A short message for Marianna Gruzdeva (AKA Domenika Zolotaja)

Hello Gentle Readers, I am angry. Angry with a lady in Latvia who has been abusing Lena, myself and Robert. I apologize to you now but I wanted to make you aware that even Latvia has its fair share of not very nice people. There are not a lot of them, I am glad to say, because Latvia is a great country with a friendly, tolerant society.
The things that this "lady" has been posting to Lena on Facebook are horrible , spiteful and possibly illegal to say in a public forum. I have taken the opportunity to photograph Lena's phone so you can see some of the messages she has sent.
I will also be complaining to Facebook about this "lady" because although she uses the Facebook name of Dominika Zolotaja, her real name is Marianna Gruzdeva. and I am sure that some of what she is saying would count as racist and highly intolerant comments.
I think that the people of Latvia should also be aware that she is thinking about running for public office in the future and I am sure the last thing Latvia needs in another  right-wing nationalist politician.

Dear Marianna,

Thank you so much for the kind words regarding Lena, Robert and myself. I want you to know that I personally think as highly of you as you do of me. I am happy to say that Robert is an intelligent, active little boy and is getting an education that the majority of Latvian parents would be happy to give their children. Lena works very hard and has had a very positive effect on her colleagues and the pupils that she teaches. I myself am in very good health, you will be relieved to hear, and I have absolutely no intention of making your prediction come true.

Lena and I love each other very much and have respect for each others traditions and national identity. I am proud to be Scottish and Lena is proud to be Latvian and we remind Robert everyday that his decisions are his own to make and that he should be proud of his Latvian heritage. He is also aware that he lives in an increasingly diverse and tolerant society where it is important not to be a bully, use racist language, be ignorant of others, cruel or unkind. I hope your son does not share your attitudes to guide him because this would mean that Latvia's future would not be that pleasent.

I lived in Latvia for 5 years (and paid my fair share of taxes) and I love the country and most of the people I met were very nice. I have to say I am glad we never met because having read what you wrote to Lena I may have said something that I may have regretted later.

Latvia is trying very hard to let go of the past by embracing a future in which equality and dignity are for everyone. You I am afraid to say are a throwback to the past. Xenophobia is NOT something to be proud of and it should be squashed like a bug on a car windscreen. People with your ideas and beliefs are the reason that Latvia continues to lose its young people to other E.U. countries and the rest of the world.

I would like to ask you some questions.

How does it make you feel when you see a happy, well adjusted family like mine who is successful?
Does it make you feel good to put people down because, as I understand it, your own childhood was not the best?
Is your self-esteem so low that you need to lash out with your sick, twisted words?

Now, I don't know you and hopefully I never will. I am not a bitter or spiteful person and most people that know me would describe me as easy going. However if you attack my family, the people I love, my friendly facade will be replaced by something else and trust me on this Marianna, you do not want to meet that person. You have absolutely no idea just how angry you have made me and I want you to know that some of the accusations you have made on Facebook Messenger may be borderline illegal. Maybe I should show them to a solicitor.  What do you think?

I can assure you that Robert's adoption was completely legal and above board and when we informed the Latvian government about our move to China, they were happy and supported our decision.

Nationalists  always believe that they are right and everyone else is wrong. (Donald Trump has the same problem). Xenophobic, ignorant bullies such as yourself are unable to learn anything new and are happy to share your views with the rest of the world. Jealousy of people's success is a symptom of low self esteem and having low self worth. I think the issues you had with your parents and your own unhappy childhood have twisted you into the person you are today. I pity you and what is more important, I pity your child.

Remember God loves you, even though the rest of us right-minded individuals do not.

By the way Marianna, I write a regular blog about my life so I am very happy to say that this letter to you is going on it for the whole of the world and Latvia to see.

Best Wishes
Neil Thomson


Here for you Gentle Reader are screenshots showing some of the messages the 'lady' left. Apologies for the Google translation.

 Views on adoption.

Soon I will be Dead!

 Is she accusing us of paying for Robert?

When is 49 Elderly????

Robert IS our son.

#mariannagruzdeva #domenikazolotaja #bigot #intolerant

Neil's Breakfast Fried Rice

Well happy Monday Gentle Reader. Its only 7 days til I will celebrate a very special landmark and lets start the countdown with a recipe. Now I know its not a traditional breakfast dish....but its got Sausage and Egg in it.

Sausage Egg Fried Rice with Salad

Ingredients
5 cups of rice
6 pre cooked sausages
2 eggs
1 green bell pepper
1 clove garlic
2 red chilli
1 tbsp salt
olive oil

Method
Place 5 cups of Rice, a chopped chilli and 5 cups of water into your rice cooker and press the quick cook function.

Chop the remaining chilli, pepper and onion finely and place in a wok. Crush a garlic clove into the veg and add some oil. Chop the sausages into small pieces and place this in the wok.

