Big Mama: BULGARIAN LOVE

In 2007 we sold our fruit basket company and bought a holiday flat in Bulgaria. As simple as that? A strange exchange? Well, one of our shareholders - and good friend - believed it to be a promising investment - so we joined him, and the two guys travelled eastward to the Black Sea to look at projects. After being guided around for a few days by yet another friend, they ended up buying a flat each at Marina Cape, Aheloy, on the Black Sea coast between Pomorie and Nessebar, on a promontory with sea on three sides.

Suddenly I had a new country to fall in love with! My "goodbye problems" are related to places as well as people, but every time I leave Bulgaria, I know that I'll come back. What a fantastic feeling for me! To the wonderful climate, to the people I've come to know, to our lovely flat with the verandah overlooking the bay of Aheloy.

I love those warm velvety summer nights! The heat still lingering. Sitting outside, all night - on the terrace, in the bar, at a restaurant, wearing short sleeved dresses and sandals. Last summer it was so warm at night I even had to change from a short sleeved dress to one with just shoulder straps! Our flat is on the first floor, our friend Svein's is on the ground floor. His terrace is huge and we can set the table there for at least fourteen people. So this is what we often do - we cook in our kitchen upstairs and carry the most delicious food downstairs to Svein's beautifully laid table with candles and bottles of excellent Bulgarian wine.

Svein's table

My verandah at night - visible from miles off because of the candles!

We spend several summer weeks there with family, sometimes with friends. It takes organising, a bit of logistics - but I've made it clear to everyone around me that Big Mama's on holiday too, so I'll want to do most things in my own time. Like my 1000 metres swimming every day (10 rounds in the pool - I've measured!), my visits to the gym, my ice coffee before I go back to the flat to shower and change, my late night conversations with friends at the bar.

But I also do Big Mama duties. Except they're not really duties here. My granddaughters love spending their summer holidays at Marina Cape, and keeping an eye on them every now and again is fun! Everything is there, life is easy for all of us. They've both become very good swimmers after five summers in the pool.

Oh yes, we definitely all love Bulgaria!