Its is back - the Riga Shuffle

With temperatures now hovering around -20c in Riga and -30c elsewhere in Latvia, the Riga shuffle is back !

For those not familiar with this it involves keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground and just "shuffling" along the ice covered pavements and roads. This technique permits the pedestrians to move along safely, as normal walking is almost guaranteed to ensure you end up on your back.

As ever with temperatures this low, the Daugava River is frozen over, but unlike in previous years there is no snow ! - just plain old fashioned ice. With the river frozen out come those foolhardy soles complete with fishing rods and gizmos to make holes in the ice - and there they sit awaiting the arrival of some poor unsuspecting fish. There must be some kind of sadistic pleasure sitting there freezing your backside off - in the hope of catching your dinner. But as they say it takes all sorts !

Now for those of you who saw that classic JackLemmon / Walter Mathua film - "Grumpy Old Men" - you will remember that when they went ice fishing they did so from the comfort of little wooden huts - but not Rigans - just a jacket and a wooly hat will suffice. They make them hardy in this part of the world.

This weekend sees the start of the Six Nations Rugby, and so it with fingers crossed that we hope we will be able to watch the games. With coverage exclusive to BBC, and the fact That they (BBC) have moved there satellite distribution, such that we can longer get the signal as we did last year. However the Kiwibar technical gremlins have been hard at work over the last few weeks and are confident that we will after all be able to watch all the games with English commentary. All will be revealed today ! - I will give the France v Italy game a miss, but will head out for the Scotland v England game, and then the Ireland v Wales game on Sunday.

This weekend also sees the Superbowl final, being screened at the ungodly hour of 1.30am on Monday morning - me thinks I will that a miss. Monday also sees Waitangi Day, ( you will have to Google it to find out what it is) - but as it is a New Zealand thing, it will be of course be celebrated at Riga's only Kiwibar. Courtesy of the New Zealand government a selection of New Zealand wines will be available alongwith New Zealand Vodka ??? - Now the latter should be interesting.





So to all Kiwi's - Happy Waitangia Day

Its a lot of New Years !

Well here we are in 2012, unless you are Chinese in which case you have to wait until this week, but then again those of the Orthodox faith had to wait two weeks after the rest of us celebrated the New Year. No wonder the world has problems when we cannot agree which day it is !!.

Now as a long lost Scotsman, having departed from the homeland when I was 15 years old, I am somewhat bemused by all the talk of the proposed "independence" vote to take place in 2014, on the anniversarry of the battle of Bannockburn - the date selected no doubt to place an emotional tug on the heartstrings of those Scots who wish to vote.

For me I just do not understand the whole thing, what is Scotland going to be independent from ? - just a few years ago when Scotland got its own Parliament, whose new building cost over 5 times the original estimate - and whose taxation powers were limited to raising taxes or creating new ones. Personally I think it a complete waste of time and money, and is simply an ego trip by the SNP and Mr Salmond its delusional leader.

But enough of my personal gripes - And returning to the subject of Riga - well we have finally discovered Winter - with snow arriving last week, and temperatures forecast to drop to -15 degrees this weekend - so I am getting ready to step into my Winter warmers for the first time.

There is one small downside to all the snow - the pavement cleaners ! - every morning from about 5.30am there they are with an assortment of snow clearing tools, brooms, plastic shovels and the old faithful a broomhandle with a flat piece of aluminium attached to the end. The noise of them scraping the snow into great mountains of snow in wee hours of the morning ensures that no sleep is possible. As live right beside a bus and tram stops, and these must be kept clear otherwise passengers could not get on or off the respectives modes of transportation.

I guess it will only be a matter of time before the snow/ice roof cleaners will be performing there annual dance with death as they seek to remove the snow, befores it descends downwards to hit some poor unsuspecting passerby. For those new to Riga that why wherever possible people walk in the middle of the road!

This week sees the annual celebration of Australia Day, by the Aussies far from home, on the actual day - 26th January - a party will be hosted at the Kiwibar, whilst on Sunday, and for those brave enough - a cricket match will (may) be held, followed by beers and goodies at the Ala bar, hosted by young K........ ( Australian/Latvian - king of sausage rolls). So whilst we might be lacking the weather of down-under - the spirit lives on !

So to those you read this blog, or have just stumbled across it - I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year - for my part I will continue to enjoy life with all the trials and tribulations that it brings.

It is a Record !

This blog is really intended for those who over the years have supported the "Smiley Fund" in its support of the Zvannieki Childrens Home(s).

This year our annual Christmas Dinner was hosted at the FG Royal Hotel ( formerly the Hotel de Rome), and with assistance of our resident chef extraordinaire S.... ( Scottish - and serious about food) we prepared a Christmas Food festival.

