Jogging and Cycling in Towns and Villages Respectively

Having taken up jogging in Bulgaria over the last month, there are many reasons behind this. Before starting can I mention that normally I am an avid cyclist, if ever a few kilograms wanted to be lost from a fit, but aging man, a couple of weeks cycling over long distances usually did the job. I just love cycling, even in mid-winter in sub-zero temperatures (see 365 Bulgarian Adventures.) So why jog instead of cycle?

During the week I am in Yambol and the many cyclists that wheel and hobble along the cobblestone street is a refreshing sight. Every cycle I see my mind says 'one less car', but the cycling is down more to cost than environmental conscience. Most of the bicycles I see are not roadworthy and those that are ride the wrong way up roads, on pavements and carry vast amounts of luggage making the bicycle too unstable to ride so it is pushed. The average speed limit to cyclists in Yambol is just generally just slightly faster than walking pace. If yo add the horrendous potholes that have really got worse and worse this winter as each day goes by, going any faster, without brakes on their bikes, makes absolute sense.(see Roma Riders)

With all this in mind, my bikes is sitting in the garage as my style of cycling is very different from Bulgarian cycling. First and foremost I do it for pleasure and health, I don't think this aspect is even consider for one moment by most Bulgarians. Riding a bike is done only because a car can't be afforded! I cycle like I am on a time trial most of the time, this can't be done in Yambol, nowadays there is too much traffic, too many bad roads making it far too dangerous to travel at speed in such environments. If I have a hybrid mountain bike it would be fine but I have a light and fast touring bike designed for speed on good roads, I can't do that here. I have another bike, a pure road bike in Skalitsa as the road there are excellent for touring and road riding, this is where my cycling usually takes place.

So, the jogging has taken over form cycling in Yambol. I once competed the London Marathon a long time ago, but that is ancient history now as I tramp the back roads of Yambol. Even on the road it is like a cross country event with the torn and uneven road surfaces. I think I must be the only person in Yambol who goes out jogging. I have never seen anyone jogging here since I been here, even in the warmer months. Bulgarian drivers just don't know how to react when passing a jogger, they always pause as they are not sure whether to give me a wide berth or run me over - they certainly have been close to that. Yet if I was on a bike they would give the greatest respect when passing.

Dogs haven't a clue what to do when I pass them. The ones that are chained up bark to the hilt, well that's what they are there for. The wild, free dogs bark when I approach but that stops suddenly when I pass, they also have not seen anything like this going on. It's almost if they are saying that it's their job to run on Yambol roads not mine!

Loosing weight is my prime objective here, plus I've had a few warning signs from my heart telling me to work it a bit more. Also in view of reading Malcolm and Ciejay's Blog, it probably makes me even more determined to keep it up.

Galia did a half marathon here in Yambol quite a few years ago, it was a one off event for charity so she tells me. Pity it's not an annual event, but then jogging is not at all a Bulgarian thing!

A Sorry Dog Tale in Bulgaria

This is a true but very sad story about British Dog owners and Bulgarian country folk with one loser at the end, the dog.

A British couple had set up their new dream home in a small remote village in the midst of farming people, very much like thousands of other villages scattered around the Bulgaria countryside. Livestock roaming the streets was common place in these types of areas, all calm, peaceful and living in harmony with the community system that worked.

Traditional ways of keeping dogs in Bulgaria are very different to that of British ways and this primarily was the heart of the problem. The British couple remained adamant that their dog should live with them very much in the British fashion. It was allowed to run around the countryside, live and sleep in the house and essentially be treated as part of the household. It would often be let out to roam free in the streets and fields outside the boundaries of farmhouse and grounds until not before long the sad sage began.

A elderly woman neighbour had called round to the house complaining that the dog had attacked and killed many chickens from her farm and blamed the British couple for letting the dog out to roan free. The matter was resolved simply by the old woman being compensated with money to replace the chickens and a promise from the British couple to not let the dog out in the future unsupervised.

