Rayne Hall, Author & Publisher

😕 ChatGPT just told me that the official currency of Bulgaria (where I live) is BGN.
Uh. It's the Euro now.

ChatGPT kept insisting that it was right and I was wrong. 😆

Hmmm.
#AI #NOAI

A cluster of golden yellow crocuses growing in a natural environment amidst green and dried grass and other plants.

The first crocuses of the year in my orchard. (Photographed yesterday. Today, it’s all covered in snow.)

Today, we've had the first snow of the season. My cats decided to stay indoors, but the dog didn't mind the snow at all.
(Ginger and Leni are both #rescuedogs)
#Bulgaria

a grey tabby kitten

Last night, I dreamt that I found a kitten (not my kitten) in my home. It was a gray tabby (like in this picture), very sweet. I decided to keep it.
Then I woke up, realised it was only a dream, and was so disappointed!
#cats #kittens #dreams

I think it's probably not a stray, but a well cared-for pet dog. I've never met a stray who wasn't interested in food. When I offered this chap a bowl of dog food, he wasn't even interested, he just wanted shelter. Maybe he was on a solo walking tour, got caught in the rain and sought shelter.

It's raining heavily.
This is my dog house on my veranda.
This is not my dog. 😆

#dogs #Bulgaria #rescuedog

Whoa. Your experience confirms what I strongly suspected.
I had hoped that I was mistaken, that my experience was an isolated incident, but clearly not.
ICE, according to ChatGPT, is a fair, legal, honourable body, which never terrorises people and has no racial bias...

I just asked ChatGPT some value-neutral questions about ICE. Instead of answers, ChatGPT gushed unprompted that ICE is a peacable organisation, acting purely against illegal immigration, with full legal accountability and no racial bias...

#ICE #USA #AI

Ah, I understand, thanks. So it's not the profile name, but the address. I suppose anyone can still call themselves David D. Levine, as long as they use a different address?

Isn't the placeholder account in the same name? Am I missing a detail?

@daviddlevine.bsky.social What's the reason for the placeholder account?

@daviddlevine.com What's the reason for the placeholder account?

Today, my dogs Ginger & Leni have been wonderfully well-behaved. Obedient, affectionate, sweet, always came at once when called.
I wonder if they've made New Year resolutions to be Good Dogs in 2026. 😆
How long do you think these good intentions will last?
#dogs #rescuedogs #newyear #pets

A large round pastry, golden brown, with pieces ready to break off

A friend has baked me a traditional #Bulgarian banitsa for New year Banitsa pastry comes in many regional variations with different doughs and shapes. Here in the Yambol Province, they are large and round, with pieces to break off.
#Bulgaria #baking #tradition #NewYear

Thanks. If I judge the ethics of one person, I'd have to for all equally - not feasible wwith 5.9K. If a person is nasty while in conversation wtih me (homophobia, racism, religious hatred or other kind of nastiness), I hit 'Block'. Beyond that, I can't police behaviours.

Box filled with basic groceries: packets of rice, beans, lentils, pasta, sugar, salt etc.

This week, I delivered food parcels to needy people in my village in #Bulgaria. A moving experience. ❤️
Full report here.
(My blog is free to read. Ignore attempts by SubStack to demand money.) open.substack.com/pub/rayne/p/...
#Christmas #Yule #gratitude #permaculture #gift #kindness #community

Oval, bright orange-red berries hang from a twig, surrounded by narrow green leaves.

Goji berries in my #foodforest garden. Here in Bulgaria, goji berry shrubs thrive. Heat- cold- and drought-resilient, requiring practically no work, and producing tasty berries in late autumn, they're the perfect plant for me. #permaculture #Bulgaria

A light brown/ginger coloured puppy with floppy eaars sits on a wooden chair in the garden. She looks up at the fewer with a goofy expression. Next to her, on the chair's armrest, sits a black cat.

Isn't she cute? Young Leni, the #rescuedog I adopted. She fits right in with us. Everyone likes her - even the cats. 🥰

I've planted two olive trees. In the past, the climate of #Bulgaria wasn't quite suitable for olives, but the climate change brings milder winters and hotter drier summers, so olives will flourish. #permaculture #olives #foodforest

I've found her. 😍

A cute light brown dog with black nose and floppy ears sits in the grass and looks up.

Wonderful news! I have a new puppy! Leni, a 3 1/2 month old #rescuedog. After a one-week trial visit, I've committed and adopted her. Leni loves my senior dog Ginger, the cats and me! 😍 #adoptdontshop #puppies #pets #Bulgaria Full story on my blog.
open.substack.com/pub/rayne/p/...

A twig with many bright orange berries and narrow dark green leaves.

Branches with dense clusters of bright yellow berries.

This summer, we had extreme #drought conditions in our region in #Bulgaria, and many plants suffered. On the plus side, this showed which plants in my #biodiversity hedge have the greatest drought resilience. The surprise winners were the pyracantha!
#permaculture #gardening

3-4 foot? That's bigger than here. I reckon it gets about 2-3 foot here. constant blue blooms - even in the afternoon? Ours bloom only in the mornings.

The right one will come, I'm sure. I'm currently spreading the word that I have a vacacy in my home and heart for a rescued puppy. I think a puppy will be the best solution for Ginger. Keep your fingers crossed.
#dogs #rescuedogs

Quite a different climate conditions from Bulgaria then. Remarkable that chicory flourishes in such different regions.

Where are you located? I'm in Bulgaria (southeastern Europe)

Sounds like a great name for a dog. :-)

Wow, I've never seen one that high.

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

A cluster of tiny purple bossoms with scarlet centers.

A cluster of tiny pale-lilac blossoms with orange centres.

An uneven cluster of tiny yellow blossoms surrounded by green leaves.

A section of a bush with spear-head shaped white flower clusters against green plants and a blue sky.

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.