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Weekend reading: Countryside retreat

Money articles

My regular Saturday comment followed by this week’s blog and financial site links.

Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted I only wrote one post this week, and also that today’s round-up is 24 hours late.

All true, I admit with shame.

It turns out this rural region of Eastern Europe really is rural. Now I’m back in the capital and a modern, could-be-anywhere hotel – stripped floorboards, floor to ceiling mirrors and furnishings in various shades of brown – I already miss the countryside, with locals walking their cows to pasture and pressing their bad homemade wine upon you.

It’s like the 1950s, in 2009.

On the other hand, I have the Internet again and have been gorging on it for six hours. A fine consolation!

With a more reliable Internet dial-up, it would be tempting to move out for a year or more to try a very different way of life. My work would have to change to adapt, but not as much as for many people.

In return I’d live in a one-road area the size of Cornwall where shepherds still walk from field to field, and where there’s roughly no crime.

Best of all? Rent of 300 Euros a month for all the rustic farmhouse with wood fire you could want.

When the Internet there works properly you’ll all be at it.

From this week’s personal finance blogs

Other interesting financial and money articles

  • The retiree’s autopilot pension – The Economist
  • Investing in Lloyds’ Enhanced Capital Notes – FT
  • Reality catches up with Dubai – FT
  • Why Anthony Bolton is investing in China… – FT
  • …and why you should be wary – The Independent
  • Gilt bubble will not pop, says advisers – The Independent
  • First-time buyers face daunting task – The Telegraph
  • Ten ways to beat the taxman before April – The Times

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Comments on this entry are closed.

  • 1 Financial Samurai November 29, 2009, 3:29 pm

    Howdy Partner – Welcome back from the countryside! Hope you enjoyed your 6 hrs of internet ravishment! Thnx for the mention.

    In one of your comments on my posts, I followed up asking if you could try pressing the refresh button a lot to see if that would goose your rankings. I think I read somewhere, however, that Alexa counts only “one vote” per visit or something, so maybe save the effort! I was just kidding anyway, mocking myself for my internet un-saviness. 🙂

  • 2 Tony December 1, 2009, 2:01 pm

    I could cope for a week, but as an internet addict I’d be crawling up the walls after that!

  • 3 Len Penzo December 3, 2009, 3:42 pm

    Thanks for the mention, Investor! Could the world ever function again without the Internet?

  • 4 The Investor December 3, 2009, 9:19 pm

    Sure, when we invent whatever will replace it! (Brainwave telepathy, perhaps? ;))