COLD, CROSS AND RUBBISH DAY

It was bitterly cold today with a very sharp wind. The sun was out all day but it made no difference. It was also the Latvian cross country championships. The standard at the front of the races was good but it dropped away sharply after a few runners. There were also very few young children so the health of running is not good at all here.

And today was also Big Clean Up day where everyone goes out and cleans the roadsides and forests. The woods where I live are awful with litter and need far more than one day to clean. before I went I saw the weather man in the shops in his scruffy gear and carrying loads of the white bags everyone uses. So he was obviously off to do his bit in the woods. I bet television comes to follow him. But it is a good idea and UK could do with the same thing. The sides of the A1 are just rubbish tips.

I went to the forest and gardens exhibition yesterday. It was really weak, not just with people but also layout and ideas. I went with my colleague Juris and he asked loads of questions. It was clear that there were hardly any products made in Latvia (apart from the plants on sale of course). Virtually all the ceramics and garden furniture were foreign and again even much of the wooden made stuff was from other countries. But one good thing is that one of the Latvian tractor selling companies is opening a factory to assemble vehicles for Russia and Egypt this week. That is a serious happening. I hope to visit there on Tuesday.

But it was a good day apart from seeing the rabbits on sale for breeding to kill for skins and all the heads and horns of Deer and Elk. I do not like this sort of thing at all especially the poor seeing the poor bunnies.