The dog was now confined to within the boundaries of the grounds, still without being tethered or tied up. It was only a matter of time before the dog found escape routes with the massive area of land and continued began to chase and worry sheep, goats and poultry in the area. The Bulgarian owners had full justification to continue to complain but the British remained firm about how the dog should be allowed freedom regardless of the stress it was causing to local livestock. The dog was apparently obedient when the owners were there but not when they were absent.

Subsequently with the owners absence on other occasions, more local chickens were killed and more monetary compensation made but this really wasn't the way forward as far as the Bulgarian locals were concerned. They were living in fear of the next attack and the worrying was affecting the sheep and goats milk production and the British couple refused to accept that the dog was not under control in their absence.

There remained this insistence that the dog should continue to be unleashed at all times in their absence and no compromise was sought as they felt they were morally right in the way the dog should be brought up. No real regard was made to the loss of local Bulgarian livelihoods that were being caused by this dog. This couldn't carry on where there comes the part that brought the matter to an end.

The British owners were away again for a few days and on their return they found that the dog had been poisoned and lay dead on within their own grounds. The calculated consequence from the Bulgarians point was one less worry for them and their stocks now safe. From the British couple there was now bitterness and suspicion to many of their closest neighbours and the house is now up for sale for a move to another village.

The mayor and local policeman were approached regarding the matter with a shrug of the shoulder response, there was nothing they could or indeed would do about it!

The question is raised who is right and who is wrong added to which some might say was an inevitable end in Bulgaria.

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Mice in Bulgaria - Revisited

Mice in Bulgaria - Revisited

Mice in Bulgaria revisited has a double meaning. You will never really get rid of mice in Bulgaria, especially in the Bulgarian country regions. Once one clan of mice have gone other clans of mice will revisit. Whether they stay of not is down to the surroundings and environment, just like house Bulgarian hunting really.

Bulgarians in the main, especially in village locations of Bulgaria live with the mice and look at it as a minor inconvenience. They do try and take sensible steps with traps and poison but the odd mouse or two is not deemed a major problem. They accept that mice are a part an parcel of their living space, especially in the village locations and live not quite happily alongside them but content enough in any case. Rats are a different story and are looked upon in a very different light, this requires another chapter.

Mice in Bulgaria are very simple creatures and you have to put yourself into their frame of mind before knowing how to cope with them. Survival is the key element, not only from the point of an individual mouse but from a mice family perspective.

Imagine you're a mouse just out of nappies on your own with hormones running wild.... what do you need? Well let's list a few things for starters.

A warm, safe and draught free home
A food supply
A water supply
A family

This short list of basic requirements is not to dissimilar from our own needs therefore the problem of ridding you house of mice give us a slight edge as to changing the environment they would favour..

The first step it to ensure that all food in the house is not left out and floors are kept clean and free from food. There is no particular favourite place for mice in houses as each room has its own attractions.

The kitchen or kitchen/dining room it well known by mice for scraps of food or plentiful supplies from cupboards that don't have stocks containerized effectively. Tupperware and glass containers are the answer, not only does it prevent mice gnawing away at cardboard based containers it helps keep the food stocks fresher for longer as well. I invariably use these plastic or glass containers to store food direct they are bought and stored away, all recycled of course!.

Kitchen draws are another favourite haunt where mice can find resources they need for their home. Drawers or cupboards where tea towels or aprons are kept should also be stored away thoughtfully and checked periodically. Mice look upon this as a good bedding or bedding material if not there making the drawer their home, for their own homes elsewhere. If the draw is not opened for a couple of weeks that is time enough for a generation of mice to have been brought into this world with the help of your tea towel/apron material. Of course the likelihood of this is less if the food source in the kitchen has been sealed off in the first place.

Bread bins seem like an obvious and practical place to store bread but many types are not mice proof and the remains of crumbs invariably stay there for ages. If you do get a bread bin try and get an actual bin with a tight fitting lid and not a flap designed one. Make a habit of tapping out old bread crumbs for your for your neighbour's chickens each time a new loaf is placed in.

Keep plastic bags stored in a containers with a sealed top, plastic is a favourite bedding material for with the added bonus sometimes of traces of food still left in the bags, i.e. bread crumbs, etc. Not good tactics for putting mice off from coming in.