On the night we had some 58 people for dinner, and further 3 for a glass of wine, So between the dinner fee of Ls 30.00, the raffle and a surprise auction of a 3 litre bottle of Riga Balsam - our grand total for the night was Ls 2.380.00.

This grand sum was duly deposited in the Zvannieki bank account, and on Thursday evening at a function held by the British Chamber of Commerce, hosted at the British Embassy, P.... ( Banker in chief at Citadele Bank) presented to J..... C..... ( Canadian Latvian - Father of the home ) a letter from the Smiley Fund listing the participants in this years fund raising, alongwith the paying in slips, alongwith 15 Football shirts and Scarfs courtesy of Skonto Football Club.

So hopefully the money raised will provide for a few "extras" at Christmas time.

For those interested in Zvannieki please visit their web site www.zvannieki.lv

So to all those you participated in the Smiley Fund 2011 - many many thanks, and with a bit of luck we can repeat the event in 2012.

A picture Paints a 1000 words

This picture says it all about life in Riga right now, Santa's all over the place ( at least last Sunday) - but no SNOW !!!

Well done to F.... (Australian bar magnate ) for finishing the gruelling 5km run - jog - walk

Tis the season to be silly

What is going on in Latvia ?? - First of all the weather, when I first arrived in Riga in November 1995, it was -25 degrees and a thick covering of ice and snow blanketed the streets, but today it is +2 degrees with a weather forecast of 5 degrees and Sunny towards the end of the week.


It has tried once or twice to snow - but to no avail - so if this continues we are likely to have a snowless Christmas for the first time in 16 years - weird !

And speaking of the silly season, last night with a little help from Twitter, a rumour spread like wildfire that Swedbank was in trouble, which led to queues of people at ATM's getting there money out. Now I can understand the nervousness of Latvians about banks, given the history here, but as Swedbank are one of best capitalised banks in Europe, it was hard to give any creditabilty to these rumours. But it just shows the power of social networks such as Twitter - maybe that the reason they are called Tweets or should it be Twits !

On a more cheerful note this week, 14th December, sees our annual Christmas Charity dinner in aid of the Zvannieki Childrens home. This year it is being hosted at the FG Royal Hotel ( Which some of you will have known as the Hotel de Rome) - with Scott again as our chef.

This will be largest ever gathering of Smiley Fund supporters, with some 62 partipants - so it should be record in our annual fund raising efforts - I will update the blog with full details after the dinner.

For those interested in statistics, this year the dinner will consume 54 kg of turkey, 120 bottles of wine, 8 kg of Cristmas Pudding, 2 Kg of Mincemeat plus untold amounts of Potatoes, Carrotts, Brussell Sprouts - it all has the makings of a Grand Dinner !

Despite a lack of snow Riga has once again put on its finest Winter face, with decorated Christmas Trees spread across town, and the streets decorated with Christmas lights - all it needs now is a little snow - but that seems a little way off - pity !

So there you have it for this time - enjoy your week

Now you see them - Now you don't

Can it really be months since I last updated this blog, well yes is the answer - lots of reasons, not least my health has not been as good as it should be - but put it down to old age !

However it does allowme once again to praise the health services here in Latvia, where else could I get to see a neuro surgeon, get a two MRI scans, two x-rays, an ultrasound scan, all within the space of two weeks, and all for less than 300.00 ls. Suffice to say the treatment seems to be working and with a bit of luck I will be back to normal soon.

However since last I wrote, a number of our village people have left, some for good and some for the winter. In the former catagory young T... ( Swedish - plays with trucks) has left for sunnier climes, albeit in one of the more dangerous parts of the world, but good luck to him in building a new Scania empire. However before he left he took a little time off in Sweden, bought a rifle ( As you do) went out into the woods and shot an elk.


In the latter catagory J... ( Australian - king of SIP) has left (again) for Australia, to build an empire of SIP factories. He promises to return next summer, I suspect for the last time, and who knows we might we see weddings bells ??

So what has been going on over the last few months, well we had the rugby extravaganza in New Zealand, which culminated in New Zealand narrowly winning against France. Needless to say I watched the final in the Kiwi bar, alongwith 100+ others, and can you believe there were more French men than New Zealanders. No idea where they came from, as I have never seen them in the bar before.

Speaking of Antipodean sports, we also had the annual Australian football festival, like last year I did not make it down at the start to join Australian ex-pats watch this maniacal game, however as usual there was vegemite on toast, sausage rolls ( made by a real Australian/Latvian) - K....... ( Ruler of the best "Folk bar" in Riga) and of course to wash this down loads of beer, all at 7.00am in the morning

The latter part of summer was glorious, and it was sad to see the removal of the outdoor terraces at the end of October, but safe in the knowledge that they will return in May.

