Someone suggested (Nay...complained) that I should say hello before I start writing so....Hello

A bit of personal stuff today so you can either continue reading or look for the link below to my write up on Anne Frank. I think I know where most of the guy's will go.

I thought to, just once, tell you a bit about me so that you know what makes me do what I do. I was a widower for almost 20 years and having got rid of my kids, I got busy writing stuff on health, sport, gardening and travelling. Someone recently Googled my name and noticed there were something approaching 10,000 pages about my writing. I told them that 10,000 pages is not a lot in comparison to some but hey, I've still got time.

My baby daughter told me to get out and about saying that I wasn't exactly ugly and apparently have a demeanour that appeals to some women (although I could never work out why they didn't hang around too long.....just joking. ) I suppose 20 years as  ladies hairdresser made me quite comfortable with the ladies. You'd be amazed what 'madam' tells her hairdresser so I know lots of secrets.

I've had some great relationships but I wanted to be sure the kids grew up as stable as possible so I tried to avoid the long term stuff and in trying to be honest, I mentioned that to my lady friends right at the beginning. Sometimes it was greeted with a smile ..... and...well....you know.

On holiday in Russia I took a trip down to the southernmost tip of Ukraine where many Russians go for their  holidays to a city called Sebastopol (the Russian b is pronounced as a v). It's on the Crimean coast of the black sea (Due north of Turkey) and near where Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met to dissect the map of Europe and create the new one after the last war. I have a lady friend down there (in Sevastopol) who is the widow of a friend I had in England who killed himself on a motorcycle.

While I was there, she made a suggestion that we go for a walk which I thought a bit wierd as she hates walking...anyway, she stopped outside a large house where she proceeded to ring a bell......Well.... I thought she was reverting to childhood and was ready to run off quickly with her when suddenly....the door opened and a vision appeared. Turns out it was pre planned in an effort to get me hitched again.

Obviously I fought and fought but the vision won in the end. We courted ( is that the right word these days or is it 'hung out together?') I eventually got her a visa and brought her to England and we married. I was a very young sixty-eight and she a mere youth at forty-nine. Here we are, more than two years later and it gets better daily except she's no longer meek and bosses me around!

Her name is Nadya and she's a divorcee from a violent marriage. She was a classical pianist and in a drunkan rage, her ex smashed her hand with a hammer as well as some other nasty stuff. Here's a 'pic from our wedding. I'm not that fat anymore 'cos I run or weight train most days as everyone at the wedding said how good looking my kids were and just looked at my, (then) belly and walked away.

I guess I'd better add a pic of my babies as they said they want to go over what I write today (fool that I was to tell them.)

Now....why am I doing the personal bit today? Because I want to show you how clever I am. Bringing Nadya back and marrying her started off an evil plan which developed in my mind.

I could stay home and she could go to work therefore fulfilling my life's ambition to be a 'kept man'.  Of course the real reason was to show you some of the stuff Nadya forces me to eat. From time to time I'll throw in a few images starting today. Believe me, it isn't easy to eat what she cooks and keep slim (ish) in the process.  Click here to see larger images.

One of our members has given me an idea. You know how I'm always on about you guys contributing.....well she has contributed.....with a couple of recipes for a dish that is said to originate in central Europe but I had it many times in Italy....just look at the name.. Pierogi.....does that sound like central europe?..... not a ... ski or .... ev .... or ... ky anywhere to be seen.

I lived and worked in Poland and Ukraine for some years and the Pierogi images look exactly as I remember them except they weren't called Pierogi.

Here's the Ukraine recipe and here's the Polish one.....but she cleverly used the Ukraine name, Varenyky......(see....a ...ky)..........That reminds me.... where are your recipes or images or stories???????

The next newsletter will have information on the seemingly never ending discussion on 'duplicate content penalties' where you'll learn that it just doesn't exist.

Character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln:

Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands
Anne Frank:

I did a piece on Anne Frank here