Rats Ate My Lunch

Today I was looking forward to my salami and bread at work this lunchtime. I has put the lunch in a cupboard over Christmas knowing that is was cold enough to be stored there for four days. Lunchtime arrived and I went to get the stored food only to find that rats had eaten the lot! This was a great amusement for my workmates and I had to rely on their charity for lunch today.

My Cash Flow Is Frozen

I went to get some money out of the bank cash machine this morning but came away with nothing. The reason was it was so cold the system had frozen solid and inoperative. It was some Christmas shoppings I intended to do and now this cant' happen as I have no money. Here they doin't use debit or credit cards and yet again under the mercy of the banks who hog our money and get massive interst off it from investments behind our backs. You could say my account has been frozen for the time being. I just hope it get above freezing point after finishing work today so I can try again.

Frozen Brakes

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The Lada pops up again with bad luck yet again. It was a very cold night around –7 C and the Lada started up without too much problems. After a few minutes warming the engine and clearing the snowed windows it was into fist gear and release the handbrake to drive away, but I wasn’t’ going anywhere. The brakes had frozen solid as the Lada refused to budge. It was another day for a taxi, money we couldn’t afford and a begging appeal for a lift home from one of my workmates. Another tip that was given was to not apply the handbrake in freezing weather and to carry a brick to stop the Lada car rolling on hills when parked in these weather conditions.

Leaking Lada Petrol Pipe

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My Lada uses gas even though the option to use the petrol is always there. Petrol is twice the price of gas so it is hardly ever used unless I run out of gas. The last time the petrol option was used was around three months ago when I ran out of gas. Today was another time I had to use it as it was sub zero temperatures overnight and the gas will not start up unit the engine is warm in these conditions. As the engine was turned over and started the smell of petrol was evident. I checked under the bonnet and there was a leak in a fuel pipe that was dripping over the engine. Another repair due and more cost of motoring this winter.

Bulgarian Time

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I had to get to work early today to load up a van for a delivery. I was asked to turn up at 6:30 in the morning to help the driver with this chore. Turning up dead on the dot, missing breakfast and a cup of tea beforehand I waited outside the factory. I waited and the waiting continued in the cold dark morning that threatened snow. No driver until 7:30 arrived. there was no apology just the fact that he was Bulgarian and runs by Bulgarian time which could mean any time! I could have had an extra hour in bed instead of pacing up and down the factory yard trying to keep warm on an empty stomach!

Two Broken Drills and More

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At work today luck has it that the drill I was working with broke down. This wasn't really bad luck, that came five minutes later when the new one that replaced it broke after a short while of use. I am in the bad book with my boss who thinks I abuse the tools that he provides. On top of all this a strip of matel snapped on one of the boiler doors I was working on. Again I get the blame not the inferior metal that causes it to snap!

Mobile Phone Broken - Again

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Bad luck just seems to happen whatever the situation. A mobile phone bought in the UK tow years ago broke when I go back to Bulgaria. I finally got is fixed by paying a hefty sum of as it was still cheaper than buying a new phone, but it still wouldn’t’ work as my sim card had expired. So it was off to the shop to buy a new sim card. The phone worked fine for about 10 minutes and then went blank. It is back to the repair shop for no doubt more money to change hands. At this rate I should have just got a Bulgarian phone in the first place and be done with it!

Popping Showerhead

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It was a shower that I was looking forward to this morning after a night of partying until 5:00 in the morning. There was plenty of hot water in the boiler as I stripped off with a severe headache every time I bent down. A hot shower would certainly ease things a little.

In I when and all was well for about 30 seconds then there was a "Pop!" The shower head flew off with the pressure of the water and sent it bouncing off my head onto the shower floor. What was left was a wad of water coming from the remains of the shower head, namely a tap! Needless to say this is something you don't want with a hangover and more cost as it has to be replaced!

Bad Luck On Friday 13th? - Well What Do You Expect

Friday the thirteenth just came and went and of course you expect things to go wrong on that particular day. This time round it was a point I made of taking things very slowly and making sure that there was a thought behind everything I did. This way the risk of an accident or bad luck hitting the mark would be minimised. What you don’t plan for though is things that are out of your control and today bad luck hit again regardless of my care and attention.

Working away the sun was shining through the window and I was looking forward to lunchtime sitting out in the sun for 30 minutes. 12:00 arrive and right at that moment the clouds came over and hid the sun. It was back to work at 1:00 and right at that moment the clouds cleared revealing a bright warm sun. Why do these things happen?

Dead Lada Battery

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It happened today and involved the Lada which has it's fair share of bad luck on a regular basis. From the 1st November to March the following year it is compulsory to use your headlights when driving during the day and night of course. On getting to the Skalitsa home on Friday evening the car wasn't touched in the garage until Sunday afternoon when we were due to go back to town. All set ready to go and the key turned only to find that the car dashboard didn't light up. My headlights had been on for two days and the battery was DEAD!

It was a full tow hours before we got another battery to start the car up and park on a hill with the dead one interested and call into a friends house for a battery charger that was fitted up to recharge the battery when we got home. The alarm has been set for 6:00 instead of 6:30 to sort the battery out first thing int he morning. This must happen to hundred of other Lada drivers when parking up in daylight with their lights on.

Cold All Day

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I forgot it was winter today and went to work with just a short sleeved shirt and a light jacket. I though that the sun would come out and the sweat would begin to run. No such luck, it was cloudy all day and I worked outside in the freezing cold all day. If I have worn more clothing it would have been sunny, this is how luck goes of course! It was a rakia when I got back home as more bad luck struck, the immersion heater took two hours to warm up the water for a warm shower!