We also saw the opening of (another) Irish bar - "Maloneys" - once again with young S..... (Ukranian - with poor song tastes). He is making a career out of opening Irish bars - first De Lacy's, then Donnegans and now Maloneys. First impressions are excellent, and with its location just off Livi Square, it is in a prime location - so I wish it well.

So Riga can now boast three Irish themed bars, the original Paddy Whelans, Donnegans and now Maloneys.

This weekend will see me once again head out to Jelgava, for Remembrance Sunday - its hard to believe that this will be 8th Year - so I can but hope that the current mild weather continues at least until then.

In celebration of New Zealands victory, a picture of one happy Kiwi, R.. (New Zealand - B & B master of Riga)
Do not let the size of the cup deceive you, in reality it is quite small, but then again so is R..!

Sometimes the best of plans can go wrong - recently friends of the film actor Clint Eastwood decided to help celebrate his birthday by hiring a sky writer to put a message above the Hollywood sign, but as you can see below he did not quite get it write (sic) !!

Thanks to C... (English - still rolling printers) for this contribution

And finally just to prove that I am still alive and kicking a recent pic of me outside the Kiwibar, taken on the day of Aussie rules final

And yes that is the official smoking zone !

Finally on this blogs theme, many of you will remember the Hotel de Rome, and the Otto Schwartz restaurant which sat atop it it - well it is no more ! Not sure why but I suspect some scullduggery - however it has re-opened as the FG Royal Hotel (more scull duggery ?).

However the good news is that they have agreed to host the annual charity dinner in aid of the Zvannieki Childrens home on the 14th December, and have handed over the kitchen and restaurant for our sole use, if any of you can make it - or would like to make a donation - get in touch.

Its new - Its trendy - its dangerous

Fashion varies depending on which part of the world you live in - so I leave it to your imagination as which part of the world this attire is most appropriate - seen here with this latest fashion accessory is young T... (Swedish - will love playing in the sand with his trucks)

Now while it clearly keeps the upper body warm (??) - does not seem to do much for mans more intimate parts - personally if the need ever arose I think I would go for the "Iron Man" version.


Also it would seem that this location is great for getting a tan - temperature when this picture was taken was 52 degrees celsius !! ( in the shade)

To give you a hint as to the location, the cost of a "secure taxi" from the airport to City Centre is Euro 8000.00 !! - return - at least you hope there is a return journey !

PS - the car in the photograph is the taxi -complete with armour plating.

Speaking of trendy and dangerous - Riga pavements are now arguably the most dangerous in Europe - apparently no one has told cyclists that they are supposed to be on the road and NOT the pavement, and as it now seems to be the "in" thing to have a bicycle and clearly influenced by the driving habits of Latvians ( well a goodly number of them) - you really have to watch yourself as they cycle like maniacs, weaving their way through the pedestrians. - So beware.

Also this year we have seen an explosion in the tricycle "taxis" - these three wheeled contraptions, manned by out of work students, have taken over the streets of the old town, such that at times it is almost impossible to walk in the streets - especially around Livi square, and like their two wheeled cousins they delight in cycling like maniacs through the streets in the old town.

Last year they were a novelty -- this year they are a nuisance - especially as the students keen to earn a few Lats - have taken to hastling passersby - to take a ride.

Personally I think they should be banned - -and in there place the good old Rickshaw - being pulled by said students - that would reduce the numbers ! and at the same time improve the health of the rickshaw "pullers"

Finally on regards to the subject of new, this week saw me visit two new ( at least to me) locations in Latvia.

First on the agenda was Baron Munchausens Museum and Wood trail, near to Saulkrasti. For details check out www.minhauzens.lv - Set in beatiful parkland and with what I think must be longest wooden walkway in Europe, all 5.3km of it ! Being of sound mind I took the shorter of the two walks available - only 3.2km !

Then it was onto Birinu Pils - A beautifully restored Castle ( or is it a palace ?) and surrounding estate - it is only a few kilometers from Saulkrasti on the road to Sigulda - well worth a visit. Check it out at www.birinupils.lv.

Lastly I have ( for the moment) given up beer !!! - I know this will come as a shock to many of you - but it is all in a good cause - my health ! - So for now it is a healthy glass of water ( Sorry no spirits - no wine) - t'is sad I know - but I will hopefully return to my normal self in the near future - Cheers !!

Its been a while !

Well as many of you have remarked it is some time since I updated this blog - no great excuse - just sheer laziness and in part the fact that thre has not been that much to comment on.

