SURVIVING BULGARIAN WINTER | Renovation Bulgaria | живот на село

[@TROONATNOOR]

CAT THERAPY and purposeful action are the most powerful part of my own mental health care routine : ) You guys seem as sane and mentally healthy as any people on this planet ... cat therapy for me is visiting all the neighbourhood cats, and 'borrowing' my friend's cats when I can ... right now I am full of joy as caring for their two cats while they are on holiday ... : ) even got their router to watch your videos with : ) so I am watching them all ... binge viewing ... like game of thrones or some other huge budget production ... but more inspiring : )

[@the_phoenixproject]

You are too kind! 🥰❤️

[@vincentpennington2062]

Winter as just started February is usually colder so get ready we are south of Veliko up in the hills and we had -25 for the last few nights . We have been here for 3 winters and this one is very mild so far . My top tips are get 6 cubic of fire wood in the spring and dry it all summer it gives off much more heat when seasoned. Dogs in Bg are a problem unfortunately you will have to learn to ignore them or else you will end up with lots . Money wise we are still hemorrhaging money as there is always something to do it just never ends .

[@the_phoenixproject]

Yes, you are 100% correct. We physically can't help them really because we already have so many animals alongside our children 😅 Stay warm, friends ❤️

[@kristiyankirilov36]

February is not that bad like January.

[@the_phoenixproject]

@@kristiyankirilov36 I hope you are right 😅 I can't feel my toes haha 🤣

[@kristiyankirilov36]

@@the_phoenixprojectЛятото е много по-зле всеки ден 35-40 градуса. Не се издържа, много е опасно слънцето.

[@lindajames7759]

You are both doing an amazing job. I lived in a house with no central heating so remember ice on the inside of the windows. I also follow Wim Hoff for a variety of reasons including cold, fantastic therapy. You will be rewarded for looking after the animals. Good bless you ❤️❤️❤️🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@the_phoenixproject]

We really appreciate the support 😊 Thank you! ❤️💕🙂🙏

[@MrHoonercat]

If I could give some advice, don't put your wood directly on the ground, moisture will work its way up and the bottom rows will rot. Get some wooden pallets under your firewood, build a simple frame around them if you wish but ideally away from the house so the wood gets good air circulation. No need for a roof, just throw a (decent) taupe over the wood with rocks to hold in place if it rains. Rain isn't the biggest issue, getting the sap dry before winter is ther main priority which needs the heat of the sun through the warmer seasons and wind, so try to buy your wood in the spring if possible.

[@the_phoenixproject]

Yes, Anthony said he would like to place some wood beneath the piles first. I'm glad you've confirmed this. Our main concern was getting it out of the wet and cold, but we will definitely keep it off the floor too!

[@robertpoppen2610]

If I might add one more suggestion on the wood pile - you really should board over that glass window in the cellar if you're going to pile wood against it. The window will break without a doubt with the first careless move. @@the_phoenixproject

[@Fegga1955]

Thank you very much.

[@Bulgaria_Bucharest]

It's definitely colder this year than last. February was vile last year, but December was in the teens!

[@the_phoenixproject]

I can't believe how warm it was yesterday and now we have inches of snow 😂 the weather here is WILD!

[@keltic_nomad]

15 years ago it was normally around -25C

[@the_phoenixproject]

Yes, so this is mild 😅🥶🩵

[@renny7]

I like your vlogs very much and always looking forward to the next one! :) One thing, tho - I wouldn't recommend keeping your wood outside your house/yard as it might get stolen.

[@the_phoenixproject]

We live in a very rural area, so I think we are ok. Nobody passes through here 😆 But I appreciate the warning because I think it could happen if we had people come past our house! Thank you for the lovely comment ☺️ It means a lot to us 💖

[@naomimackenzie4650]

And I thought it was cold in the UK 🥶 😂 Your vlogs just keep getting better and better 🙌🏻

[@the_phoenixproject]

Thank you!!! 🥰💕✨❤️🙏

[@hristobalabanov1973]

Keep going guys,wish you all the best,enjoying your videos from London!

[@the_phoenixproject]

Thank you! It's hard work but we love it here 😊❤️

[@Milko.Enchev]

We are doing something similar with my family, close to your location. The first winter in our new home with wet firewood is something that we are struggling with as well. We would love to visit your town and exchange ideas, we live near Plovdiv. Cheers.

[@the_phoenixproject]

Ah you are a long way away in Plovdiv 😞 But if you are in the North near Veliko Tarnovo we are always happy to meet and connect! 💗

[@SuneBerlin]

First, thanks to share your time in Bulgaria. Second as someone else recommended, it is better to place some of the old tiles under the wood, second chop the wood into half. As you know a wet cellar makes a cold house and the wood will dry much earlier inside open. About the roof and windows, i gave you an opinion on an earlier video. And I'm absolutely sure you put the wood shack on the ride side of the house. A better isolation on the bricks can help alot too. Sune P.s. try to minimize the room which you heated in then cold months.