Hammered Finger At Work

I whacked my finger with a hammer today. I use a hammer everyday in my work and I had the notion to turn the hammer sidewards on for some reason. I misjudged the width of the head and wham, my finger received a hard hitting metal head and pain ensued! 6 hours on, my finer is still throbbing with more than a hint of purple now embedded under the nail. Will I still have a fingernail there tomorrow? I hope so. Rakia to drown my pain this evening!

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Earthquake Causes Outbuilding to Collapse

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Bad luck hits again when I woke up and found that an earthquake (common in this part of the world) during the night had demolished one of my outbuildings that apparently had no foundations. Oh well ,it just means more worked building it up again, just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Bad Luck On Hold

Bad Luck is on hold right now!

Last Weed And A Cut Finger

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Just before I was to leave the farm today I saw one weed that had been missed. #it was a perennial and I had to dig my fingers in deep into the earth to get the full root. As my finger went down a piece of glass that was buried there went deep into my finger. Blood everywhere and I know a painful finger for many days to come. If only I had left that last weed!

Turn Up For Work But No Work

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Today was meant to be my first day working at a factory as |I prepared my packed lunch. When I got there the boss wasn’t there and after waiting for over two hours I went back home. Typical Bulgaria and now it looks like I will have to try again tomorrow. Will the same thing happen again? Knowing my luck it will!

Another Lada Door That Doesn't Lock

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Today there was yet another problem and another fault to add to the catalogue of faults with the Lada. Not only now does the driver’s car door not lock, but the front passenger’s door doesn’t’ lock either. This morning it just jammed up and won’t budge. Well if one door doesn’t lock it won’t make that much difference to two doors remain unlocked! It’s been a year now with the car parked in public streets unlocked and no problems of break-ins, bedsides, who would joy ride a Lada anyway?

No Cold Beer Due To Cooking Pepper Day

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Getting back to basics in the village we had all been working very hard in hot weather barbequing 30 kilograms peppers for freezing as winter food stock. We all deserved a well-earned break that evening as we looked forward to a cold beer. I walked to the local shop to buy 2 litres from the fridge that stock them. When I got there I was only to find a notice on the door saying that they are not open this evening as they are closed for pepper cooking day! What a coincidence, but no beer for us this evening, just our luck!

Bruised Forehead Banged On Bathroom Tap

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Whist washing this morning I ended up with a big bruises on my forehead. This was quite unreal as I do the same routine day in day out and never have had a problem before. As I the soap was applied to my face and rubbed over I ducked down to rinse it off under the running water from the tap and by forehead whacked against the protruding tap. After the initial pain subsided I looked in the mirror and there was a bump there and now this evening a bruise, which is painful to touch. Why this happened on this particular day is a complete mystery.

Earthquake Destroys Wall

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Having just got back from a break I arrive at the farmhouse only to find that there had been an earthquake whilst I was away and one of my outbuilding walls had collapsed. I had to get a support knocked in immediately to stop the roof caving in and this is a big job to get repaired. Money involved of course which I haven’t got, so it will just have to remain as it is.

A Margarine Beard

Wikipedia

The sweet corn I grew this year is fantastic. We are eating it every evening at the moment. I like to smother mine with margarine that melts on the hot boiled kernels. It is traditional to just add salt here in Bulgaria, but I like it my way. This evening the meal was eaten and a guest calling interrupted us. I go to the gate to see who it is and talk for five minutes telling them that we are all hiving dinner right now. When I returned the whole family were laughing as they saw a yellow beard of margarine on my chin. I had been talking to a visitor with that there all the time – How embarrassing.

Ripped Jacket - Twice

Bryn Jones2008

On the farm there is a metal gate with a catch, which is just made of a piece of wire. As I walked through he open farm gate this morning my jacket got caught on this wire that was standing out and ripped a 10 cm hole on the side. On top of that when I walk back through it later in the day it got caught in the hole that was now made and made the rip double the size! Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place!

Ruined Rakia?

Boby Dimitrov

The rakia I am making was going very well, but over the last tow days it had stopped fermenting and I couldn’t understand why. It was only when someone told me that in the morning when I am there the barrel is not in the sun, but by midday when I have long gone the sun rises and hits the barrel. It is then too hot for the yeast, which dies. So now I have put it inside under cover and see whether is starts fermenting again. Why didn’t people tell me this before it was too late? 240 litres of hard earned sliva (plum) could now have gone to waste!

Cup Smashed

Wikipedia

I decided to do the washing up for Baba today as her leg was playing up. As I started to gather the cups, plates and knives and forks all was going well as Baba thanked me for helping her out. Having not done this for ages there wasn’t a routine that I had and this led to a cup being know of the draining board and shatter on the floor. Was it really worth trying to help when my luck caused things to break and cost money to replace?

Two-pin to Three-pin plugs Not Around In Bulgaria

Wikipedia

Trying to find something simple such as a plug adaptor is never easy, well what do you expect with bad luck happening everyday. I needed a two-pin socket converted to the three-pin socket (UK) plug converter. Every shop I went to only had the three-pin plug to the two-pin plug not the other way around. I must have visited around 20 shops over two hours and nothing. I just gave up in the end!

No Work Today

Wikipedia

Faced with a big day of work today writing, I was trying to decide where to start as the laptop was loading up. A couple of paid blog posts were decided on before I did anything else. There are many jobs but they don’t pay much, maybe around $1 a post, which I usually don’t touch. Today there wasn’t one single job on offer, not even at $1 a post! As luck would have it, there is no work today. There used to be a time not so long ago where jobs like these went for a minimum of $5 and there were loads of them – Huh the recession, who needs it?