Bulgaria with Noodles

The weather has been decidedly wintry for the last few days. We had a fair bit of snow and some of it has not melted, as the temperatures have been so low. Happy anniversary, Mr Putin! Three years of war, destruction, death, mutilation, wives becoming widows and children losing their fathers. What a bastard! What a scumbag! It made me so angry when Trump said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was really Ukraine’s own fault, just as Hitler tried to say that it was all the fault of Poland. (The Nazis arranged a number of "false flag" operations, so that they could have excuses for their aggression and their attacks on Poland and other European countries.)  The good news is that the Americans are gradually learning what a piece of filth Trump really is. Elon Musk is even worse. The mid-term elections are not so very far away and a lot of Republican senators and congressmen are going to face re-election. It should be interesting. As for Europe, my guess is that many countries ...

Simon! I was just getting ready to reply to your most recent missive when, in my search for it, this email with an interview of you popped up.  For some reason, I hadn't seen this, and so missed hearing you and your wife's dulcet tones (admittedly mostly drowned out by the commentator talking in Bulgarian) extolling the virtues of Bulgaria, particularly vs the overcrowded little island that is Britain. On the subject of how little Britain is, I am reminded that it is impossible to locate yourself anywhere in Britain more than 75 miles from the sea. Sobering when you think about it.  Loved the interview, loved hearing your voice, loved seeing your adorable pad in the Bulgarian countryside, loved the views. And burst out laughing at your Grand Prix driving skills as exhibited on your lawnmower. Delightful. I will revert to you in reply to your more recent emails.  Cheers, Markoi And here is my reply to Markoi's email. My Dearest Markoi,   Monday, 10th Februar...

Dear Markoi,                     Imagine my disappointment when I get a message from Malcolm Cooper, aka the Gibbon or the Capon, telling me that you are in fact still alive. As you can probably imagine, it really spoiled my day to receive this news. Well, maybe they have not put out all of the fires yet, so there is still hope! Of course, you are absolutely useless at replying to emails, so I am not surprised that I did not receive a reply to my last missive. In fact, it rather encouraged me to hope that you might perhaps have been burned to death, but now I have accepted the unpleasant fact that probably are still alive. You might be surprised when I tell you that Bulgaria used to be cheap. That was one of the reasons that we decided to retire here. The bad news is that Bulgaria is becoming more expensive. A lot of people say that this is some sort of preparation for joining the Euro. Perhaps you, like me, are just old enough to r...