Whats in a name ?

Now this should have been a world exclusive, but as my internet connection has been down these last two days - then it is no longer so - pity

Anyhow to the news, as I mentioned a few weeks back a new Pub is opening, actually as of yesterday it has opened. Owned by M...(Swedish web man) and staffed by I..... ( Latvian - ex de Laceys, Stella/Star) + other former Paddy Whelans bar type person(s)had its official opening last night at 7.00pm.

Located in what was the Stella Pub in Dome Square, it has been decorated in rustic red, including the toilets, which many of who will remember for there colorful graffiti - Multiple television screens and all new tables and chairs. Being the first night it was a little chaotic, however it did have my favourite beer, but to be honest it seemed a little lacking in pub atmosphere.

It was bit like stepping into a new house, everything is there but it lacks a lived in look.

Clearly over time this will hopefully change, and it will develop its own character - we will but see.

As for the name Alberts, well it transpires he was the first bishop of Riga and indeed founded what we now know as Riga - history lesson to follow

Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia (Latvian: bīskaps Alberts; German: Albrecht von Buxthoeven; c. 1165 in Bexhövede, a part of Loxstedt – 17 January 1229 in Riga) was the third Bishop of Riga in Livonia. In 1201 he founded Riga, the modern capital of Latvia, and built the city's cathedral in 1221.

Albert headed the armed forces that forcibly converted the eastern Baltic region to Christianity, in the nature of a crusade that was undertaken while the Fourth Crusade was sacking Constantinople.

Albert and his brother Hermann were members of the powerful Buxhoeveden family from Bexhövede, now a part of Loxstedt, Lower Saxony. Because of this he has also been known as Albert of Buxhoeveden (or Bexhövede, Buxhövden, Buxhöwde, Buxthoeven, Appeldern).

Albert was a canon in Bremen when his uncle Hartwig, Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg, named him Bishop of Livonia (today Latvia and southern Estonia), provided that he could conquer and hold it, and convince the pagan inhabitants to become Christians. The patent was granted March 28, 1199, and by the beginning of spring 1200 he embarked with a Baltic fleet of 23 vessels and more than 1,500 armed crusaders. He had the support of the Hohenstaufen German King, Philip of Swabia, and the more distant blessing of Pope Innocent III.

Together with merchants from the Baltic island of Gotland, Albert founded Riga in 1201, where a small community of Hanseatic traders from Lübeck held a tentative trading encampment. He successfully converted many Livs under their leader Caupo, offering them protection against neighboring Lithuanian and Estonian tribes; Albert also converted some Latvians later on. The conquest of Livonia in full occupied almost three decades of his life.

Albert created a military order, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, and began to build his cathedral in 1215. King Philip made him a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, with Livonia for a fief, and thus Albert became a "Prince-Bishop". In 1225 King Henry VII of Germany confirmed the title of Prince for Albert and his brother, Hermann. Albert declared his diocese independent of Bremen, and later Riga was raised to an archbishopric.

A first-hand account of Albert is in the contemporary Chronicle of Henry of Livonia (Henricus Lettus').

Albert died in Riga in 1229, but, as a Catholic Bishop, left no descendants. He was venerated as a Catholic saint until the Protestant Reformation. The present-day "von Buxhoeveden" are descendants of his cousin Johannes von Buxhoeveden. Albert's brother Theodoricus is the progenitor of the family de Raupena (de Ropa, known today as "von der Ropp") that founded manors in Livonia and Courland.

A street in Riga, Alberta iela ("Albert Street"), is named after Bishop Albert. It is known for its Art Nouveau apartment buildings, many of them designed by the architect Mikhail Eisenstein.

Not sure what he would thought about having a pub named after him.

The weather for much of this week has been overcast, however the threatened bad weather had failed to materialise, indeed as I write the sun is shining and the annual Ligo Fair in Dome square is basking in the sunshine with all sorts of Latvian goodies for sale, including being to buy what looks like half a tree which you must wrap around your head on Ligo. I know Latvia has acres of forest, but at this time of the year they must take quite a hit.

and finally take a look at these images, taken buy one of many roving reporters - thanks A.... ( English - with south western accent)

See Anything strange ?

Anything Yet ??

Got it yet ?

Now you are getting it

Now you have got it - but the real question is what are they putting up ? and how did they get down ?

As ever Riga will be deserted next week with Ligo and Jani - so lets hope the sunshine stays and we get hot days and warm nights - but history tells us otherwise.

