Rimi Prama

Now as anyone who has gone shopping at a Rimi store in Riga knows, the parking spaces are divided into normal and those for the disabled. In the case of the latter they are in any event used by those whose only disability is that they are to to lazy to walk far, and so park in the "disabled spaces", which are invariably closest to the store entrance.

But now the Rimi has gone one better, by creating parking spaces for giant prams !!

Now as yet I have not actually seen any of these giant prams, but given that they take up the same space as that used for cars - they must be bl..dy huge !!! - and lord only knows what size the babies must be ??

Now once again I have to report on the upcoming departure of one our village people, young C.... (English - a would be beach bum). It would appear that the lure of Manchester is too strong, ( does Manchester have any lure ??) - so within the next few weeks he and his young lady will depart to seek his fame and fortune in the land of Gordon Brown. I wish him well - but suspect he leaves with a heavy heart. But on this occasion I can report that as one village member departs so another is about to make his return. Many moons ago a person of Scottish origins and with a questionable taste in hats left with the promise that he would return. Well it would appear that date is not far off. He has indicated that in October/November he will return to set up up his new business here in Riga, and that from the beginning 2009 he will be here on a regular basis. So to I.. welcome back !!

Now on the subject of things Scottish this little video ditty was sent to me by our erstwhile J... (Australian - hoping for an erection soon ! - of houses that is !)

Aaaahh The joys of youth and insensitive mothers !

Nowadays it seems that writing this blog takes more than a few days, so since I started writing this at the weekend and it is now Wednesday, I can update all that the outdoor cafes - bars are fast disappearing - the latest being in Livi Square, so with bust a few days until their licences run out, I suspect by the end of next week they will all be gone, and that is a sure sign that Winter is approaching. One noticeable absentee this year has been the dancing she, that's the one that "dances" in ever diminishing circles, likewise the bearded artist, who I have to confess I have never actually seen draw a caricature of anyone, but it was always nice to see him sitting there on his little stool, cigarette in mouth and clearly pondering on the worlds (or his) problems.

This weekend sees the annual congregation of all Australians in Riga to watch the Aussie rules football final between Geelong and Hawthorne, and I am advised that Geelong are the favourites - so to all who may wish to watch this spectacle then I believe it kicks off at 7.30am local time, and the place to be is F..... (Hostel of world repute). For those like me who have no idea of the rules then I suggest you visit YouTube and watch this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA4gmMvye5M where all will be revealed. Beer and Vegemite toast will be on offer if it is anything like last year.

So with Riga basking in a late burst of sunshine I am off to visit the local park, complete with book and soak up the fading rays of this evening.

Poles apart

Now as we all know in recent time we have seen the demise of a number of the local drinking establishments - in part due to the ridiculous rents being asked in the Old Town, but equally the reality is that they are suffering from a lack of clients.

Now in an effort to buck this trend the management of the village lounge have come up with an "interesting" experiment - Pole Dancers !!! Now I am not sure exactly what kind of clients this new attraction will attract - but given the bad publicity Riga has earned in recent years with its so called sex tourists, I am not sure that endeavor will add to Riga's reputation. However it has to be said that you cannot blame the management for trying to bring extra trade, as in the past week the average number of people in the lounge has rarely been above 3-4, at least during the hours that I visit, which of course is in the early part of the evening. Regretfully it will not attract any of the locals - but if helps the coffers and permits it to continue trading - then I guess we will have to live with it.

I have been assured that said dancing around the pole will only take place late in the evening, and only at the latter part of the week and at weekends.

Now on a another subject - namely Newcastle United. Those of you with any vestige of interest in football will know that in recent weeks the club has been in a state of disarray over the resignation of their beloved manager, who is apparently treated like a god, even though in all his time(s) at the club he not won a single trophy. Now it may only be a coincidence, but as you know one of our ex village members B..... (English - teacher par excellence) was and is a devoted supporter of said club. He recently achieved his life ambition by gaining a job in Newcastle. Now far be it for me to suggest such a thing but could it be more than a coincidence that no sooner has he settled in at Newcastle and gone to watch at least one game, then WHAM Keegan is gone and the club supporters are threatening to savage the owner ????

Also a question "Where have all the Irish Gone ?" - It is nearly two weeks since any sign of our Irish village people were seen - Have they all gone back to the home of the little people ?

Mind you there was a Irish invasion at the weekend, when about 30+ of them arrived upstairs in the village lounge to watch the Liverpool v Manchester United game, and I have to say what a week behaved bunch they were. Mind you they were of a mature age ! Speaking of games watched the Australia v New Zealand game, which had us all guessing right up to the end, but New Zealand eventually triumphed in what was a great game to watch. However the Aussies with whom I watched the game with took defeat well.

It is now a few days since I started this blog, and I can report that the pole dancing seems to be somewhat of a success, and is pulling in the punters, including one of our very own V.... (Mexican-Latvian - voyeur of the strange) who I am sure was there in a purely medical capacity, in order to provide assistance to any of the male fraternity overcome with excitement or indeed the dancers should they impale themselves against the pole.

Now if some of you out there think such frivolities should not be going on in what is claimed as an authentic Irish Bar can I direct you to www.misspoledanceireland.com where you will discover that such dancing is in the fine tradition if Irish dancing !! Indeed I have even discovered that there is a Pole Dancing World Championship !.

Now fior those of not educated as to what delights await you in the land of pole dancing check out the video below- Enjoy !!

All done in the best possible taste ! - personally having watched the video I cannot see what all the fuss is about

More Tattle than Tittle

Well my faithful readers as you might gather from the lack of postings Riga is seriously quiet right now. Little or no cretins to moan about - no real activity at Zvannieki, but hopefully the latter might change this week, as I expect to visit there alongwith that rare bread of persons in Latvia - an electrician.


Elsewhere one of our beloved village people has been a smidgen unwell whilst on holiday, personally I put it down to the socks he wears - but I understand from our local Doc - V , that he is now on the road to recovery and may soon return to the fold in the next week or so. If anybody out there would like to send him a speedy recovery from his ailment - then just think what he would treasure most !


On the domestic front the said cat has grown, and I can now state without fear of contradiction that it is male and has been named Nielson (do not ask why)


Riga with its fast diminishing number of so called Irish pubs, now can lay claim only have one type of Irish - Guinness !! - A few weeks ago saw the disappearance of the cider Strongbow, and last week saw the disappearance of my tipple - Wexford - not just from the village lounge but from every pub in Riga !1 The country is going to the dogs !!


Is there no one out there you can put the money together and get a decent pub up and running - PLEASE !!


It is also fair to say that Autumn is nearly upon us, as with the return to school of Latvia's child like persons, so the weather is reminding us with ever lower temperatures that Winter is not so far away. Speaking of Winter I can re-cnfirm that our annual Christmas party will be held on Thursday 18th December at the same location as last year and with the same chef - P..... (Waste disposal guru) - so to those can make this date please put it in the diary and if possible let me know. I will be sending out an e-mail to all of last years particpants later in October. Also be remonded that we need goodies for the raffle and the auction - the more unusal the better !!!


One thing I have noticed in recent days is a number of the outdoor cafes are removing their chairs and tables from outside - perhaps a sign that the number of tourists is also diminishing.


Now young J... (Australian - budding house panel builder) has suggested that we make a little trip up river in October - so if anyone is interested let he or I know - perhaps our last chance to have a village outing before the onslaught of Winter.