I have just read an artical in the online Sun news paper and they were doing a comparison of how the down turn of the economies throughout Europe affects the citizens.Well it is a bit tough when you have been used to owning to cars and having to sell one of them and not being able to go out for a meal once week or buying new clothes on a regular basis. I am afraid that this down turn followed by hardship is no fault of thiers but of the goverments and bankers.Having said that I had to make a comment on the story as I felt that a reality check was needed.
I was brought up in the 50's and 60's as a child and I remember in my garden was a tin air raid shelter along with chickens and runner beans etc.
My Mother and Father had very little money like our fellow Bulgarians and had to survive on what they could grow or breed for food. Toilet paper was the old news paper and if you could afford you had that "
Izal"
toilet paper that was shiny and inadequate for the purpose.As a kid an apple and an orange plus a few nuts along with the gold wrapped chocolate coins was Christmas and we did not complain. Some of you may say that what you havn't had you don't miss and this is true for most part and cannot relate to today. So here I am living in Bulgaria like many of you sitting on the fence looking in at the rest of Europe. I admire the Bulgarians for their enginuity of life and are not that far removed from the days of my child hood and the more wealthier inhabitants of Europe could learn a lot about survival in hard times.
I must admit that I feel deeply concerned for those who have a mortgage and a few kids to support and under threat of losing thier jobs and home having been led up the garden path by the goverments and bankers when 2008 hit! I can see that there will be a need for people to start growing the veggies and raising chickens again as our fore fathers once did so long as the Councils allow them to do so.
There will be hard times for years to come and long after I am the other side of the grass for the citizens of Europe to put this financial night mare behind them.The goverments are trying to maintain a style of living that preceeded 2008 and it is not going to happen so instead of putting a sticking plaster on an elephants bum try doing a full operation when it is needed by: Stop handing out money to countries that do not need it like China. Get the immigration agencies to do thier jobs and stop illegals from entering and then when caught send them straight back! Pull the troops out of Afghanistan which will save lives and money as the Russians had a go for years and failed. The only reason that we are in Aghanistan and Iraq is for the oil as you don't see any American troops in in the African countries where despots rule like Zimbabwie!

I have had my little rant and the only thing I have to say is "
Arn't you glad you live in Bulgaria"
!

speedgunner wrote:

Toilet paper was the old news paper and if you could afford you had that "
Izal"
toilet paper that was shiny and inadequate for the purpose.As a kid an apple and an orange plus a few nuts along with the gold wrapped chocolate coins was Christmas

Not a rant at all ... great post and some serious 'blasts from the past' for me! I suppose as a child we were relatively lucky as we had an 'indoor' loo ... my Aunty Alice had one at the bottom of the garden (with torn up sheets of newspaper on string hung on the back of the door for loo roll) and it could get pretty nippy in winter!

Rant thats no rant sounds very much like my childhood except we had an indoor toilet.

Although your very right about Governments and bankers we may need to add things like Immigration, which has led to the virtual breakdown of the welfare state. The PC brigade, and just giving away money to so called Countries that need help. Why? Yes we are lucky that money goes further in BG but we can also own more land in comparison to the UK. Our UK house had a garden but it was a postage stamp. At least here we have not a garden but land, :Good post:Now look at the rest of Europe. Its only the stupid and arrogant one's that appear to be in trouble. If you have ever been to Greece then you will know exactly what I mean. Man yana.

:Good post:Speedgunner. I am of that generation too and can't believe that people think they are poor if they haven't got all the latest gadgets and designer clothes. Someone is sure to answer you that we have to progress. Well, a lot of what is now considered progress is just consumerism - not the same thing at all. So many of the old values have been irretrevably lost. Yes, Governments and bankers have a lot to answer for and should certainly tighten up immigration and benefits. The latter is very contentious because there are always those who lose out when they shouldn't.
As for Afghanistan and the oil problems. Has anyone thought that if no-one bought oil from these countries they would have to quickly come to heel? Unfortunately, there is probably not enough oil elsewhere to compensate until the penny dropped due to overuse of power. Back to the good 'old days' which few would want.
Yes, I am glad I live in Bulgaria at the moment. However, time will tell if I stay but if I do go back to Britain I am well aware that it will be a financial disaster.... We mustn't forget that Bulgaria has its own grave problems and we are fortunate to have a better income to live here than the village Bulgarians themselves.
As for Greece - you all know that I lived and had a business there for years and I could have predicted the outcome of entry to the EU having experience of the Greek mentality much as I grew to love them. Why do you think I escaped to Bulgaria on retirement?? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

speedgunner wrote:

So here I am living in Bulgaria like many of you sitting on the fence looking in at the rest of Europe. I admire the Bulgarians for their enginuity of life and are not that far removed from the days of my child hood and the more wealthier inhabitants of Europe could learn a lot about survival in hard times.

There are many of us living here in BG and looking at the rest of Europe, especially the UK and wondering what they are all up to now! For us living in BG is a blessing from what life would be like living back in the old country. It is all very well the EU complaining about the corruption over here, corruption is rife throughout Europe and in the UK, they just have a better idea of how to hide it in Europe.

When I was a kid 'Izal"
was a new toilet paper and so was the new soft paper, my father in law used to say one was for wiping and the other one was for polishing!! If I had admitted to "
not going today"
my mother produced sena pod leaves and put them in a cup with boiling water and I had to drink this magic potion. For anyone who has not drunk this stuff don't bother, it is the most disgusting putrid tasting mixture that would ever pass your lips.

How I loved reading the posts on this subject and I agree with all of you.
I laughed about the so called toilet paper!! My mother always used to tell me and my brother how lucky we were not to have to use Bronco loo paper, how when she was young there wasn`t anything else.
Yes, we have come along way technology wise and sometimes I don`t think it is a good thing, especially for children who over use computers, I let my 13 year old use the PC for homework and not much else.
Myabe things will reverse in the future. Just look at the Roman and Greek Empires. People had running water and there were sewers.
Then things fell apart and peoples lives went backwards.
I do agree that the simple life is less stressful, but I have to say I love clothes shopping !!!!