Boys will be "girls"

Now there are many strange sights to be seen in Riga, particularly at the weekend, with the arrival of the stag parties from the UK. But in my new found role as the Riga Breakfast King, I saw last weekend up close and personal, at least for me one of strangest.

First of all who have to picture my arrival at F..... Fun Hostel, ready and willing to cook breakfast for all and sundry. But there at reception ( which is quite small) and overflowing into the bar area, were what appeared at first sight a group over 20 ladies, the vast majority dressed in pink, but two in clearly their wedding dresses.

But as the picture clearly shows the "ladies" were in fact robust young men, but decked out in what was clearly a coordinated fashion statement, that PINK was in.

They then all trooped out to "do" Riga, now bear in mind this was about 10.30am in the morning, so God only knows what the members of the public thought of this group of deranged persons as they made there way through the old town.

Needless to say they did not indulge in in one of my famous breakfasts, but they did return to watch the Lions rugby game.


Now you ask, where would such a group hail from ?, surely from an urban area where dressing in such attire would not impinge upon there manly image. So we can rule out all the Celtic nations, or can we ? given that it is the Celtic nations, or at least some of them, with Scottish and Irish wearing Kilts in their national dress. So could they be English - regretfully I have to advise our long lost and sadly missed Welshman S..... ( retired cat flap maker) that they all hailed from Wales, and not any part of Wales, Port Talbot !!!!!!!

Now to be fair they were well behaved, and as they said just having a good laugh - mind you this was at 4.00pm - what they were like at midnight when visiting the Riga night clubs - -may well be another matter.

I mentioned some time ago that the village lounge was being "modified", thanks to J... ( Australian SIP king) I show below the current state of affairs, in the rear of the building. It is claimed that they will "terrace the new larger and open rear - we shall but see. But with the disappearance of toilets on the first and second floors, there are some seriously wasted "patrons" having to make there way to the third floor to relieve themselves.

Having experienced some glorious weather two weekends ago, the weather of late has been rubbish, and so the joys of being able to sit out in the sunshine and enjoy a beer in one of the squares will have to wait until sun finally makes an appearance.

Finally a story forwarded to me by J... (Australian - see above) - Has a ring of truth about it. - Enjoy !!

INTERESTING HISTORY LESSON

Railroad tracks. This is fascinating

Be sure to read the final paragraph; your understanding of it will depend on the earlier part of the content.

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number..

Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England , and English expatriates built the US railroads.

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.

Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they use d for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England , because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Romebuilt the first long distance roads in Europe (andEngland ) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since

And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.. Bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification/ procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with it?', you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horse's asses.) Now, the twist to the story:

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRB's. The SRB's are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah . The engineers who designed the SRB's would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRB's had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRB's had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass. And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important? Ancient horse's asses control almost everything... and
CURRENT Horses Asses are controlling everything else.

A trip down memory lane

Well long time no blogging, and the reason is simple life in little old Riga for me this last few weeks has shall we say been "challenging" However as we now burst into summer, and with outdoor cafes and bars now all alive and well, indeed with some new ones on show I thought I would take a trip down memory lane on behalf of the those village people who have long since departed these shores. The photographs are my little trip from Alunana iela into the old town and back via the Freedom monument. Many of you will need no explanation as to where the various shots are, but where I felt a little comment was needed I have added same.

Congress Nams

over the canal bridge

into Dome Square 13 Chairs converted into 150 chairs !

The NEW terraced bar with beer at 90 centimes a pop if you go to the bar yourself, otherwise DOUBLE if served by waitress/Waiter !! - Wondering about the fire engine ?

Looks and is pretty good, absolutely beautiful when the sun is out

Still desolute !! - very sad

Velvets has reopened without being re-furbished, apparently ran out of money

Wondering what they are talking about ? - well it appears that P.....s ( Senior marketeer) sent a few Irish lads around to S.....s ( Indian restaurant guru) last weekend and they how shall I say "misbehaved" and were "asked " to leave !!

From Pub to Hi fashion store to shut - all in six months ! - what the Dickens is going on ?

Livi Square

back thought the park via Freedom monument ( And McDonalds - sorry but I was hungry

Want to know how many wedding this year ? count the padlocks - hundreds !

The only fountain working this year ! - I suspect because it sits in the canal and can use canal water, all the others need a fresh water supply and domestic water is now expensive in Riga

and finally............

