Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I have been in England for 11 days now, Christmas has come and gone and 2012 is just around the corner. This time last year there was snow everywhere and the UK was going through one of it's worst winters in more than 100 years. It has been very mild this time around. Even though I now live in the very beautiful country of Slovenia I always enjoy visiting my sister in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

I ate 3 snickers bars yesterday over a about a 12 hour period. My sister cooked me a nice vegetable stew for tea.
The weather is getting a little warmer at the moment and this morning I managed to buy my last 2 Christmas presents.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

OK so I am in the UK for the holiday season, that would be Christmas and New Year. My sister has complained that I do not update my blog enough, so here I am.For the first time in 2 years my flight from Ljubljana was on time and I managed to get a train quickly and was at my sister's house before 11pm. It has been a little bit colder than Slovenia and rainy so far, but very relaxing.Nice to go running in the English countryside and over the next few weeks I will get the chance to see a lot of football ;)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

So I am back in Ljubljana after 2 months in Sarajevo and the first thing I did was stub my toe and badly bruise it, sore but still able to run. I have to say it feels colder here than in Sarajevo, but for now it is nice to be back. I have two and a half weeks here before I go to the UK for the holidays, but it also looks like I will make a short trip to Serbia in about 9 days time. Hey it's December and another year is almost over!

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Last night I gave a talk on Meditation and Sport to a group of around 20 people at the Bosnian Cultural Center in Sarajevo. Considering that it is a holiday here that was a decent turnout.
The weather here is still quite good though it is supposed to start getting cold at night in fact the coldest it has been since I got here. When I left Ljubljana I didn't bring a winter coat or shoes, I made a request from one of my friends there and yesterday I finally received them, just in time for the cold nights ;)

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Here in Sarajevo the jazz fest has started and last night was the opening night. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see the Rosenberg trio. The concert was great, though it did start a little late, not sure what the organizers were up to.
I have been in Sarajevo now for 1 month and I am very happy with the time I have spent here so far.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

I was supposed to go to Maribor, Slovenia this weekend for a special ceremony on Sunday, but after my run on Saturday morning I had quite strong sciatic pain in my left hip area. This made sitting in a car for 7 or 8 hours very difficult so I did not go. I figured my hips needed adjusting and was able to do this myself however the discomfort continued for sometime. By this morning the pain had moved to my middle back area and seemed manageable, I decided to go for a run which turned out to be uncomfortable in the beginning, but got a little better by the end. I am confident it will improve as the coming week goes on, but a little sorry that I was unable to make the trip.

Friday, October 21, 2011

With a few exceptions I have gone to the UK to visit my family at Christmas and today I bought my ticket. The last couple of years my flight has been late each time. I hope I am not tempting fate by saying this, but if the weather is good this year I wont be delayed.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

It has been I while since I have written anything here, so a quick update. I ran the 12 hour race in Belgrade on the weekend of 23/24 September. Though I got sick just before I was quite happy with my run completing 42 miles ( 68 Km ) and finishing 3rd in my age group. Eight days later I took a bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia where I am currently staying. I am in the process of trying to set up an organic coffee business, things are progressing well and hopefully....

