We've picked all our cherries now. Here's a shot of the tree Mike (my friend, not yours truly) fell out of last weekend. We'll be pickling onions this weekend and soon it will be time for the apricot harvest, which means the Rakia production will be underway once more.




Chomping my way through a curry with noodles at Fred and Chris's place in Shabla. We had a fantastic weekend, thanks again guys.

Our friends Mike and Ilva at Yailata. Those of you planning to visit there this summer should watch out for the bloke who's stretch a tatty piece of string across the track there and is trying to charge for entry. Please refuse to pay and if you know any good swear words in Bulgarian give him a mouthful from me.

Busy period

Hi all, we've had a very busy time over the last few weeks. Friends of ours from the UK have been over here looking for property, we've also been inundated with guests from all four corners of the world. USA, Australia, Israel and many parts of Europe.

It's very nice to be busy and we are of course grateful for all the business we've had and the fresh opportunities we've encountered since moving to Bulgaria but we're still very aware of the reasons why we chose to relocate here.

Life is good in BG, whether you come here to retire or to seek out new employment or business options. Please remember to focus on the underlying reasons why you chose to 'up sticks' and move to pastures new. More time with your loved ones, more time to yourself, more time to sit back and smell the roses.

Life is a state of mind. Remember to enjoy.

Phew!

Temperature here at 12.30pm registers 39 degrees in the shade!

Sofia Echo reports-


TEMPERATURE HIKES CONTINUE, BULGARIA TO SEE 41 DEGREES CELSIUS ON JUNE 25
09:06 Tue 26 Jun 2007

Temperature hikes in Bulgaria will continue on June 25, expected to be the hottest day of June until now.

Thermometres will show as much as 36 to 41 degrees Celsius in various parts of the country, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences meteorology institute representatives said.

Danube River valley will see the highest temperatures. On June 24, meteorologists registered 34.5 degrees Celsius in the town of Dobrich.

Previously, the highest temperature on June 24 reached 33.2 degrees Celsius.

The entire Balkan region has been affected by the heat wave, Focus news agency reported.

Macedonia saw temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency.

Thermometres in Greece showed as much as 46 degrees. According to meteorologist there, June 25 will be the hottest day so far.

Pelican

Having met recently with representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Regional Inspectorate, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the group who are foremost in ensuring the ongoing viability of the Pelican breeding colonies here Le Balkan Foundation, we are happy to confirm that both species, Dalmatian and White pelican have bred successfully again this year and that many young birds can be seen feeding out on the water. Wild Boar have played a part in the birds deciding to roost elsewhere in the evenings but good numbers of Pelicans are returning during the day to feed here at Srebarna.














Our thanks go to Pavel Simeonov of Le Balkan/Branta Tours for some of the images in this posting.



















The work continues here to save Bulgarias only breeding colony of Dalmatian Pelicans and the flora and fauna of this region as a whole from environmental and other factors. Thanks go to all of you who have supported this and similar projects in BG.

Jerry took this pic of our friend Dave and I collecting waste as we walk around the lakeside. 2 finer examples of British manhood you'd be hard pressed to find.

Dave kept us laughing all day and says that he's really fallen in love with this region.

Our Sparrows have young!

You can now hear the young calling from nest and the parents are busy all day bringing food.





















Even today as the temperature exceeded 40 degrees they didn't stop!

Today in the Garden...

Here is a very hot Mike.

It's over 30 degrees and we have picked and stoned over 10 kilos of cherries so far with about another 5 to go!
















For more pictures and info about the garden and to see how its doing on a weekly basis take a look at.....

www.srebarnagarden.blogspot.com

Renovations completed....

Peggy (our three legged dog) has been contibuting with the nesting materials.....

...it must be very cosy inside.......


...hope the female Sparrow likes it enough now to move in!

Trip to Shabla

An overnight stop over in Shabla is always a pleasant one.

This time we stayed with our good friends Fred & Chris.
In no particular order, A pair of Foxes, a couple of Pirols, Fred & Chris, Glenda and one or two Pelicans.


















Pictures here are of Yailata Reserve a great place for walking along the coastline birdwatching and photography.

The Sparrows move in.......

A couple of days ago a male Sparrow started to show great interest in the House Martins' nest.We are not sure what has happened to the Martins, maybe the females did not like where the nest was situated or the workmanship?

Today from these pictures you can see that the male Sparrow has made some alterations (see pics 24th May).........

















....and is busy getting his partner to give it the once over
















She keeps coming to look but has not officially moved in yet....