You may need to click on the picture to read the poster for a new show in Riga - but I wonder who the genious was that came up with a title like that. Do not think they would be allowed in UK.

If you are wondering about the fire engine in Dome Square, believe it or not it is a stage !! - Every the musicians climb up on top and play their music - well it is different. and just for the record they are good - the downside is they play the same music every night.

Finally one little bit of gossip - but true, there will be a new Pub opening in the very near future, located in Dome Square, and with a lady we all know and love behind the bar. No names at this time - but keep watching when all will be revealed.

Finally I now have a new nickname - Riga Breakfast King - do not even ask why !!!!!!! - and one last point of note to the team that play in zebra strips based in England's North East - do not blame B..... ( English - 35 years in pain) - he has absolutely nothing to do with the demise of the team this year - or at least that's his version of the situation as can be seen from his recent comment left on the blog. As for me can it really be a coincidence that a team that has never been out of the top flight of English football suddenly get relegated the same year as he returns to the UK and then actually goes to live and work in the same city - hmmmmmmmmm - does make you think.

Is it just me ?

We all know about the financial madness that is/was sweeping the world, but have you noticed that there are other weird things going on. Now these weird things do not get a great deal of publicity, but they do indicate that there is a growing number of happenings around the world givings signs of change and unrest - for example - down in sunny Wales.............

Dispute between Neighbours - this a true story

A town councillor in Wales - Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the mountains until a new neighbour purchased the land below his house and built a new home. The new home was 18 inches higher than the planning department had approved, so Mark, mad about his lost view, went to the local council to make sure they enforced the roof line height. The new neighbour had to drop the roof height at great expense to himself.

Recently Mark called the planning department and informed them that his new neighbour had installed some vents on the side of his new property.

Mark did not like the look of these new vents and asked the planning department to investigate. When they went to Mark's home this is what they found

The local authority said the vents can stay as there is no planning law referring to vents

And then yesterday in Benoni ( where the h..ll is that you may ask ?)

Now can anyone explain how Afghanistan managed to get a cricket team together ? where do they play ? and how do they get the cricket helmets over the towels they wrap around their heads ? and if they have to prey to Mecca four/five times a day, does that mean they have prayer breaks instead of tea and lunch breaks ?- Oh and just for the record earlier this week they beat Ireland - next thing it will be the Afghanistan curling team !

As an aside details of the Afghanistan Cricket board can be found at http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC_MEMBERS/AFG/

and it is interesting to note one of the boards aims in promoting cricket in Afghanistan is , and I quote "The aim of the ACB is to get all Afghanistan Men to choose cricket bats instead of guns" to which I am sure the Scottish team must be eternally grateful - just think what the score would have been if they had chosen guns !!

Now we all know that there are some weird place names in the world, but this one has to be near the top of the unreal list


Now for those of you expecting updates on the goings on in Riga, then as you might gather not a lot is going on. Last weekend saw a feast of good Rugby and reasonable weather which permitted me for the first time this year to sit in the park, and quietly read a book, and as I write the weather is bright and sunny if a just a little chilly.

The outdoor bars and cafes are springing up all over the place , and just opposite to where I live a new Italian restaurant has opened. In a previous incarnation it as know as The Diplomat, then The Chez Bar, but now it is Rossini's. Not exactly the best time to be opening a restaurant, but I can butt wish them luck, as they have spent the last two months seriously refurbishing the interior.

Still no sign of life from the trees, no buds - no blossom, at least not in Riga.

On bit of news re the village lounge, in the very near future, the rear of the building, both upstairs and downstairs will be torn down, likewise the very rear of the building, which housed offices. The reason I am told is that the owners have permission to remove the rear buildings, as it is only the "front" of the building which is protected. So presumably at some time they will build a new building, but for this summer it would appear there will be huge open courtyard, bearing a close resemblance to a building site I suspect - but we shall see.

Of course this now means that there will be no toilets on the ground and first floor, but as I write new toilets are being built on the second floor, previously sealed behind the red door. So for anyone using the ground floor bar, they had better give themselves plenty of time to climb two flights of stairs !! - I suspect we might well see a few "accidents" on route.

And finally it is my birthday next Sunday so all charitable donations will be gratefully accepted, ,and I am totally open to surrender my pride and let you buy me a drink ( or two !)

