Still alive and very much so!

I am still alive.

I haven't written in a long time because well, we have been SO busy and I have just not taken any time out to do so.  I am currently having a few days off and so I am about to sift through some photos to post here and show you the best and the worst of my time here. I won't go into to much literary details as the Mr has updated you all on the day to day goings on (and I know most of you will have read some of that), so I will process some photos of life in Bulgaria so far.

Let's start with some sunrises and sunsets - there are many to choose from and never fail to make a bad day good.  Sunsets first.  What awesome sights I have had whilst eating or just relaxing with a drink at the end of the day.

I think this one is my favourite so far.

We have also been lucky enough to have seen some amazing moons.  A blood moon, viewed from the balcony.

I suppose I had better update you on the whole family.  Hopefully these two bewts will start laying in a few months.  Meet Ginger (left) and Baker (right).  Baker has been ill with a cold and we still cannot determine, as we have been unable to catch her, if her swollen eye has been damaged in the whole process.  The eye is no longer swollen but we had thought at one point that she had lost it.  She has made a great recovery though and is back with the flock again.

Still going strong are the two tortoises I was given a couple of months ago now.  Mercury and Hermes.

Of course, there is the relegated man of the house who we cannot forget - Rambo.  He continues to be a massive clumsy lump, but so lovely with it.

Here is the first photo of the Mr after he arrived back from his cross-European trip with the puppies. Lovely.  And of course, the rest of the family:

Now for the two terrors who are forever with boundless energy and always making us smile.  Look at them practicing on each other for when the rats arrive in winter.  Vicious!

Of course, if the puppies fail to wake us up before the sun arrives over the mountains, there are always the ducks - Beaker and Balls.  If I am even ten minutes late in the morning, they kick up an almighty racket.  No need for cockerels here!

It did not take long for Rambo and the Mr to settle into their love-hate relationship, as you can see from the "don't jump at me when I am running" look on the Mr's face.  Rambo never learns though, bless him.

Now for some of the local wildlife and things we have spotted from the terrace and the balcony.  This year we seem to have a better variety of birds visiting the land.  Particularly pleasing are the Golden Oriels who whilst are shy, have been much more plentiful than I remember from last year; some are even coming a bit closer to us than they used to.

I have come across a lot of randomness here also. Like a turkey in the middle of the road on the way to pick up the men one morning.  I think that would look well on a platter at Christmas, don't you?

Another more frequent visitor have been storks.  We have not really had many fly around here last year and we had not expected to see many anyway because of our location, but this year has brought a few more flying overhead.  they are huge birds and I would not like to be underneath in the line of fire if one dropped a load!

I cannot take credit for this next shot as the Mr had stolen my camera to capture them (it was on my camera though; possession 9/10s of the law and all that).  Bee Eaters, apparently and we were graced with a small flock of them for around two days as they passed through the area.  Beautiful birds.

I thought this was a woodpecker when I took the shot but I am not sure - maybe just because of the angle I have taken the shot.  Very pretty whatever it is.

We have had guests this week (and for another week) so here are a few shots of what we have got up to.  Basically, we have been exploring and marveling at the landscapes and the views this beautiful country offers up.  Stunning.  Most of the following shots are from a trip to Perperikon, 3000 year old ruins of a settlement.

We were not alone; these archaeologists were digging away in the heat of the day, discovering bones and all sorts of exciting things whilst others were working towards rebuilding and strengthening certain parts of the structures.

To finish, an arty shot of what I just thought were some clay pots ( I guess they are) but I have been informed that they are Amphorae.  They are still clay pots, so I was not completely wrong, obviously.

So there you have it.  It has been a very busy time and there is still a lot going on with the building work at the School.  I don't believe I will do many updates, but perhaps I will get myself in order more often to share some photos and a few words.  There is never a dull moment here and always plenty to do, so I best get on and do something!

Cíao
A x