Birdwatch Bulgaria: Cruel weather breaks, for a day!

It's a day, when the sky touches the earth, there is no space between. Heavy snow has rendered the land a bland whiteness. Severe minus temperatures has frozen the ground making walking difficult to bloody dangerous, every footfall sounds like walking on a million packets of cornflakes.

The good news, today the skies parted, lunch time revealed a brilliant deep blue sky. White fluffy clouds floated in periods, casting walking shadows across the snow.

Ok, time to get out birding, now where has my wife moved me bins this time? Out the door and bang, it was like being hit with the arctic tundra, it was so cold my teeth hurt!
Still, been there, done that, I can do it. Decided to walk up to the beginning of my patch, which is about 300mts from my front door.

Not more than 50 mts up, Lesser-spotted woodpecker, brilliant, my favorite Woody, great views for around 10 mins, then I turn round and to my left is my flock of Long-tailed Tits, this is a family group that I have been observing for the past 2 years.
I love these birds, so I savor the moment, well 15 moments actually, taking notes to continue my observations on them.

Just when I was ready to try and go further, two things became apparent. First the weather was starting to deteriorate, cloud dropping and light becoming that magical crappy colour, but secondly, and most importantly, 2 Rock Buntings landed on a snow bank back down the track, just outside my house.
Taking my life in my hands, and with all the trained skills of a complete idiot, I started to jog, run, ok stumble and slip my way back to the house to get......yes me bloody camera!

Just to put things straight, I am a field observer and have been for the past 48 years. I am not a photographer, but I do take photos from time to time, and I so wanted the Rock Buntings in my folio.
So doing one of the most spectacular slides across our frozen tiled walkway that has ever, not been witnessed, I hit the door with the force of an out of control, train, no still "Idiot", and shout to my Alison to, how did I put it...... oh yes...."chuck us me bloody camera hun"

Now armed with the tool for the job, I stealthfully, re-slide my way back to the frozen arctic that is still waiting back outside.
I had some amazing views of this handsome Bunting. I managed to get to within 5-6 mts of them and got some very nice pics.
I stayed there for as long as my already numb fingers would allow.

With the weather now returned to it cruellness, which at the moment seems to have been here forever, I return to the warmth of the Indoors.
Log fire roars in the hearth, a hot chocolate is on the table, with a chocy biscuit of course, next to my computer, and a big warmest of all hug and soft kiss from my Ali.