The "B...." is back in town

It must be spring !! - the outdoor bars are opening - the sun is shining and young B....(English - teacher of language) is back in town or at least for a few days. Now a resident of Newcastle and apparently teaching Arabic youths to speak English or is it Geordie ? He is looking surprisingly well but is obviously determined to pack as much into his brief stay as is possible - and not just alcohol !

This is the earliest that I can remember for the outdoor bars to open, but in Livi square there at least four open, with the biggie under construction, and in Dome square 13 chairs has suddenly become 113 chairs. So hopefully the sunshine will last through until the Easter weekend.

Now you may wondering why I am not showing pictures of these happenings - well unfortunately some months ago I was "burgled" and apart from taking my wallet. mobile phone, they also took my camera - so no pictures until I replace, as the one phone I have left takes only low quality pics.

As ever it is kind of weird to be talking about Easter, when there is not one sign of Spring to be seen, the trees are still bare, there is spring flowers in the gardens, and the grass is still a dirty brown colour. But no doubt before April is out we will catch sight of the first blossoms appearing.

A small but significant step was made in recent weeks with the discovery that we can indeed watch the UK tv channels, albeit via your computer - by registering with www.ukproxyserver.com (sorry it costs money £9.99 per month) one can obtain an UK IP address, which then permits you to watch a number of UK channels. So for at least one technically challenged individual P..... (English - king of waste management) he can now keep uptodate with Eastenders (sad I know) as well as watch his beloved horse racing. For those of you already in the UK then all you have to do is point your web browser at www.tvcatchup.com and voila tv on the pc !! - and to think the whole purpose of the revelution of compuetrs in business and at home was to make us more productive in our work and private lives. So now we can watch tv on our PC's - whatever would John Logie Baird think.

On the same subject why do cable & satelllite TV broadcasters insist on making available radio stations as one of the channel selections ?? - Do you know anyone who switches on their Television and listens to the radio ??

PC's to watch TV
TV's to listen to the radio

The world is going mad !!

In this age of the internet suddenly we have become addicted to sending to all and sundry our latest in jokes. Well I am indebted to a lovely lady in Wales A....(Welsh - long suffering wife of never to be forgotten cat flap maker) for sending me this gem. Personally I think this should be issued to all cretins arriving from UK (or anywhere for that matter) and that they obliged to where them thoughout there stay in Riga. They no doubt will think that they are being amazingly funny and original whilst we as onlookers can see what they really are P....s !!


Now just for the record whilst my disdain for many of the visiting brits is well known, it only fair to say that in recent times they have noticable by their absence, and even those who I come across seem "reasonably" well behaved, but then again what happens in Riga after 8.00pm is and always has been a complete mystery to me.

And finally I am delighted to olet you know that the British Embassy in Riga has finally admitted that I exist. I have received an invitation to attend the embassy to celebrate St. georges day on april 26th !!!!!! - what happened to St. Andrews Day ?? - or should we simply rename the embassy as the ENGLISH EMBASSY

So to all of you there have enjoyable easter - not to many chocolate eggs

News about News

For many of us living in Riga part of our daily life is in checking via the internet the various news channels sites available to us, likewise what would a day be like if at least once a day we did not access our favourite newspaper site be it local or national just to check what is going on at home and in the world.

However getting news, at least in English as to what is going on in Latvia or indeed the Baltic's has at least for now been near impossible. Even the English language Baltic Times web site is always somewhat out of date as it only publishes weekly.

So it was with some surprise that I discovered a web site covering the events in all the Baltic States with factual reporting and is updated on an hourly basis.

So for those of you who wants to get the facts check out

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/analytics/

Now as we all know the world is in deep s..t - but just to give a taste of the goings on in Latvia here are a two of the headlines at the Baltic-Course web site

Apartment prices in Riga dropped by 52% in February over year

In February 2009, compared to February 2008, new car registrations in Latvia decreased 76.2%

So all good news there then !!

Now this weekend sees the penultimate rounds of the six nations rugby, with Wales meeting Italy, Scotland v Ireland and then on Sunday France v England. So hear is my forecast

Italy beat Wales !!
Scotland murder Ireland
France annihilate England

However returning to reality I suspect only one out of the above has a chance of proving to be true. So I will watch the Wales game at home courtesy of SC4 and of to the village lounge to watch Ireland v Scotland courtesy of France TV2. But can someone please explain to me why the Scotland game starts at 5.00pm GMT (7.0pm in Riga) - or is this simply to cater for the TV rights of the broadcasting companies.

