We've Hot Footed to Hotnitsa!

Sorry I have not been in touch lately, we have had to sort out the inter-web at our new place...

Well we've found it...

It's in a village called Hotnitsa which was once featured on "A Place in the Sun".  This caused the village to be well populated by ex-pats two of which owned this house.  There are not so many ex pats now and we have met at least 7 of the locals and said "Priyaten den" which means have a nice day in Bulgeski but probably not spelt like that.  The house is in good nick and has some lovely features not least the Strawbale house that sits in the grounds...

GJ has this marked out as a " man-cave"

The previous owners had a business making these homes out of straw and there is a website showing just how this one was made  www.hotnitsa.com/strawbale.html 

The house itself has a summer/kitchen

Needs a bit of tidying up and a lick of paint

 which is basically a covered area for sitting in on the hot balmy summer nights. Opposite this is a large unused template for a poly tunnel for me to hone my skills at grow your own.  This should allow me to extend the growing seasons but I will still need some raised beds to make things easier for me in my old age.  See I've got plans to keep GJ working for ever.   In the grounds there is a large barn

Just the half that was not in the dark!

We met the neighbors who live behind the barn, on our second visit and the estate agent was told in Bulgarian by them that the wood inside the barn belonged to them.  This was queried with the owner and found to be untrue so the agent hot footed it back to put a padlock of the barn door. We will however be able to use the wood as a sweetener for the neighbors when we come to put Kevin into the barn because the approach is from the back of the property and it will need some adjustment to a walnut tree in the lane which happens to be on their property.  That's how things work out here - give and take. 

These branches will have to be removed....

To allow access to our barn and the neighbor will also have to move his van and bits and pieces  - only to get Kevin in but I think we are going to need a translator!

Inside the house is a beautiful old wood oven which was discovered behind closed doors.  I can see me doing the leg of lamb on one side of this for Sunday Lunch.

Think we better get it swept first though!

We have a downstairs loo and shower room which is very unusual in Bulgarian houses as are internal staircases, and we must be very posh because we even have a bath in the upstairs bathroom.  The house itself was split into 2 with the kitchen area actually in the main living room..

You can just see the fridge on the right hand side and a sink and some units follow on.

It has to be said that I like a nice kitchen, and so the plan is to convert the annex which holds the wood oven above, into a nice live-in kitchen

Oven hidden behind those doors - this could be a dining area

some sort of sleeping area which will become the main part of the kitchen

and then the door to the summer kitchen.

The Man Cave:

I don't think I get a look in here but it has running water, shower etc and there is even a mezzanine sleeping area so if he does something wrong - he can go to the naughty corner.  Here's a few pickies:

 There's that women again!

 The lounge area!

and the kitchen area - but I don't think he will be using this as such!  More likely to be storing oily rags and tools than tea towels and utensils.

Up the naughty steps

And a window in the wall just to confirm the straw bales.

Oh well!!!

Catch up next time with our first few days as homeowners again - at least this one is all ours and we don't have to share it with the bank.

H, GJ and Braken