Friday, September 16, 2011

My return

I have been without internet access since I got back to Ljubljana on Saturday, so was unable to post what I am about to now.
Saturday September 10 I traveled by bus from Belgrade to Ljubljana, there were some delays at the borders between Serbia and Croatia and also Croatia and Slovenia,but I reminded myself of the delay I had experienced 10 years before on the next day. On September 10 2001 I took a flight from Skopje, Macedonia and then had an overnight in Vienna, which I was quite happy with this because I had a chance to visit with some friends there.
The next morning after an early breakfast, (I was staying in an airport hotel provided by the airline) I checked in for my morning flight to New York.. There were a group of Russians on my flight and sitting in my window seat I was surounded by some of them. The flight was quite uneventful and as we approached Canada and 3 hours or so from New York I decided to catch a little sleep. I woke up a few minutes later to the sound of the captains voice and the last thing I heard was him saying was " And then we will continue on to Vienna". Of course I was confused by this and wanted to ask what was going on, but none of the Russians spoke English. After a short time one of the cabin crew came through and when I asked was told that there had been an attack on the financial district in New York and the airspace over America had been closed. The captain came on again and explained that the attack had happened while we were about halfway and we had been told to continue on and land in Canada, but as we approached were told that there were too many plane on the ground and we would have to fly back to Europe. We would in fact land in London, refuel and continue on to Vienna.I had been in New York when the WTC had been bombed and thought that maybe something similar had happened. As we approached London we were told that the airspace there had also now been closed and were directed to Manchester, where we landed safely and refueled. A lot of planes did the same thing and it was quite a while before we were back in the air.
We finally arrived back in Vienna about 13 hours after we had left, we were processed and eventually taken to hotels in Vienna. I was luck enough to get a nice hotel on the edge of the city.
It was not until September 15th that my flight made it into JFK airport. We were the first flight in and it was quite an experience to see a completely empty airport and of course the atmosphere in the immigration hall was very strange.
So 10 years later I had a much simpler journey with just a small delay to remind me of what is now sometimes just simply called 9/11.


Monday, September 05, 2011

On Saturday ( 2 days ago) a few of us were invited to an animal sanctuary in Djurdjevo. It seems that every year there is a sort of open day where there are tables with information about animal protection and also healthy vegetarian eating. As the World Harmony Run we did a small run with some of the local children and then got to enjoy the vegetarian buffet that was served to everyone. The whole thing is organized by a Swiss national, who I believe works for the Embassy in Serbia, Monika Brukner and she does a great job. Had a great time and was happy that I had a chance to go. Check out her website http://www.dzzdjurdjevo.com

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Late this evening will mark 16 years since my mother was killed and I became an orphan. So much has happened since that time and my life has gone on and on. It is a time for me to reflect and to be grateful for everything I have had and have. Our parents help to make us what we are and I think of them both.

For those of you who know another side of me I would also like to wish a Happy Birthday to Alo Devi, who has helped me with much guidance in my life.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Some years ago I was unlucky enough to get a case of poison ivy and I was told at the time that it stays in your blood for several years. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that every year it flairs up at some point in the summer, though I must say it seems to be getting weaker, so I guess it is finally going out of my system.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

A few days ago after finishing my work I was sitting in front of the cafe with Dejan the manager, when a casually dressed man walked by, he looked familiar. After he had passed I looked at Dejan and he said yes that was Vojislav Kostunica former President of Yugoslavia, it seems he lives nearby. He is still the leader of a political party here, but as he walked by he didn't look like a VIP.

While I was living in New York Squirells were ever present, they were like a plague in the city. I have been here in Belgrade for almost 2 months now and I have not seen even one.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

One of the guys I work with in the cafe also works with a small theater group and last night I went to see a performance of a play called, Pagan Phantasma or The secret of Betrayal. It is basically about Judas's betrayal of Christ, but in a very modern interpretation. It was quite interesting, most of it was in English. It rained on my way to town and it got quite cooler as a result.

This morning I went for a run in the park near where I live and followed the path by the river all the way to the bridge that I cross everyday on the way to work.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

This past weekend I went with a few friends to Slovenia. After about a 5 1/2 hour drive we stopped at a friends house in Bled and had lunch then we continued on to Planica, where we were going to spend the night at the Olympic sports center there, On Sunday some of the group went up Triglav mountain. I actually spent the day visiting Lakes Bled and Bohin. We all got back together in the early evening and drove back to Belgrade, arriving at around 1:30 on Monday morning. After a sleepy day at work and an afternoon run, I met up with some other friends and drove 2 hours south to Nish were I watched and listened to some old friends give a concert and arrived once again back in Belgrade at 12:45 am, tired but having fun.

