http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Adrianm/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Adrianm en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:08:17 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:08:17 +0000 Hi EveryoneFirst off let me say that Anne and I are well. We have moved into our new home and found that our builder is not a builder and the people he deployed to build our house were unskilled laborors well most of them I think we had one master carpenter but that's all that I can recognize. The builder has not provided any proof of any skilled workers.Every room has issues and almost http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/North/Veliko-Tarnovo/blog-429138.html I have had some trouble starting this entry. As I write I watch the goat herders with their flock pass outside my window. I hear my neighborsrsquo roosters crowing. The sun is shining yet there is snow on the not so distant Stara Planina ranges. The air is cool and is mixed with the unmistakable smell of livestock and the sweet smoke of wood burning stoves. The bees are pollinating the beauti http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/North/Veliko-Tarnovo/blog-384282.html What does Bonnie mean anyhow According to Google the highest rated definition refers to a benchmark which measures the performance of Unix file system operations. Now I don't know about you but I don't think the Unix filesystem has been around for as long as the Scottish dialect. This is just one of the many things that would confound me throughout our journey in Scotland. Luckily I have a bett http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Glasgow/blog-368450.html Once again I need to be beaten for slacking off again in terms of Blog updates. Anne and I are still in Fernie but sadly today is our last day Tomorrow we leave for 3 months in Scotland prior to heading to the Balkans. Fernie has been our home for the last 18 months and whilst we are sad to go we are excited about our next adventure.We have had a terrific time over the last 3 months since our http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-350097.html Hi to all.It seems like it's been forever since we last made an update. Apologies to all who like to see what we are up to. We have had a lot of lazy summer days here. High temperatures for the last 2 months but that's all about to change Summer here lasts only about 2 months before cooler temperatures set in. Anne has continued to slave away at the Salvation Army and both of us have been hitt http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-312988.html The last time I posted Anne and I were happily skiing our asses off and enjoying Christmas. Wow. That was a long time ago Now it's Spring and all the snow has disappeared from town and is starting to leave the mountains. It's bittersweet no more skiing but now I get to start enjoying the beautiful trails again on my runs. Bitumen can get so boring. Also I'd like to officially state that I http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-280083.html It's been a while and apologies to all those that are using the blog to keep across our comings and goings. Truthfully Anne and I have settled into our new routines nicely with the pace of Fernie lifestyle exerting it's influence over the speed at which we accomplish activities. It's like our pace is as equally influenced by sub zero temperatures as are water molecules. It's above zero today http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-245302.html Anne and I have been busy as usual. Well Anne has been slightly more busy than I. She has been doing heaps of charity works either with the Salvation Army or wrapping gifts for underprivileged kids. In addition to this she has also been preparing for the arrival of our very good friends Marc Lena and Marcella from Melbourne. They are swinging by for 10 days from their holiday's in the US. Oh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-228333.html Anne and I have been relatively quiet over the last few weeks. Fernie is starting to ice over although there has only been a single day when there has been any snow on the ground in town in any great measure. Last week we received a few inches of snow. It happened to be the very day I sat for my BC Driving License. Visitors to Canada have only 6 months in which their foreign drivers license is v http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-222169.html After all that traveling what could be better than being taken out for a 'stroll' into the mountains We booted up put the leads on the dogs and went for a 3.5 hour hike with Ian. We have been giving the dogs a liquid form of Glucosamine and Chondroitin and that has helped dougall's leg immensely. Surprisingly she managed the hike with minimal soreness not a great deal more tired than Otis. H http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-215668.html Anne and I are back from our trip to Bulgaria. In fact we have been back for a while now and as some of you know I have been somewhat lax in updating the Blog. Bulgaria is a great country and I would highly recommend anyone passing by to stop for a while. Ideally you should 'stop by' via aircraft. Under all circumstances avoid our route across the TurkeyBulgaria border. Whether by train or b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/North/Veliko-Tarnovo/blog-215660.html A valiant attempt was made at Mount Fisher but before we got to the 'Saddle' where the narrow path and steep drop offs begin the weather turned bad and we were snowed out. It's a difficult hike nearly every step was uphill. To give you an idea it took 6.5 hours to complete a measly 6.5km. We turned back within an hour of the summit. It will now have to wait until next spring. It doesn't look http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-204883.html The title says it all Bulgaria or Bust Anne and I are off to Bulgaria next week for 10 days. Not a holiday per se but an opportunity in investing in that country after it gained entry in the EU. We are flying into Istanbul then taking a train to Sofia the capital of Bulgaria. Ideally we want a couple of investments and a place to call home in the coming years. I guess this means we will need http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-204022.html Low cloud hangs over the mountains today there are no signs of it blowing off. This week I think marks the end of those lazy summer days of 30 degrees. Lunchtime and we are not above 10 degrees. Fall as we locals call it here has set in. This is what we came for so I'm not about to whine about the cold.After our trip to the west coast I was hankering to get back to serious hiking. Just lu http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-200509.html Anne and I have been busy riding bitumen over the last few weeks we have traveled to Vancouver Vancouver Island Seattle and a few places in between. About 2500km and a combination of camping and hotels. Jumping over the top of the Canadian Rockies introduces a huge variety in terms of scenery we have seen deserts plains thick wet forests and of course Mountains. Lotsa Mountains.One of http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-200167.html Anne and I enjoyed Spokane it's a 'BIG' city when compared with Fernie boasting around 12 million people. The town with it's wide streets and laid back atmosphere was very reminiscent of Bendigo just add water and replace the Eucalyptus with Pine trees. Anne and I did some shopping and took advantage of some nice restaurants.Once back in Fernie we prepared our first camping trip and headed http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-193842.html UntitledBrought home the new truck today. Took it for a bit of a spin to the ski hill to check out which black runs I'm going to tackle first Another great day here 25 degrees and sunny. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-173986.html Anne and I have been wandering about checking out the local eateries and what have you. The Old Elevator is one of the oldest restaurants in Fernie and was here when Anne lived here in the 80's. We went there with Gary and Sandra for one of the best Bison steaks we have ever tasted....in fact it was my first and it was excellent Sandra has been a great friend to Anne over the past 23 years http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-185835.html For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere I have included the forecast for Fernie for the next few Days. Sickening isn't it Anne and I have been very busy walking the many trails around Fernie. Our good friend and temporary tour guide Ian has been showing us areas of Fernie that are not frequently visited by tourists. In fact there are areas around Fernie that used to be coveted a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-179163.html Happy 4th July Over the weekend Anne and I went to Calgary to spend some time in a 'big' City and to pick up those essentials that are not found in Fernie Like Chillies and other Chinese spices. We also caught up with a good friend Leanna who has a fantastic property about 30 minutes outside Calgary with her 3 horses. When in Calgary one cannot miss a Rodeo so Leanna took us to Airdrie http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-177222.html