Books Again

In my undying efforts to spread the reading habit to all ( and make a few Lats in the process !!) I have set up a new web site

https://sites.google.com/site/englishbooksinriga/

It will also allow those of you have excess books to put them up for sale (with a little commission for me)

Anyhow spread the word to those who live in Riga

Books Galore !!

So what can I tell all of those you still with great frequency check out the blog for any update I cannot believe I am still getting approximately the same number of visits as before. Mind you I have to thank NTL and TECHNIUMVPN.CO.UK for the frequency of there visits - strangely both based in Wales on in Port Talbot area and the other in Swansea. I wonder who they could be ??????

Life in Riga at least for the moment is singularly quiet, and for the last week my internet connection has been down !! Izzii have a great customer service person - if and when you can actually get a hold of him !!!!!!!

However we did see the return of young C.... (English- retired beach bum) - apparently life in England was not to his liking, and so he has once again set foot into the Riga life, with a possibility of a more permanent stay - we shall but see.

Our Mexican dilettante has once again had a switch in career, from aspiring to become a licensed doctor, he has now decided to become a licensed Ophthalmologist. Apparently this will only take three years, but given V..... track record of late - I suspect this may be short lived, however I wish him all the best.

Last weekend saw a brave try to change locations to watch the rugby Wasps v London Irish - first of all we thought to try the Stars pub in Lacsplace - but this was filled with locals watching Ice Hockey - so onwards and forward to Stars pub in old town - but no Wexford and no Velvet - so leaving J... ( Australian - SIP specialist) to his Guiness, I forelornly returned to the Village lounge - only to find that the most obnoxious, loud, ignorant Texan-American was back in town - and had taken over the upstairs.

So I quietly gave in and had three beers in the back room and watched the rugby in perfect peace. I had thought that this piece of American s..t had returned back to his homeland for good, but as they were working on the new American Embassy, I can only assume they have returned - hopefully for as short a time period as possible.

Now in an effort to take advantage of my extensive book library, I have decided to set up a little book shop, where for a modest amount you can buy my books, and if you so wish if you bring them a back then you can get a discount on any new purchase. Total number of books initially will be around 200+. I would love to say this was my idea, but I have to give credit to our Mexican Barman/doctor/Ophthalmologist etc etc for the idea - we shall but see how it works out - and at worst it will help my clear up some space at home.

The weather is somewhat of a flux, with frequent snow showers, but temps are staying above zero, and what is really nice is that once again I can wake up to daylight.

Very little news to report on ex village members - in fact none - other than that our Welsh wizard of cat flaps has succeeded where all others have failed, and is now working for - and say this quietly a French company - and this after France beat Wales - see in these desperate times no time for principles !!!

The former Irish brigade are visible by there silence - nothing P... (Libya - administrator in chief) - J.....(Ireland - finance entrepreneur) J... (Ireland - Builder of food chains) nor indeed J.... (Ireland - king of the undersea buses)

And finally a bit of good news and I quote from Leta News Agency

"Annual inflation in February decreased to 9.6%"

What it does not say is that in January it was 9.8% !! - but in these troubled times better a step down rather than up

Riga is a Riot

Well it has been a while since the blog was updated - and why you might ask ? Well when I started to blog it was to reflect life here in Riga, and over time it also came to reflect on what was known as the village people. Well in the case of the latter they are no more.

This week will see the departure of D..... ( American - English teacher) and his love;y wife S.. (English - English teacher) . They are heading back to the UK to begin life anew. Also this week sees the departure of P..... (Irish - with low alcohol tolerance) as he heads for the delights of Libya !!.

So who is left ? well me J.... (Australian SIP king) A.... (English - white goods king), F..... (Australian - lord of the hostel) and P.... (English - ruler of waste), V..... (Mexican - understudy bar tender), V... (Australian - under worked builder) and J.... (Australian - he who needs gates) and that's about it !

So in reality there is little to write about as to the goings on here in Riga as frankly there is not a lot going on.

We did see a little excitement last week with an anti government demonstration in Dome Square, which subsequently led to some ugly scenes in Smilsu iela, with a group of young thugs with there new found ability to express there democratic rights, deciding to smash a few windows, overturn some police cars and set light to some fires. Somehow I managed to miss the whole business as I passed through Dome Square and down Smilsu iela some 30 minutes before the trouble started.

