending up in a sudden rush to get to boarding gate on time

Sitting in the shadow of the Hagai Sofia while biding time till we board the train for Bulgaria from Istanbul

A walk through the bazaar while looking for dinner

Our home in Gostilitsa as we have never seen it before

Jean-Pierre re familiarizing himself with the toolroom....boys!

En route to Veliko Ternovo

A Pretty...

Dutrieux data... a catch up

Dutrieux Data

COLD-March 2014

Two Passage to Purpose courses completed in the last half of the year. Now handing over the two output platforms in each of the congregations. The hope is that they will develop further with their own flavour while we spend time here in Bulgaria. 

The time has come to look and see clearly what has happened to us and around us in just a few short months. Believe it or not already one quarter of the year is done, over , sloosh, krai, finito… it matters not how it is spelled but the fact that it is done and dusted.. what have we done with the time given to us? Well, we for one have had some rather interesting hospital shenanigans. Jordan was supposed to go to Kalafong State hospital to get the titanium plate removed from his wrist. Only to be postponed so many times that we felt it would be better all-round if he had the op done in Malaysia.

Funnily enough he managed to turn a five hour layover into fifteen as he 

fell asleep at the boarding gate and missed his original flight!

 Which he eventually did, without so much as a hitch. Jean-Pierre was surprised to find a ‘mole’ that was growing quite happily on his shoulder was cancerous. Whoops, quick, got rid of that one. Two surgeries later was cleared of all cancer. Needs to go for a six month check up though just to make sure. Then he was stung by a wasp…. Not a pretty sight. Rita had to have dental work and then her wrist packed up… still not doing too well as she is supposed to rest the thing… right.              

Who will ……………………………………. For her?

a)      Wash dishes b) Cook c) Iron d) Dress e) All the above.

Jean-Pierre that’s who! In good times and bad and all that. Sickness, health richer and poorer etc.

We are the proud owners of a Type D visa for Bulgaria. So good, as it means we can now apply for temporary Residency, which in turn means we no longer have to fork out for visas and or insurances each time we travel to Bulgaria. This is good, good, good.

lunch in Gabrovo! In the cold and wet.

Traveling to Gostilitza was done slightly differently this time as we did not stay over in Istanbul, but went instead straight to the train station and bought tickets for Bulgaria overnight train. Hung around in Turkey’s Capital for the day.. dog tired, and welcomed sleeping on the train. God is good.

 queuing for coffee!

Landed on a cold wet day in Dryanovo, came home to a fire made and food warming on the pechka…. Great neighbours to take such good care of us. Met friends for coffee, and they fed us too… gotta love this place and her people.

Friends and families will be joining us over the next few months, to visit and just SEEEE.

Argh

What is it that when one wants to "quickly print' something, all seems to go wrong?
Last year in the latter quarter, I picked up a horrid virus on my computer. It started off on a laptop that I let someone use, then stealthily moved via usb drive to main office computer, and then to little netbook. THEN... upon clearing virus, which till this day I am not sure it has actually been cleared, find that office is corrupted. Tried to reinstall , reformat and eventually even going to the point that I get another computer from a dear friend, only to be notified that office has been activated too many times. Have HP printer, but unable to install driver. also have samsung printer, but it gags as if it has swallowed a dog before I can get anything to print. driving me insane. Oh yes, another interesting quirk, when I open my bookkeeping package from Pastel, PC wants to install programme while it quaintly opens excell and tells me not a valid command.
I love my job!