[@svetoslavtodorov2427]

Late to the party but for next winter get yourself lpg bottle and gas heater for emergencies. Years ago i was with my dad early jan making rakia xD and the bloody chimney got clogged in the middle of a snowstorm with no power. But we had lpg heater. Also you can use the lpg bottle along with a burner for you jam, chutney ( er, the heck eould lutenitsa be like in English, i know chutney isnt really it but) etc. In time wheb you setup everything you may consider pellets for heating. But its pricey, however central heating is noice :D

[@the_phoenixproject]

Love this comment. Yes, you are right! I have no idea what we would call lutenitsa in English haha! Maybe vegetable sauce??

[@svetoslavtodorov2427]

@@the_phoenixproject yeah sauce would make sense. Not far from pasta sauces. In fact my daughter loves pasta with lutenitsa, grated mozzarella and herbs xD Even my Welsh wife loves our food :) Too bad you're vegetarian( or vegan in your case) otherwise you would've loved our food even more. Thinking about Каварма, сач, мешана скара, pork chops and all sort of things... We have been thinking about going back since 2022 but I hate my hometown (Sofia). Just England is getting so bad and demand to work any given hours under the sun just to live comfortably and miss your children childhood is really bad. There is no live/work balance in the UK anymore. Slaving 5-6 days a week from early mornings to late evenings just so the thieves in London to take over half of what you earn is no way of life. On top of all sorts of taxes and bills. Your videos really inspired me to look around rural Bulgaria. I love the Rhodopi mountains( YOU MUST VISIT!!!) albeit is tad cold over there, however there are too many bears for my liking. And you can't really grow much around there( bar potatoes). The locals are one of the poorest (they used to be in the past) but they also were the most friendly and lovely people I've ever met(can't say the same about the English xD and my in laws hate in their guts xD) . Looked at some houses around VT, looks really cheap. I plan to rent for a few months and see how our old capital is like. Keep doing what you love. You're so natural at it and it's lovely to see the progress you're making. Only thing I feel pity for the younger Brits( like yourself) is that the older gen hating fooriners messed you so badly. It's really a shame. I can't imagine my parents or grandparents ever doing something like this to the young. Brexit is a total bo***cks.

[@the_phoenixproject]

@@svetoslavtodorov2427 let us know if you need any help looking for places, although I'm sure your native knowledge is much better than we can offer. I feel your pain about the UK. It's awful for young families.

[@svetoslavtodorov2427]

@@the_phoenixproject thank you so much for your willingness to help. Every part of Bulgaria is slightly different but I'd believe I'll manage. On a side note, do you have any experience with local traders? Do you know how much labourers cost per day in your area? And eventually a skilled one ( I can do my own plumbing and wiring as a maintenance engineer with both electrical and mechanical background) but when it comes to roofing and plastering etc I'm clueless to most extent. And for sure I'll have to hire someone to do the tiles etc. we decided to give it a go for a few months ( planning to have Christmas with snow this year !!!) and eventually buy a house. Seen some decent ones who would be suitable around VT but they'll require an extensive amount of work.

[@NewBulgarians]

Hopefully it will be a 'mild' winter for you but at least you do have previous experience of harsh winters so you know what to expect. The good thing is once you survive winter, the rest of the year will be super easy, well assuming you do extreme heat also haha. Hope you manage to keep warm and positive folks.

[@the_phoenixproject]

Our house stays SUPER cool in the heat but it's also very cold in winter 🥶 I'm grateful for the mild winter so far!

[@NewBulgarians]

Maybe some external insulation at some point will help @@the_phoenixproject

[@the_phoenixproject]

@@NewBulgarians yes definitely!! We only arrived in September so we didn't have time to do it. It's on the list for this year for sure!

[@TheOffgridNomadUK]

Wood store looks good you can build mine when I move there 😂😂😂

[@the_phoenixproject]

Haha no problem!! I don't know if you saw that it fell down halfway through building 😂😂😂

[@TheOffgridNomadUK]

@@the_phoenixproject never noticed 🤣🤣🤣

[@suzimasterson5730]

@@the_phoenixproject you dont say it fell down. that was the test run. you did the proper one that is exactly as you designed it. even if its not haha

[@the_phoenixproject]

@@suzimasterson5730 haha precisely 😆❤️

[@petyobenov]

I'd advise to think of upgrading all your windows. Think of double-glazed ones, will work much better in cold winters and hot summers. I'd love to see the original ones upgraded instead of new PVC (even they are pretty good insulating).