However the whole thing simply reflects the dire state of things in Latvia, and this allied to inept (corrupt ?) government does not bode well for 2009.

For the first time since I came to Riga my thoughts are turning to seek pastures new, but where ? as the whole world seems to be in a poor state of health.

Sorry if all this sounds depressing, and maybe it is because of Winter, but at least for the moment Riga holds no great attraction right now.

Anyhow to those who have been kind enough to inquire as to my well being and to bemoan the lack of blogging, may I wish you a Prosperous new year for 2009 - and be assured when this wave of depression passes by, I will hopefully be able to again return to more cheerful observations on life in Riga

What can you buy for 2 Lats ?

With prices spiraling out of control all over the world, and with recent comments from our illustrious leaders of the Latvian Government that was well in the Latvian financial sector, it was with some surprise ( to me at least) when it was announced on Saturday that Parex Bank had collapsed, and that for the princely sum of 2 Lats the government had purchased 51% of the shares. However as you can see from the LETA news agency the Bank of Latvia President does not think there are any other banks in similar position - Hmmmm we shall but see

No other banks under threat - central bank chief

RIGA, Nov 9 (LETA) - Bank of Latvia President Ilmars Rimsevics told reporters last night after the Cabinet's emergency session on the fate of ''Parex banka'', that there is no information that any other bank in Latvia is experiencing similar woes. As reported, by paying LVL 1 to each of the bank's owners, the government decided yesterday to take controlling interest in the bank. As reporters were told last night by Finance and Capital Market Commission Chairperson Irena Krumane, clients had lost trust in the bank and they had begun to withdraw their deposited money. Rimsevics added here that there was no information that the bank's shareholders themselves had withdrawn their deposits and/or savings.

The good news from all of this, particularly if you are car enthusiast is that there will probably be two Maybachs up for sale

Last weekend was relatively quiet as long as you were not in the village lounge, as the rear room was taken over by a group of Welsh type persons giving there vocal support to the Welsh Rugby team playing against South Africa. Prior to the game starting, whilst watching the Arsenal v Manchester United game, there favourite chant seemed to be

You can stuff the football up your A...e (think anal !),

and there instructions to the Welsh rugby team certainly gave the English language a whole new resonance. Did not do to much to enhance the Welsh image abroad. Apparently they were from Pontypridd ( not sure if that is the correct spelling )

On the domestic front the birds are back inhabiting the trees overnight and crapping upon all and sundry underneath - as I have asked before where do they crap in the summer ??

It is with regret that I a must advise that the Christmas Party is definitely off - so if anyone out there want to make a donation just send the money to the bank account or give it to me and I will deposit it in the account. Pity - but a reflection of the times.

Sunday saw us once again head for the cemetery at Jelgava to honour those British Army and Naval [personnel who died duting the first World war. It was unseasonably mild - as J.... (Australian - ditherer in chief) and C.... (English - womaniser par excellance) took about place for the ceremony. As ever it was moving and again saw the return of Earl of Carlisle. This is man who is there every year, but I cannot work out does he live in Latvia or does he fly over just for the occasion - dose anybody out there know ?

In keeping with tradition on our return to Riga we heading to the village lounge to toast the fallen, but on this occasion as the upstairs was not open, we sat downstairs and had the worst tasting beer I have had for long time, so we swiftly departed to the Star pub across the road and enjoyed a couple of pints before retiring back to our respective abodes.

Now on the subject of the village lounge the "management" seem to be expanding there product offerings as can be seen from the poster below, they are now MORE than just a pub !!!


Now quite what parachuting, shooting and quad bike racing has got to do with running a good pub escapes me, so put that together with lap dancing nights, it strikes me that the key elements of a good and successful pub, namely good beer, friendly service and reasonable selection of food is taking second place to these various "activities". But do not be misled by the poster as none of the staff seem to know anything about these activities - so I guess it is down to P.....

I will take a bet that not one of the staff or management has had any training in running a cellar. When was the last time you saw anyone cleaning out the pipes ? Now it may well be that they carry out all of the bar maintenance prior to actually opening, but I suspect not as none of the bar staff seem to know what I was talking about when asked. Sorry about this prolonged whinge but a pub is a pub not an entertainment centre. - Enough said - as I will still be going there until such times as someone actually opens a real pub in Riga.

If you would like to keep uptodate with all the "activities" then check out there web site www.pub.lv