St George's Day

Baaaaaa...

For Gergiofden (6th May) each family kills a lamb in remembrance of St Gorge slaying the evil dragon.

Quote of the day: "Shall we warm up the brain and the liver for dinner?"

The neighbours gave us part of the brain and the liver to say thank you for helping out with skinning and dismembering the lamb.

That evening after gardening we were short on time so for Raphael's dinner we prepared some mashed brain and liver with a bit of hot water and crushed bread. He absolutely loved it.  As usual the spoon was chasing his mouth as he played with toy after toy on his eating chair. And as usual some of the meal landed on his bib.

The funniest thing is that when we pulled the bib off Rafski's head he had pieces of liver and brain all over his face and hair. It was a scene straight out of Pulp Fiction. We had to wash him and pick out the pieces one by one before putting him to bed.

Body worlds

 R.I.P

After a hard day's work in front of the computer there's nothing like skinning a lamb to help out our neighbours. The lambs were just a few days old when we first moved in. They chose the biggest. And then there were three...

Evening stroll

We took Raphael for an evening stroll in the baby-cross buggy. He passed out to the sound of the humming bees and sheeps bells.

La vache

Anti-social cow

You would think that it is only in big cities where over pampered pets become problematic and fussy. Well not really. Here too there are problems with some animals. This cow for example does not like to eat grass with other cows. But does not like to be on its own without someone taking care of her. She also has horned feet. Maybe the other cows make fun of her.....

But unlike the fussy pussies in big cities here problematic animals get the chop. She has been marked for meat. 

Fresh

"The June grass, amongst which I stood, was taller than I was, and I wept. I had never been so close to grass before. It towered above me and all around me, each blade tattooed with tiger-skins of sunlight. It was knife-edged, dark, and a wicked green, thick as a forest and alive with grasshoppers that chirped and chattered and leapt though the air like monkeys. I was lost and didn't know where to move. A tropic heat oozed up from the ground, rank with sharp odours of roots and nettles. Snow-clouds of elder-blossom banked in the sky, showering upon me the fumes and flakes of their sweet and giddy suffocation. High overhead ran frenzied larks, screaming, as though the sky were tearing apart."

Laurie Lee.

Cider with Rosie

Raphael is so lucky to discover the scents and texture of nature

Our first Stotinki

Varen gurem

Thanks to Raphael we made our first money. It was about time. We sold some his clothes at the local market in Troyan. Designer labels from London: George, Next and Gap.

Mariya slapped the first bills she earned across her chin to bring good luck.

By comparison with our neighbours we made a killing.

Thanks Rafski!