Geri - Kamila's Monkey Friend

Kamila had been on the farm for a few weeks and found herself back in Yambol this weekend. She will be there fore a few weeks then the work really begins on the farm once April and the growing season starts. Kamila is keen that we don't go hungry this year and will be helping wherever she can.

There was a new friend waiting to meet her in Yambol, Geri the monkey who was also from London, she had arrived a few weeks ago as she was fed up with UK life. the price of bananas had doubled in the last year and you are not allowed to say monkey business as it offends minority communities living there. She had read about what happens here in Bulgaria and even though there isn't much much to live on we were always happy and free.

Kamila took to Geri straight away and before long they were bonded friends alongside Eli Kamila's best friend. It may be that Geri might get a taste of village life with Kamila in a few weeks as she had heard from Kamila that there are sliva (plum) apple and pear trees that she can swing from as long as we took a supply of bananas with us.

Kamila also has been in deep though recently as she has seen her family struggle a bit with their health. We think that she has something up her sleeve, but she won't let on yet. We'll just have to find out what it is in due course.

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Chickens Had A Good Life

Village life is now a reality for Kamila as the way of living here in Bulgaria has got a hold of her. Survival is all-important here and no time for sentiment.

It wasn’t long ago that Kamila made friends with many chickens on the farm last year on her holiday, they were subsequently slaughtered and frozen for winter feed. This is normal and part of village farm life. They had a good life free range and the kill was quick an painless. Kamila knows all about this even though she is a vegetarian. She is wise for her years and understanding to a great decree.

Kamila know that villagers are poor and survival is based upon practical living. Vegetarian practices are extremely rare if not non-existent in Bulgarian villages. Livestock breeding and killing is a normal way of life here, perhaps more normal and natural than town and city living in the western world.

Today we had one of the chickens for the pot in a stew. Kamila helped with the cooking and felt no qualms about how this chicken ended up. It is a case of knowing that this is the way of Bulgaria and village farm ways. Kamila knows that supermarket chickens have had no life at all before slaughter and are full of chemicals. At least her old chicken friends had a good and natural life considering that chickens have been bred away from being wild.

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Galileo Thermometer - Either All Up Or All Down

Kamila knows all about the weather and temperatures in Bulgaria, she has now been through a summer and nearly at the end of a winter. There is one thing that rings a bell in her head about the Bulgarian weather and that is, it is either too hot or too cold.

In the kitchen Kamila noticed that we have a Galileo thermometer there. It was brought over from England. It shows the temperature by the glass air filled globes that rise and fall in the alcohol filled glass cyclinder. The temperatures range from 18 C to 28 C.

Kamila has found that this is no use in Bulgaria as the glass globes are either all up in the winter or all down in the summer. What is does tell you is whether it is summer or winter, not what temperature it is!

Well Kamila is dead right, it just doesn't work in extreme temperatures, bt she did add that it was pretty.

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A Valentine Card Arrives for Kamila

This weekend, Kamila was in deep thought for most of it. this deep though came about when a card turned addressed to Kamila early on Saturday morning. I wasn't her birthday or name day, but she did know that it was Valentine's Day. She knew this because the television was getting on here nerves telling people to buy things for Valentine Day. She also knew that it wasn't a Bulgarian tradition as today was Trifon Day, where the first cut of the vines takes place. Somehow Kamila felt sorry for Trifon the vine cutting legend as Valentine Day has become far more important in Bulgaria.

"It is such a shame that this Bulgarian tradition going back hundreds of years is being spoiled by commercialism," Kamila announced as she opened the card.

He mind now was focused on the card, which was sent from someone called S.L. Kamila blushed as she read the message of love and wanted to know who S.L. was. "It could stand for Secret Lover." we suggested.

Kamila from that point started here deep thoughts. "There is someone out there who is my Valentine, and I want to know who," Kamila said.

"Well, you're just have to wait until he shows up Kamila. You are very lucky that you have an admirer."

"Yes, but I might not like him," Kamila whispered. Perhaps that why she was deep in thought.

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Water Back up System In The Village

It was a very happy Kamila who had travelled with us this weekend to the Skalitsa farmhouse. It was like a summer weekend as we all worked pruning the vines and cutting them up for firewood tinder for next winter.

In the kitchen Kamila noticed a barrel in the kitchen. "Are you making wine?" was the question after figuring out what was written on the barrel.

"No, there's just water in the barrel." we said. She was quite curious as to why we have all this water when the water runs form the tap less than 2 metres away.

We had to explain that we often get cut off with water and the barrel is our back up system. Kamila understands too well what it is like to be without water for days on end, she has her own water reserve as well!

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Skalitsa Healing Stones

"What's that rock you're sitting on Kamila?" is the inevitable question that will be asked looking at the photograph.

Well, Kamila knows that this is no ordinary rock. She has been told the full story behind the stones and knows full well what powers this stone has. Kamila, being a sensible camel, was rather confused when we told here the story about some healing stones in Skalitsa. It was only when a kind of miracle happened that Kamila realised that these were special stones that had 'magical' healing qualities.

The story is told on another blog in full, but basically, the stones heal many types of illnesses, from rheumatism to hangovers, if laid on for a while. They are a phenomenon that Skalitsa holds and only one other place in the world does this phenomenon happen, somewhere in Mexico.

Kamila is quite happy now that we have one of the healing stones in the house, both in the Skalitsa village and in our Yambol house. As Kamila now says, "Gone are the days of illnesses."

Well the stones have only been in place for a few days and everyone is fine right now. Galia did have a bit of flu until the stone was brought in the house and it cleared up the very next day. Kamila was witness to this and many other healing that the stones have brought.

Yet another surprise that Kamila has experienced here in Bulgaria, we had known about these healing stones for years, but this was all new to Kamila.

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