17/06/2026
Looking back, it all feels a bit like a daydream.
Three years ago, Alex was six, Ember was six months old, and we moved onto our land to live in a caravan here in Bulgaria. The plan had sounded much more sensible when we talked about it from England than it did once we were actually here.
It was the middle of a Bulgarian summer. We had no air conditioning, very little shade, and a long list of jobs that needed doing before we could even begin thinking about building a house.
People sometimes ask how we managed it.
The truth is, I think we were running on pure adrenaline.
By that point, we'd already been through a lot, and our mindset had become very simple. We stopped looking too far ahead and just focused on the next thing in front of us.
One thing I remember vividly is our daily exploration drives.
Most afternoons we'd pile into the car so that Ember could have a proper nap in the air conditioning. We'd drive around exploring villages and back roads, while Alex enjoyed the chance to cool down and usually convince us to stop for an ice cream.
At the time, it was simply a way of getting through the heat..Now it's one of the things I remember most fondly.
We had so many dreams for this place. So many ideas, plans and things we wanted to create. But at that point in our lives, we weren't thinking about the finished house or everything we hoped to build one day.
We were just taking it one step at a time and feeling grateful for each morning that we got to do it together.
There were difficult days, of course there were..But there were many good days too.
And somehow, those are the ones that stay with us.
Three years later, we're still in the caravan, still building (a strawbale tiny home), and still figuring things out as we go.
Looking back, it all feels a bit like a daydream..But I'm very glad we lived it 🇧🇬
