AKnoteikumi

20/07/2026

23/06/2026

🌿🔥 Priecīgus Jāņus visiem latviešiem pasaulē! 🔥🌿

Today, on 23–24 June, Latvia celebrates Jāņi — and across the world, wherever Latvians have made their homes, the bonfires burn, the dainas are sung, and the oak-leaf wreaths are woven.

Jāņi dates back to Latvia's pre-Christian era, rooted in pagan beliefs that honoured the sun, fertility, and the cycles of nature.
It is believed that the celebration dates back thousands of years, making it one of the oldest living traditions in Latvian culture. What makes it truly remarkable is that while pagan tribes all over Europe once celebrated the height of summer, in most places Christian traditions long replaced those ancient rites in Latvia. Here, the fire still burns on the same hillsides it always did. Even during the Soviet occupation when Jāņi was suppressed, Latvians kept the tradition alive — making it not just a festival, but a symbol of cultural resilience.
Today it stands as one of the rare officially recognised expressions of living paganism in Europe, acknowledged as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

Bonfires, caraway cheese, homemade beer, dainas sung through the night — these are not just customs. They are the thread that connects us to every generation that stood at this same threshold before us.

Women wear flower crowns of daisies, cornflowers, and clover; men wear oak-leaf wreaths. And nobody sleeps — tradition says that those who sleep on Midsummer night are doomed to sleep all summer long.

We in the UK Latvian community celebrated last weekend, and it was everything Jāņi should be — fires, flowers, song, and the feeling that we carry something ancient and unbroken with us, even here, far from home.

A heartfelt Paldies to Uldis Balodis and Elīna Balode Sociālais medijs LAIVA for creating a celebration that was both family-centred and rooted in true tradition. Because of people like them, our children grow up knowing who they are and where they come from. Wish to notice amaizing business hues support our cultural events- Vilnis Baiks, Norcas Žāvējumi

Lai dzīvo Latvija. Lai dzīvo Jāņi. 🌾☀️

21/06/2026

Feel tuch of Royalty

05/06/2026

🇬🇪 GEORGIA — WHERE THE SOUL OF THE EARTH HAS NEVER BEEN BROKEN

A journey back in time, back to memory, back to self.
Some trips are about sightseeing. This one was about something far older and far deeper — a return to a place that once shaped me, when as part of the Soviet Olympic gymnastics team we trained on Georgian soil, surrounded by a warmth and generosity of spirit I have carried in my heart for decades. Going back as the person I am now, I needed to understand why Georgia never truly left me. And I think I finally do.

BATUMI — THE CITY THAT REINVENTED ITSELF

Batumi surprised me. It has transformed into a sleek, modern resort city — a small Dubai on the Black Sea, with sweeping Newbridge apartment towers, bold contemporary architecture, and a confident cosmopolitan energy that feels brand new. As a family destination it is flourishing, and that development is genuinely impressive. But I will be honest: I felt a whisper of mourning walking those seafront boulevards. The old warmth — that particular Georgian softness, the unhurried hospitality that used to meet you on every corner — has thinned a little in the rush toward modernity. Progress has its cost, and sometimes what it costs is intimacy. Batumi is dazzling. But my heart pulled me east.

TBILISI — A CITY THAT IS A LIVING POEM

Tbilisi is one of those rare cities that wears its entire history on its face — and what a face. Persian bathhouses beside Orthodox cathedrals beside synagogues beside mosques, all breathing the same air, all leaning into the same amber light that falls over the old city at dusk. I walked through Narikala fortress, through the winding lanes of the old town, and felt the weight of layer upon layer of civilisation pressing gently on my shoulders. It is the kind of place where the stones remember things that history books have forgotten.

From Tbilisi I made pilgrimages to several monasteries tucked into the hills and valleys surrounding the city — Mtskheta, Jvari, Svetitskhoveli — places of extraordinary stillness where Christianit

04/06/2026

MINDSET SHIFT — and why it changed everything for me

Many of us were raised to see institutions as the enemy how we se back in our birthplace. Police, Government, Local councils not supporting and often scary to deal with, officials in uniforms but not focused on support. In much of Eastern Europe, history gave us very good reasons for that fear — and I am not dismissing those experiences. They were real. They were painful. They shaped who we are.

But I want to invite you to consider something.

In the UK, those same categories of institution can work differently. Not perfectly — no system is. But fundamentally differently.

The offers free help with legal, financial and housing issues — no appointment needed, no judgment, no cost whitch is independence charity organisation. I have working it myself.

provides free employment dispute resolution. If your employer treats you unfairly, you do not need to suffer in silence or pay a lawyer. You can call ACAS first.

The gives you access to healthcare regardless of your income. Register with a . Use it. It is there for you and free if you are legalresident in the UK.

Your local council provides services for children, the elderly and vulnerable residents — and many Eastern Europeans simply do not know to ask.

Here is what I have learned after living in seven countries and rebuilding my life more than once: the systems that exist to help you only help you if you engage with them. They cannot reach people who are hiding.

The mindset shift is this: stop seeing these institutions as threats to avoid — and start seeing them as tools to use.

I made that shift when I arrived in the UK in 2008 after some time livedand worked in the UK. It was not easy. It felt uncomfortable. But it was the beginning of the most stable chapter of my life.

That shift is available to you too.
How?
Feel free to connect with me for advice and support

EasternEuropeansUK CommunityResources NewBeginnings PositiveMindset

03/06/2026

A message to my Eastern European community 🇱🇻🇵🇱🇷🇴🇧🇬🇭🇺🇺🇦 Many of us grew up in systems where knowing your rights felt dangerous. Where asking questions meant trouble. Where keeping your head down was the only way to survive. I know — because I lived that reality in Soviet Latvia. But I want to tell you something important: the UK is different. Here, knowing your rights is not rebellion. It is not arrogance. It is not "causing trouble." It is expected. It is respected. And it is the single most powerful thing you can do for yourself and your family. If you are renting, your landlord cannot evict you without proper legal notice — and there are organisations that will fight for you if they try. If you are working, you are legally entitled to paid holidays, a National Living Wage, and a safe environment. No employer can take that from you. If you are a parent, your child has the right to free education — full stop. If you face discrimination, the Equality Act 2010 is on your side. I have lived in seven countries. I have had to start over more times than I can count. And the one lesson that has never failed me is this: the people who thrive are not the loudest or the luckiest — they are the most informed. This is not a foreign country threatening you. This is your home now. It has laws, structures and institutions that exist specifically to protect you. Let's stop surviving in silence — and start living with confidence. You belong here. Fully. Legally. Completely. 🌍❤️ Share this with someone in your community who needs to hear it today.

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