Kostel sv. Mikuláse in Malá Strana © Ricky Yates
Tomorrow, Saturday 4th February 2017, marks a significant anniversary – it is exactly eight years since I wrote and posted my first-ever blog post here on ‘Ricky Yates – an Anglican in Prague’. Yes – eight years on, I’m still blogging 🙂
Believe it or not, this is post number 375. But I have to confess that in the past year, I’ve only managed to add 33 posts since celebrating the blog’s seventh birthday, a year ago. Therefore it sadly ranks as my least productive year 🙁 However, I am proud that if you scroll down the right-hand side bar to ‘Archives’, you will see that in each of the 96 months since I started writing, I have managed at least one post in every single one of them!
However, in its forthcoming ninth year, my blog will have to change its name as, very soon after Sunday 30th April, Ricky Yates will cease to be ‘an Anglican in Prague’. Suggestions for a new title are welcome. Likewise, I will need a new header photo to replace the skyline of the city that has been my home for the past eight & a half years.
As I write this post, we are experiencing one of the coldest and snowiest winters that we have had for a number of years. Here in Prague, there hasn’t been as much snow as there was back in January 2010, when the authorities were using JCBs to tip excess snow into the Vltava. But the temperature has been below freezing point for about two weeks and, whilst it has risen today to -1°C 🙂 , after a brief thaw, we are are promised sub-zero temperatures again from next Tuesday.
This year’s severe weather has certainly been positive for one part of the Czech economy. As this news article explains, the Czech ski resorts are having a bumper season. Two years ago, when we experienced the mildest of all our nine winters here, they suffered considerably because of warm temperatures and a lack of snow.
I am still trying to get my head around the fact that twelve weeks on Sunday, I will retire. There is still so much to do as part of the day job, not least divesting myself of things that I normally do, to members of the laity. That is before starting to sort out papers and belongings, ready to move.
But I do promise to try and continue adding regular posts here over the coming weeks. And as I’m taking the week of annual leave owing to me in 2017, from Monday 13th – Monday 20th February inclusive, I may even finally complete the text of my long-promised book, ‘How to be Czech’. Watch this space!
The ‘Carly’ in the snow 🙂 © Ricky Yates
Happy anniversary to Ricky’s blog!!!! What will your new header be and the name of the blog? Retired but not expired? I am quite convinced that you will find something good.
Speaking of winter, this year seem to break some records all over. Up here in the south of Sweden we have our third winter without any severe snowdepths, hardly any and just an odd day here and there below zero. I do have pictures with our garden covered in snow and the girls making fortresses, snowchairs and snowmen. I have also been dragging up and down the hill with snowracers of all kinds, my husbands old one included, winter after winter, so we don’t miss it much. It’s disastrous for the Spaniards and Greeks, and some in Italy, the harvest for one, and the cold, badly isolated houses in the countryside. Poor souls!!! And OH poor Englishmen, what on earth SHALL they do without vegetables!!!
I love the idea of a book, I will for certain beg for a copy. As for my own blog, it’s only an infant, soon 1 year beginning from my hip surgery February 10th. As I have been reading my way through your posts, I keep realizing the enormous variety of subjects and the interesting facts you always add to your stories. Thank you!!!!
Thank you for your good wishes to the blog, Solveig. The blog & its owner appreciate them 🙂 Thank you too, for your suggested new blog title. I’ll wait to see what other suggestions I get or whether I can come up with something imaginative.
Regarding the current winter weather, I hadn’t realised that the reverse of the very cold weather in the past few weeks reaching Italy, Spain & Greece, had left you in Sweden, with a virtually snow free winter. What we’ve had this winter in the Czech Republic, is more like what we normally have experienced until the relatively mild winters of the past few years. Vegetable rationing in the UK indeed!
As soon as the book is completed and published it will be announced here. It will be self-published via Amazon, as my wife’s two books have been, so very easy to order online. Very glad to hear that you’re are enjoying some of my earlier 375 blog posts.
Congratulations and best wishes as always Ricky on reaching another milestone with your wonderful blog. I’m sure you’ll have no difficulty in finding a new title or a new header photograph from the beautiful area where you are planning to make your new home. Winter in Ireland has been milder and drier than in recent years, very few frosty days and thank God very little rain, therefore no repeat of the disastrous flooding of recent winters along the River Shannon and other rivers in the Midlands which caused huge dislocation, misery and destruction to family homes and businesses. I too am looking forward to your book.
Continued success in your endeavours and enjoy your break. God bless, Sean.
Thank you once more, Sean. I’m sure I will find a new header & title for the blog in due course.
Very glad to hear that you’ve not had adverse weather to contend with this winter. Floods can be so destructive. Thanks as always, for your best wishes.
A late “happy anniversary”! I look forward to reading your blog beyond Prague, though I must say that it’s been a great comfort to have it whilst living here in the Czech Republic. I am nowhere near punctual nor frequent about posting on my own nor reading others (I tend to do a binge once per month), but nevertheless, your blog is one I come back to again and again – I’ve read every post!
Please may we have coffee before you leave? I hesitate to ask as you’ve such a busy post and will be even busier with moving, but it would make my day.
Hi Emily – thank you for your anniversary best wishes & thank you also for once more commenting here. I’m very pleased to know that you’ve read every post 🙂
As for meeting up for coffee – no problem! Drop me an email via ‘Contact’ in the right-hand sidebar of the blog. It will land in my relatively new private email inbox, one of the many things I’ve had to set up in advance of retirement.