[@the_phoenixproject]

Yes, we want to keep the traditional style windows. It's on our list for this year 😁

[@sarahsmith-iq6fn]

You can order these thermal curtains that are magndt and put on your window they help to keep house warm

[@the_phoenixproject]

Ooh amazing, thank you! ☺️🙏💕✨

[@gw2031]

Create an E book "How to move to Bulgaria " Stage by stage ,how to apply and gain aD visa, the Costs timing etc!, We would buy one so would others x

[@the_phoenixproject]

I'm working on it actually! I'll speed up the process 😆👍

[@TheGreenGizmoOfficial]

SO TODAY! *laughter* that got me sorry xD

[@the_phoenixproject]

🤣🤣🤣

[@victoriabezfamilii965]

If the bitch was in heat and 'fertilised' you literally have a couple of weeks to have her spayed. We went through the similar situation with our rescue, she was behind the fence but males were very persistent and managed to get to her. I stayed in touch with our vet and as soon as the heat was over we took the girl for op. It's not recommended to spay bitches during the heat and when pregnancy is advanced. If your rescue was running around the village during her heat period it's extremely likely she was covered by all male dogs. Great tips by the way! The only thing I do differently I walk around barefoot (where the floors are wooden or laminated), it boosts my immune system.

[@the_phoenixproject]

I love walking barefoot in the cold but my body punished me for it 😆 I've tried cold exposure, cold showers etc. but my feet always get chilblains 🙈 Yes, I am worried she is pregnant. We will try to get her to the vet ASAP.

[@victoriabezfamilii965]

@@the_phoenixproject thanks to you I have learnt new word today in English. Chilblains.... Will probably become one of my favourites (from the way it sounds, not the meaning 🤪)

[@the_phoenixproject]

@@victoriabezfamilii965 hahaha! Glad to be of service 😆🩵

[@heathermolony1339]

Greetings from Australia...do you get white ants in your new country .?.in Aus. They often end up in firewood stored outside..they are a serious risk of destroying the timber in your house..perhaps u may not have white ant issues being such a cold climate..good luck i hope u have great success in what u do..😂

[@futurekron]

Oh, I'm so worried about Spot! Please keep us up to date. Good that you've got Ghost under control. (P.S. I'm Kim from your Patreon...I heard you recommend to donate through YT, but it's a monthly membership up to $4.99...am I missing the link? Are you setting up Paypal so I can send money instantly? I just want to make sure you have money in hand sooner rather than waiting 30 days and having YT take such a big percentage! Plus, I'd like to donate on a non-regular basis...I'll give you my spare $ (not much but something) where possible. Sorry if I'm a bother. Just want to do what I can to ease your burden. TY!)

[@the_phoenixproject]

Both Spot and Ghost are in our possession at the moment, though they keep escaping 😅 So we need to build something ASAP to contain them! Thank you so much for your support. We will set up a PayPal tonight so it's easier to donate and help ❤️

[@futurekron]

@@the_phoenixproject 😃👍

[@eeis773]

Please if you didn't servive our winter came back to UK in winter time 😂 l life in UK for nearly 9year but I missed my Bulgaria a lot 😢❤ in which town you live in Bulgaria 🇧🇬

[@the_phoenixproject]

Fortunately we survived but it was (apparently) a warmer winter! We live near Strazitsa!

[@TROONATNOOR]

wow, you are vegans ? or just one of you? anyway, explains your kindness to all your new animals ... again, thankyou for the hope and inspiration ... please download the books while the link is open ... you will LOVE them I am sure : )

[@danhancock422]

I have a question. Please do not get offended. Can I ask about your house. Iv seen on other channels as well as yours. When I’m watching I cannot help wondering what the house is like because the bricks look like they was laid by eye and no string lines etc how strong are they etc?

[@the_phoenixproject]

Hahaha yes 😂 It's very Bulgarian I think to do it this way! The house is surprisingly solid, waterproof, and cool in the hot weather. Much better than mud brick houses but still, an interesting aesthetic from the outside 😂 We will probably point and render it this year to insulate it for the winter. This is my husband's area of expertise so forgive me if this sounds like rubbish!

[@simontenkate9601]

Just learn to live with 14 C. Once you get used to it, you feel fine. Multiple layers of thin WOOLLEN clothing, beginning over the naked body, does the trick. Cotton in winter is deadly.

[@the_phoenixproject]

Yes, we are mostly used to it! And actually, I enjoy running and swimming in the cold! 🩵🥶

[@vladivladi6004]

🙋🏠👍🤩❤️🍀

[@the_phoenixproject]

❤️

[@95georgiev]

hey! which village you live in if its okay to share

[@the_phoenixproject]

We are near Strazitsa!

[@95georgiev]

oh.. North Bulgaria! Good luck next month. At least you have wood! haha :D Im in Sofia, but maybe i could come help with some heavier work in the spring/summer . nice job on the wood roof@@the_phoenixproject