So what has been going on ? - well in June we saw he annual festival of Ligo and Jani - and as usual it was accompanied by rain - although to be accurate it did not not rain on Ligo evening - as usual I visited the Ligo fair and acquired the mandatory headgear - I dread to think of the amount of trees that suffer for this festival


Then later we had the arrival of F..... ( Australian - king of hostel world) father, who had not seen his son for over 10 years - but as you can see he is one for the ladies - just like his son !


He was an outstanding character - and I am sure he enjoyed his stay in Riga !

So that just about takes care of June !-other than to say the weather was wonderful.

July saw the return of J... ( Australian - absentee SIP king) after his six month + tour of Down Under, much to the relief of his beloved lady S....... (Russian - queen of hair).

Speaking of returns July also saw the annual Guinness binging contest hosted ( and won) by A... (English - used to work for Macaroni or something like that)



July also sees the possibility of loosing young T... (Swedish - likes to play with Scania trucks). Now I am not going to indicate where he is off to - suffice to say it is highly unlikely he will need this outfit where he is going - more like an armour plated suite !


In my new found role of film director at the Kiwibar - my first "moving pictures" are now published for the world to see - some of which can be viewed at http://www.kiwibar.lv/gallery/music or if you want check out YouTube and search for "scotinriga" - what else !

But for a quick look see below - you might recognise M..... ( Former barman at de Lacy's) - but he did have hair back in those days !




And finally next month August - the 5th to be exact - will see the 3rd anniversary of the closing of De Lacy's sowith grateful thanks to J..... ( Landlord supreme) and his Facebook page two photographs from the past


Well thats it for now, will do my best to update more frequently - be good !

Its sunshine all the way !

For the last few days Riga has been at its best - clear blue skies and temperatures in the high 20's - and more to come - just see below - wonderful. Might even be the time to get the swimming trunks out - with a first visit of the year to the beach.

The weekend saw myself and young T... ( Swedish - with a penchant for trucks) visit the annual summer fair at the Open Air museum. All the usual Latvian fare, with nearly all the districts of Latvia represented - it was just nice to walk around the museum park and take in the fresh air.

It goes without saying that all the outdoor bars and restaurants were jam packed - as locals and visitors alike enjoyed the sunshine. Needles to say we also had the more of the British infestations to annoy all and sundry - but why waste time on them - when all else is good.

A quick word on the Blonde day Parade on sunday last - very disspointing in comparision with last year - the actual "parade" only took place by the river, unlike lastyear when they all strutted their stuff through the old town. No idea why the change - but hopefully they did manage to raise a significant amount for the childrens charities they support.

The top of the new Gallerija Shopping centre has now been converted from its winter ice rink, into four open air bar area's with outstanding views of Riga, and even has its own sunlounger bar area, where one relax over a (expensive) beer and bask in the sunshine. Well worth a visit !

Fot those with long memories you might remember the Mercedes dealership in the old town, well it has now been converted into a bar with I believe an English theme. Not sure if it has actually opened yet, but will check later this week.

The only other major happening ( at least to me) was that I "lost" all my hair - not that I had all that much to begin with. Suffice to say it was not by choice - but as I was advised, neccessary in order to allow a full examination of my skull. As it transpired all is well - and in the fullness of time my hair will resurface, and who knows perhaps fuller than before - but I have my doubts.

I have never in the past mentioned the political scene in Latvia, other than to mention how a country of 2.2+ million people can have over 24 political parties. But given the recent "political" turbulance in Latvia - with the current President not re-elected after he had a few words to say about the level of corruption and influence by some of Latvia's so called obligarchs ( he actually that the courage to name the names).

So now Latvia will have a new President - with less than 5% supprt from the population, and a referendum instigated by the current President, to take place in July to decide if the Seima should be dissolved ( Which it should in my opinion) - so hopefully the citizens of Latvia will vote YES - and then have the courage to vote out ALL the corrupt political parties and their so called leaders in new elections later in the year. This is my hope - but only time will tell - but the Latvian people deserve an honest Seima free from the political influence of a few. My last word on the subject.

Time now to go and enjoy the sunshine, and perhaps later in the day a beer or two.

A Special Day

Some days are better than others, and so it proved on Sunday 15th May, when my youngest daughter A... (English ( but with Scottish blood) - a banking favourite) gave birth to her first son, and my third grandchild.

Weighing in at over 8lbs ( 3.63kg+) he arrived in the world late on Sunday afternoon, much to the delight of mother and Father - M... ( English - loves to save money on spectacles)

So to both Mum and Dad, along with proud grandparents, and Great Grandparent - welcome to the world young G..... F.... K...

So to my third grandchild I send my love and hope to see you soon