Bedrooms are another good place to find bedding naturally, it a bedroom! But not just for us, men and mice alike want the best conditions for our homes and beds. Again look in the bedroom drawers and wardrobe shelves as sometimes the mice gain entry from the back of the furniture where the material is maybe just hardboard or plywood, easily nibbled for entry.

Mice can squeeze through the most minute gaps and using filler to seal all the gaps can reduce risks, a great deal needed in the case of many Bulgarian styled rooms. Again this is another problem that mice will look at an seek alternative easier entry points elsewhere.

You need to bare in mind that mice will also seek new places to visit and search for suitable places that can provide the list mentioned earlier. So even though you may not have mice now it is always going to be open for investigation at a later date. The secret is to keep one step ahead and make the environment unattractive to inquisitive mice on their constant quest for raising their families.

Bathrooms and toilets are usually mice free as they are usually tiled and free from wood based fitting and food isn't usually found there unless you leave traces dropped eating your meals on the toilet. So there shouldn't really be any worried there. Towels and spare toilet rolls stored usually are untouched but there could be a problem in airing cupboards where these are sometime kept, especially int he winter. Put yourself in their position, what a lovely place to raise a family and worth doing a bit of commuting for food and water.

Living rooms are also a favourite haunt for mice, sofas and settees are sometimes looked as a either a place to nest within or just a supply of material, perhaps the foam stuffing or cotton based covers. These are attacked from the back with the runways along the skirting board and even in the wall paneling. Again sealing the gaps that they can gain access is a option and making sure that the seating areas do not have dropped food laying behind and under the cushions. We all know how this can sometimes be overlooked. When vacuuming alway make a point of covering the settees and sofa cushion confines.

Use the long adapter extension that comes with the vacuum to get into the crevices that food (and money form visitors if you're lucky) hide.

If you have dogs or cats this doesn't always prevent mice in fact in many cases attracts them! Why? well there are so many instances where dog or cat food is left out only to attract the mice naturally of course. There is a free food source just waiting, just think of 'Tom and Jerry' and you will see why this is so, Tom is always around but so is Jerry, the food source is always there!

As is the case of dogs... as ex pats dogs (and cats) in the home means pet food in the home on the kitchen floor and lays there for hours on end. Even with the bowl empty there is sure to the traces of food left, more than enough to satisfy a few mice fro an evenings feed. The secret is to feed the animals and take away, clean and store the bowl until next feeding time. Your pets soon learn that feed time comes and goes at certain time during the day, or even more Bulgarian, feed your pets outside away from the house. Water of course should always be available.

Just a short point about traps, they don't work, they are not sensitive enough, precarious to use and quite often just attract the mice with the food bait which is taken off the trap and their there the next day looking for more! Used outside, it catches hedgehogs, sparrows and other non vermin creatures in but no mice!

Moving on, it remains that all these procedures may still not guarantee your house being visited by mice and that where the insurance plan comes into play. Not pleasant but the trump card is the poison!

Place mouse poison at all times in places where mice would tend to investigate. Under kitchen drawers, behind fridges and freezers and right at the back of food cupboards at ground level in the kitchen. In the bedrooms, under the bed, behind wardrobes and dressing tables. In the living area behind the sofa and cabinets also behind hi-fi units with trailing wires, another favourite bedding source for mice. finally at the back of the airing cupboard if you have one.

Finally keep some poison laid out in the attic, again bedding there is usually very attractive to mice and just another precaution in place.

There is a a whole new chapter to the problem of mice in garages, outbuilding and livestock areas and this actually does link up with mice in the home. A degree of mice in these places is the norm it is just a case of laying the poison out of the reach of domestic pets. In my garage I use a couple of heavy Bulgarian slates leaning again the wall with poison behind. They cannot be moved by cats and solely accessible by the vermin. this was done in the barn where the hay and straw is kept, checked once a week and topped up if necessary and it works for me.

Can I also point out that this out of home system works very well for rats and many time the poison bait has suddenly completely disappeared but I am safe in the knowledge that this has been taken away by mice or rats and a generation will not return. But there will always be this search by other vermin on their search for suitable places to live.

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