Simonita wrote:Not strictly a translation request, but can anyone explain why the Bulgarian word for a party is "coupon" (купон)?

It's a slang from the Shopski region, which has caught on all over Bulgaria.

I personally find the word pompous.

Nothing to do with "ration".

Sounds absolutely mad. I saw it on TV tonight. The model of the house looks like prison.

Runrig wrote: he threw salt up the chimney,

Salt? Are you sure it wasn't naphtalene? (loose mothballs)

Some houses also have relatively high headroom lofts intended for storage (i don't know what of)

Walnuts, wool, home-made sausages; a special sort of grapes that can be dried for raisins, onion, garlic (in plaits)... anything that needs to be kept in a cool aired place.

This is not the right place to look for musical instruments. Simonita, you obviously regard pianos as artefacts from outer space in Bulgaria. There are lots of talented students who play the piano, the violine; keyboard, etc. Wild rider, go to the Musikalna shkola in VT - that's Music school - there...

That looks more like blackberry.

Mulberries:

http://digilander.libero.it/ipdid/photo ... lberry.htm

I tried growing them (planted some in the garden) but nothing came out of it.
Maybe the soil composition is not right? They come from Asia after all.

Cream of Tartar (сметана на зъбен камък). I am afraid this is not the Bulgarian for Cream of Tartar. It's not available to the general public here. It translates as: крk...

then again he may just find bulgarians don't eat pies!!!! You have no idea what rubbish our kids eat! If you visit the tuckshops around schools or in the schools, you will be really disgusted at the half-baked mounds of dough and the so-called "pizzaz". I would love to be able to buy British style ...