Another of my beautiful roses. (I don't kow the name of the variety, sorry.) #Bulgaria #roses #gardening #flowers

The buddleias in my garden are in bloom. I have several varieties in different colours, all with a lovely honey scent. On windless days, they're covered in #bees, #bumblebees, #butterflies & other #pollinators. I recommend buddleias for #permaculture, #nature, #gardening, #wildlife.

McCoy is a sweet black cat with a tiny white heart on his chest. I adopted him when he was a tiny kitten. A ruthless person had thrown 3 unwanted kittens out of a car. I fostered all three - and McCoy made it quite clear that he wanted to stay with me forever. 😍 #rescuecat #Bulgaria #cats

This lovely boy is Ginger, a former strayy who adopted me six years ago. We're a perfect match - and in our years together, he has saved me from three dangerous situations. He's a hero! #rescuedog #dogs #adoptdontshop #bulgaria #gratitude

After a quiet spell during the heatwave, my #roses are suddenly blooming again. #permaculture #bulgaria #flowergardeningg

The cosmoses have started so late flowering this year, that I thought they had not germinated at all. But they were simply waiting out the heatwave and are starting now.

Mignonette (Reseda) is one of my favourite #wildflowers. I have a few of them in my #foodforest orchard. Not many. I hope they'll spread. #Bulgaria #foodforest

In my veranda trellis, the #clematis Early Snow has interwined with the #rose New Dawn. The combination looks so lovely! Bees love it, too. (Though this clematis flowers for only three weeks per year.) i #permaculture #bulgaria

In the city centre in Yambol. (Yambol is the capital of the province where I live in southeast #Bulgaria.) the flowering tree is a lagerstroemia.

A question for the experienced fruit growers among you. What ails my apple trees? They all suddenly have leaves like that. Is it a fungus, a parasite, a mineral deficiancy, or simply a reaction to the heat and drought? #permaculture #Bulgaria #foodforest #orchard #fruitgrowing #agriculture

My roses are suddenly flowering again - perhaps because the terrible heatwave is over. (Though one rose bush didn't survive.) #Bulgaria #permaculture #flowers #roses

Our picturesquee little village church. Our village is rich in authentic traditions. Today, we had a Bulgarian Orthodox Christian ritual for sacrificing a sheep and blessing holy water for healing. (Kirilovo Village, Yambo Province, #Bulgaria)

This grapevine grows on an abandoned property near my home. Over 10 years of neglect - no irrigation, no chemicals, no pruning, nothing. It flourishes despite heavy frosts, heatwaves droughts, thrives on neglect. Ideal! I'll take cuttings for new plants. #permaculture #Bulgaria #foodforest

Chicoree flowers in my #foodforest orchard meadow. In the early morning hours, the flowers are delightful, shining like tiny blue lanterns. In the afternoon, the blossoms vanish, and only knobbly stalks remain. Pollinators enjoy chicoree. Do you have chicoree in your meadow? #permaculture #Bulgaria

My silk tree - albizia julibrissin - this year decided to wait out the summer heat before starting to flower. Here it is. Albizia julibrissin trees look exotic, but are hardy and grow well in southern Bulbaria. #permaculture #Bulgaria

The figs in my #foodforest garden are ripe. It's a late variety, just starting now. Unlike most fruit in my garden this year, the figs from this tree have survived the April frost and the August heat. I love eating fresh figs straight from the tree. #permaculture #gardening #fruit #Bulgaria

Rain! Real rain. After three and a half months of drought, our village finally has rain at last. It is very heavy rain. The roof-fed barrels and cisterns filled in an instant. The plants are saved. And no more wildfires for a while. #Gratitude! #Bulgarias #drought #climatechange

OMG - Wildfire right here! My dog Ginger alerted me just in time - and I alerted the fire brigade just in time. Thanks to Ginger, a catastrophe was averted. (For those who don't know Ginger: he's a rescue dog I adopted.) #dogs #wildfire #rescuedog #Bulgaria #gratitude

n this dry weather, bees desperately need water. If you can, put out a bowl of water. Add some stones or bits of wood for the bees to sit on, so they can drink without risk of drowning. The number of bees coming to my bowls is enormous - see video. #permaculture #bulgaria #bees

#Butterflies are everywhere in my garden now. Thousands of them, and that’s no exaggeration. I’ve created a butterfly #nature paradise here - with flowers the butterflies love (here: majoram) and no pesticides. It’s all organic in my #permaculture #foodforest garden here in #Bulgaria.

😍I have a rescue dog staying here for a one-week trial visit, so my dog Ginger (also a #rescuedog) can decide if he likes this new companion. Ginger is still undecided. But to my surprise, my #cats (also #rescuecats) like the dog and are practically stalking him. 🤣 #Bulgaria #dogs #adoptdontshop

What do you think? Should I adopt this dog? 😍 German shepherd mix, 1 year old male, rescued from brutal abuse. Affectionate, good with cats and other dogs. Fosterer brought him on a 1-week trial visit. Day 2, he's happy, I like him, cats like him, but alpha dog Ginger is still undecided. #rescuedog

Summer landscape immediately behind my home. (Kirilovo Village, Yambol Province) #Bulgaria

In this detailed #interview I answer writing genes, #writing with cats, life in #Bulgaria, tips for #writers and more. Could you leave a comment on the blog, please?https://bydllewellyn.com/2025/06/22/sunday-spotlight-with-gothic-fantasy-horror-author-and-writing-coach-rayne-hall/ #writingcommunity

The road where I live. My little house is a bit further down this road on the right. Kirilovo Village, Yambol Province, #Bulgaria, Europe.