Monday, June 27, 2011

On Friday I went with some friends to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. On the way we stopped in Skopje and did a little sight seeing. This included the new statue that has been erected there. For political reasons it is officially called the rider on a horse, but unofficially it is Alekasander the great. It is quite impressive.
I was in Orhid twice before, once for a few days in 1995 and a second time when I flew out of the airport there when the airport in Skopje was closed for runway resurfacing. We stayed in a nice hotel about 5km outside the city of Ohrid, with a beautiful view of the lake. On Saturday we climbed up Galicica mountain and then visited Ohrid city. On Sunday we went to Sveti Naum or Saint Naum. Inbetween I ran a 2 mile race ( which it turns out was 3000m ) and a 1 mile race up and down a hill the next day. I had a really great time and returned quite tired and sore to Belgrade on Sunday night. I had the opportunity to stay for 2 more days, but needed to get back to work this morning.

Monday, June 20, 2011

I have been in Belgrade now for almost 2 weeks and I think I am pretty well settled in. This past weekend was interesting for me. Saturday morning, after running with some friends. I played a little 3 on 3 football ( soccer ) and I think I surprised a few people with my goal scoring skills.
Later in the day it got pretty hot, when I took the bus into the city it was 39.1 C which is 102 F, the humidity was not as bad as it used to be in New York, but it takes something out of you.
On Sunday I heard that my old friend and spiritual brother Mokshogun Clarence Clemmons had passed away, so my thoughts were with him. He had a big heart and a big smile. In the evening it rained and now everything has cooled down a little.

Monday, June 13, 2011

I am staying in an appartment on the 13th floor.We have a balcony that give me a nice view of the river and the city just across the river. There are a lot of linden trees in this area and actually there are some in front of the building. June is the month that they flower and the fragance wafts up and is so beautiful.This morning, after my run I strained something in the right side of my back and it was very painful when I first got to work. I managed to do my job ok, but it let me know it was there from time to time.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Some 4 days ago I came by bus to Belgrade where I will stay for the next 3 months. It is quite hot here, around 30C, but there are thunderstorms at night and ocasionally during the afternoon. I am staying in an appartment in New Belgrade, on the 13th floor. It is near to the river Sava and so I can run by the river veryday if I want to. I am quite familiar with the place as I stayed here in March. I am working 4 hours a day at a cafe owned by a friend of mine, I work in the mornings. I have worked for the last 3 days and I am starting to get my job down. I hope that I will have time to write more and also to finally learn Serbian well enough to have conversations with people and that it will help me with my Slovenian. We will see how things go, I am looking forward to my time here.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

It's hard to believe that I didn't post in May, I guess I was busy. First of all I went by train to Munich on May 9th, this was not wothout incident. Due to track work they took us by bus from Ljubljana to Kranj, where the train left as soon as everyone was on board. Again in Austria we had to change trains twice to avoid track work and so I arrived about 40 minutes late. From then on the week went really well. I got a 1 week subway pass and found it quite easy to get around the city. I gave 2 talks on the relationship between Sport and Meditation, both well attended. I also ran a 2 mile race in a rain storm.
On the weekend I went with some friends to Berlin, though I didn't get to see much of the city. it's an interesting place.

In the last part of May I spent a few days in Zagreb, Croatia, where I got to attend a performance of some of Tagore's music as part of Indian culture week there.

The last few days of the month were in Banja Luka, Bosnia, where I actually met the League Champions Borac the day before they celebrated their first ever league title.

I will try to post some photo's later.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011


Ok so I was in New York for 10 days and it was quite cold there, spring is 3 to 4 weeks behind what it is here in Slovenia. Anyway in the week that I have been back it has been quite busy I went mushroom hunting twice. The first time I found just 4 Morels and yesterday I went out again and found a nice haul. In between I made a short trip to my place in Donje Dubrave in Croatia and came back with some organic eggs and my favourite smoked cheese. The morels are quite small and I am told by locals that this is because of the lack of rain. We had rain last night and more is expected through the week, so I expect to find more when I go out again. In the photo is about half of the mushrooms I found.