Cook the veg and sausages until the vegetables and sausage is cooked through.
When the rice is cooked spoon it into the wok and stir it so that the vegetables and sausage are spread evenly through the rice.

Break two eggs onto the rice and stir vigorously until the egg has covered as much of the rice as possible. Fry gently, stirring continuously.

Serve with salad.

#sausageeggfriedrice #recipes

Today in History: 14th October

Hello Gentle Readers its time to shake ourself a vodka martini of time and raise an eyebrow towards history.

1066: The Battle of Hastings. A Norman force under William the Conquerer defeats King Harold.

1322: Robert the Bruce defeats Edward II forcing the English to accept Scottish independence.

1926:The book Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne is published.

1927: James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore is born.

1947: Chuck Yeager becomes the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound.

1965: Comedian and Actor Steve Coogan is born.

#battle of hastings #robertthebruce #winniethepooh #rogermoore #chuckyeager #stevecoogan

The Chinese Pioneers

Flying the Pioneer Flag

Hello Gentle Readers. Yesterday at school a very interesting event happened. A group of children, mostly grade 1 and a few grade 2 students were initiated into the Chinese youth movement called the "Pioneers".

The Pioneers are the Chinese equivalent of the Scouting or Guiding movements of the West  The Soviet Union also had its own Pioneers.

The Flag of the Pioneers

Founded in 1949, the Youth and Children movement of China, was set up to ensure that all Chinese children were taught the values of the Communist goverment and ideology of the Chinese under the guidance of Mao Zedung.

Young Pioneers consist of children between the ages of six and fourteen; upon reaching the age of fourteen, members automatically exit the Young Pioneers and may go on to join the Communist Youth League.

Most elementary school students are Young Pioneers by the time they graduate from grade school. Most of the schools require students of the right age to become Young Pioneers.^[There were an estimated 130 million Young Pioneers in China, as of 2002.

The slogan of  the Pioneers is similar to that of the Scouting movement.

Be Prepared, to struggle for the cause of Communism.

When the children joined the Pioneers they had to make a pledge which states "I am a member of the Young Pioneers of China. Under the Flag of the Young Pioneers I promise that: I will love the Communist Party of China, the motherland, and the people; I will study well and keep myself fit always, and to prepare for my contributing effort to the cause of communism."

#chinesepioneers #communism

Lena's Homemade Bread

Hello Gentle Readers. Lena has been baking up a storm with her Rice cooker and today she made her own bread.

Ingredients
250 ml warm water
5 g dry yeast
half tbsp sugar
half tbsp salt
3/4 tbsp olive oil
5/6 cups of plain flour

Method

Add the sugar and salt to the water and stir. Add the oil and stir. Add yeast and stir until all the sugar, salt and yeast has dissolved.
Add flour a cup at a time and stir. Keep adding flour until it is not liquid. Kneed the dough until it is a roughly round shape.
Put a little oil on your hands and kneed it. Oil stops it sticking.

Place dough in a bowl cover with a towel and put in a warm place so it will rise.
Lena's dough took an hour to rise and she kneeded it a few times during this period to allow air into the mixture.

Place the dough into the rice cooker for 15 minutes on the yogurt setting. This will aid with rising.

Change setting to Bake and bake for 40 minutes. Open cooker, turn off cooker, remove bread and turn over and cook again for another 40-50 minutes.

Then take it out and leave to cool before you eat it.

Yummy Nummy Treats.

#lenasbread #ricecooker

Lena's Rice cooker fruit cake

Cake....in a rice cooker!

Hello there Gentle food lovers. It's a fun family baking recipe today and its being cooked in our Rice cooker. When we bought it Lena noticed that it had a cake function.
So today she made her first rice cooker fruit cake and I am sharing the recipe with you.


Ingredients
2 glasses of flour
200ml milk
3 eggs
8 tablespoons sugar
A handful of raisins
a few dried strawberrys
A quarter of a dragonfruit
a tea spoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder

Method
In a bowl mix the egg sugar flour baking powdee and milk into a cake mix. Add the fruit and some of the red dragonfruit juice to colour your cake.

Pour the mixture into the rice cooker and using the cake function cook for 90 minutes. Halfway through you can take out cake and turn it.
The time may vary depending on your rice cooker.

#ricecookerfruitcake

Today in History: 7th October

Hello to all the Gentle Readers. Its time once again to try on the embarrassing clothes from the back of our wardrobe and hope nobody sees us.

The "Full House" Girls

3761BC: The official start of the Hebrew Calendar.

1931: Archbishop Desmond Tutu is born.

1952: Russian leader Vladimir Putin is born

1959: Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 photographs "Dark Side of the Moon" for the first .

1996: That perfectly impartial news channel Fox News airs for the first time.

#fullhouse #90sfashion #october7th #todayinhistory #hebrew #desmondtutu #vladimirputin #luna2 #foxnews