My perennial sweet peas. I didn't plant them - the previous owner of the property did. They come up year after year, growing through the hibiscus and pyracantha bushes. Bees love them. #Bulgaria #permaculture #foodforest #flowers #bees

This year, this #clematis refuses to climb up the fence against which I planted it. IIt doesn't want to grow up either of the shrubs flanking it. This year it insists on snaking its vines through the grass. Ah well... it looks kind of nice. :-) #gardening #flowers #Bulgaria #permaculture

Beatiful wildflowers in my #permaculture #foodforest orchard. My gardening style is very natural. (I do mow, but not everywhere. And I encourage wildflowers.) #Bulgaria

My clematis 'Ville de Lyon' has its first ever flower. I planted it years ago, and it never flowered until now. It's not growing up the trellis the way it's supposed. Instead, instead, it has sent its vines sneaking into the lavender and made itself at home there.😆 #gardening #flowers #permaculture

*Winner Reveal* Winners and runner ups of the writing contest: Gothic short stories created without AI, theme 'Very Cold Weather'. #Horror author Lee Murray explains the judges' decisions. shorturl.at/vrUql #writing #writingcommunity @leemurraywriter.bsky.social, @teemcbee.bsky.social

I've decided to follow some #nonai #artists here on BlueSky. Real artists deserve our support. #art #authenticity #ethics

In myvillage in #Bulgaria. As you can see, it's not a busy traffic area. 😄 Instead of roaring motors, I hear chirping birds, buzzing bees, barking dogs, braying donkeys, crowing cockerels, horse's hooves clopping, and storkks rattling their bills. The dog is Ginger a stray who adopted me.

Some more Bulgarian folk costume. (I'm going to wear my own Bulgarian folk costume on Saturday, because I'm giving a party, and some of my Bulgarian guests have said they will wear theirs.) #Bulgaria

While slicing strawberries for dehydrating, I found these - with perfect hearts inside. These are not photoshopped or AI generated, just natural sliced strawberries. :-) #strawberries #Bulgaria #noai #permaculture #selfreliance

Dog rose (rosa canina) in my garden. Dog roses grow in #Bulgaria both wild and cultivated. I have several in my biodiversity hedge. Their lovely pink flowers provide food for bees, and the gorgeous scarlet rosehips make a tasty tea. #permaculture #Bulgaria #biodiversity #gardening

We have a lot of vibrant folk customs and events here in #Bulgaria, and I love the brightly coloured costumes with their embroidery details.

Iris in my garden. Irises grow well here in #Bulgaria. This is not a colour I would have chosen myself, but the irises arrived by themselves - self-seeded - and then they spread. So whatever their colour, I welcome them as volunteers. :-) #permaculture #gardening #flowers #flowergardening

A section of my huge garden. My gardening style is as natural as possible - lots of wildflowers, no harmful chemicals. I'm rewarded with lots of birds, bees, butterflies who love my garden as much as I do. #permaculture #nature #joy #Bulgaria

Suggestions welcome. I like fiction of all genres, especially Gothic, Fantasy, Horror, Historical, with vivid interesting settings. Absolutely no AI. I support real authors who do real work, not AI-enabled theft. #writing #writingcommunity #noai #reading #readingcommunity (please share)

This interview raises the question if Lee Murray @leemurraywriter.bsky.social has ever written a #horror story about cupcakes or aboutt wardrobe malfunctions. (I wish - because I see horror fiction potential in both subjects. 😁)

The contest results of the short story contest 'without AI use' will be announced soon. Judges include authors Lee Murray, Barbara Büchner, Tracie McBride. The shortlisted writers have already been notified. #writing #writingcommunity #writers #noai #writingcontests

My next newsletter will go out sooon. Here's the URL to subscribe. open.substack.com/pub/rayne/p/...

We have hail. Little hard white balls bouncing off the ground. Not so great for the delicate seedlings I've just planted. :-( On the other hand, it saves me watering my raised vegetable beds, and it fills the water butts. #permaculture #gardening #Bulgaria

Bulgaria also encourages families to have more children. How? By giving 410 days paid maternity leave.

The rosemary in my garden looks gorgeous. I bought it as a tiny plant from a nursery, and it's grown into a huge shrub. It's a tasty culinary herb, the smell is lovely, and the pale blue flowers look pretty. Do you have rosemary in your garden? #permaculture #bulgaria #foodforest #gardening #herbs

I want to join a writers' critique group. One where the content doesn't get scraped for AI use, and where writers write themselves not with AI. Focus on Gothic/Horror/Thriller or SF/Fantasy/SpecFic preferred. I'm an experienced, active writer and critiquer. #writingcommunity #writing #noai

All my apple trees in my #foodforest orchard are blooming right now. I love seeing apple blossoms. They look so romantic, at the same time delicate and bursting with strength. A symbol for something, perhaps? #permaculture #gardening #fruitgrowing #Bulgaria