Friday, March 25, 2011

The last 2 days have really had the feeling of Spring pleasantly warm with temp's around 20C. As the week has progressed it has gotten warmer, though the nights are still quite cool. The rain we had the last few days of winter have ensured that all plant life is ready to grow and indeed it is. The trees can't seem to wait for thier leaves and blossoms to open to the world and each day I see more and more as I walk into the city. The last 2 days I have been going out for my run in T shirt and shorts, which is a lot nicer. This weekend I will be in Hungary and hope that the nice weather continues there.

Monday, March 21, 2011

I ran my besy time for 10k when I was 26 or 27 years old. Yesterday at the age of 57 I ran my first 10k race probably since starting to run multiday races. It was a well organized race on the Slovenian coast. There were around 900 runners and the race fee was 15 euro.It is between to small towns. You park your car near the finishing line and they take you by bus to the start. The soline 10k is pretty flat except for one quite big hill at around 6k, then of course there is a downhill. After running a half marathon 2 weeks ago my legs were feeling quite strong, the air was good and my breathing was good. I tried to keep and even pace, there were no K markers until the last one so it was hard to know what my pace was. There was one water station just before the hill. I would have preferred more, but it was most welcome when it came. I was thinking to run under 1 hour would be ok and was surprised when I saw the 1k to go mark and saw on my watch 44 minutes. I crossed the finishing line in 50:25. The best time I ever ran for 10k some 30 years ago is 38:48. So time as not treated me so badly. It was a beautiful morning and I was really glad that I am getting into the racing scene again and hope to do a lot more in the coming year.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

So I got back 2 days ago from my visit to Serbia, where I ran a half marathon in Nish. I then spent a week in Belgrade with friends and even got to help out in a friends cafe. It seems that I will go and work there in June possibly for 3 months since one of the workers is taking a break and they need some cover. It was cold when I got there, but gradually got warmer as the week went on and was around 18 C when I left. It is just a little colder here in Ljubljana and rainy.

Friday, February 18, 2011

If we are fortunate to live a long life we will at sometime be touched by death. Now as I approach 60, well just less than 3 years away, I can say that I have been touch by death on more than one occasion. Just a couple of weeks ago I was informed that a cousin had passed away in the night. There had been a period of time when I had lost touch with her and a few years ago reconnected and on doing so was informed that she was in recovery from breast cancer. I was lucky enough to visit with her and her family ( my family) on a few occasions. After moving to Slovenia, even though I was closer I did not get a chance to visit. It seems that the cancer returned and she was unable to get the medication to treat it. So, as is often the case the cancer finally took her. Death as with life is a learning experience and so a new lesson has been given.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Still adjusting to life back in Slovenia, but went to Maribor yesterday for a few hours yesterday. There is not so much snow around and I noticed that they are making snow on some of the hills for the skiers. There was group of about 12 guys on the flight over who had come for a skiing weekend, I hope they had enough snow to ski.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Well it's almost time for me to leave the UK again and head back to Slovenia. Yesterday I went into Birmingham by train to meet up with my old friend Abichal, I have not seen him since he left New York over 3 years ago. It was great to spend around 7 hours talking about things and kinda catching each other up on what has been going on with us. Tomorrow I travel back to Slovenia, it has been a nice break and great spending time with family, but it will be nice to be back.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

I have been in Penkridge, where my sister lives for 2 weeks now. When I got here it was very cold and there was snow everywhere. This lasted through Christmas day and then the rain came and now the snow has gone. A few days before Christmas I went to see a doctor at the medical center here and he said that my red eye was Bacterial conjunctivitis and gave me antibiotic drops, which I have to put in my eye twice a day for the next 4 weeks. Well I have to say that after about 10 days things are looking a lot better.
It is now 2011 and I would like to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!