With global warming being high on everyone’s agenda these days, Bulgaria, the rest of Europe, and even the British Isles have been through the coldest winter for several decades. Varna declared a state of emergency. For me it was a wonderful opportunity to use my skates and cross-country skis again.

The Haiti tragedy was quite numbing and Bulgaria played its own proportionate part in the rescue efforts, fund raising and delivery of aid donations. The US, after their lukewarm performance following the New Orleans hurricane disaster in their own back yard, took a commanding and hugely generous role in project managing and manning the global support operation – against huge challenges from the destroyed infrastructure. It’s tempting to wonder whether two of their prime goals may be to guard against a massive new influx of refugees to the States, and to provide work for their depressed construction industry.

It proved a big challenge to get the right Bulgarian Commissioner into post in Brussels. Events in Haiti make the need for the post very clear, so it’s great that Kristalina Georgieva, who is a world-class Bulgarian and has an open door to the international financial institutions, will take it on. Combined with the persistent rumour that European Commissioner Jose Barosso has offered Meglena Kouneva a challenging new job in Brussels, and having our very own Ralitsa Vassileva at CNN, Bulgaria’s global image is now back on track.

The Greek farmers have shocked everyone in Bulgaria by blockading key elements of Bulgaria’s legitimate trading routes and transport corridors. This is pretty rich when you consider that their country is greatly overburdened with debt, such as to seriously unsettle European financial markets last week. It’s typical of our ‘peoples’ Prime Minister that he personally travelled to the border crossings last week to talk to the demonstrating Greeks, hoping to defuse the crisis. Actually there would be a better chance of success for the aggrieved farmers if they blocked main roads into Athens, Turkish border crossings.

The days are lengthening, and swine flu has not become a major epidemic this winter, far less a pandemic. Perhaps it was true that the leading global drugs companies, who have already sold about eight times as much vaccine to governments than needed, may have colluded in stimulating more demand than was warranted.

It’s good that rating agencies are at present falling over themselves to re-assess Bulgaria from negative to stable to positive. Amazing what can be achieved by following the Israeli prime minister’s advice on reform of VAT, getting our application ready to join the euro zone, and having a currency board, which forces the government to behave prudently.

Other confusing signs around us are that Tony Blair performed with such panache at the Iraq war inquiry that he’s tipped to be the next-but-one British PM; Nicholas Sarkozy has again banned burkas and veils and it’s rumoured the Irish will change to driving on the right hand side of the road – but will make the change-over for trucks and buses in 2011 and for cars in 2012.

To end positively, in the next few weeks we’ll celebrate, in fairly quick succession, St Valentine’s day, Baba Marta, and International Women’s Day. The shops and streets will soon be flooded with Martenitsi now being made in China.