Life in Bosnia – Slow Living & Retirement Reflections

This episode was recorded on a late winter afternoon, walking down to the river and back.

No studio polish. No music. No clever transitions. Just a smartphone, a small DJI microphone with its little wind muff attached (or “spoffle,” as I nearly called it), and a pair of slightly muddy boots that definitely needed cleaning before I stepped back into my tidy studio.

I talk about the tractors I call “village taxis,” cleared sto...

Postcards from Bosnia is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨Thanks so much in advance.

Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If ...

Postcards from Bosnia is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨Thanks so much in advance.

Thank You

Thank you for listening to these little slices of my life. If ...

I’ve been watching retirement and over-70s content on YouTube recently, and something began to quietly trouble me.

Many of the most popular videos aren’t made by people at all.

They’re created by AI.

And yet older viewers are watching, commenting, and sharing deeply personal stories, often speaking into what is, in reality, a silence.

This isn’t a programme about technology.

It’s a reflection on aging, loneliness, and what it m...

Let me say this upfront

I’m not a Christian.

I don’t belong to a church, I don’t follow doctrine, and I wouldn’t describe myself as religious in the traditional sense. If I’m honest, I’m a wayward, wannabe Buddhist, drawn to quiet reflection, to the idea of paying attention, but without the discipline to do it properly.

So what follows isn’t theology.

It’s observation.

Because when you live in Bosnia and Herzegovina long enough...

This isn’t really about Sunday lunch

When most people hear the words Yorkshire pudding, they think of Sunday roast, gravy, and a very specific idea of England. It’s treated as tradition, almost ceremony. Something fixed. Something defended.

But that’s not where Yorkshire pudding starts.

It doesn’t begin with nostalgia or national pride. It begins with a problem that needed solving.

A dish born of economy, not indulgence

In eigh...

When the Air Changes the Rhythm of the Day

I knew the air was bad again before I checked any app.

It was during my morning walk. Same route as always. Down from the village, along the familiar stretch where I usually settle into a steady rhythm. But this time, something felt off. The air felt heavy. Not cold-cold, just thick. I found myself breathing through my mouth sooner than usual, shortening the walk without really deci...

Blue Skies and Cold Air

The seasons are shifting here in northern Bosnia. The mornings have that crisp bite that tells you autumn has properly settled in. Yet the skies stay defiantly blue, almost glowing above the village. It’s the kind of weather that makes a simple walk around the block feel like a small adventure. And honestly, every time I step outside on a day like this, I find myself quietly grateful I’m not back in ...

A warm afternoon in the city

Yesterday I spent a few unhurried hours wandering through the centre of Banja Luka, recorder in hand.

The weather couldn’t have been kinder, soft autumn sunshine, blue skies without a single cloud, and just enough of a breeze to make the church bells carry across the square.

I hadn’t come with an agenda. No interviews lined up, no story to chase. Just a simple aim. To listen.

To capture a little of...

Postcards from Bosnia is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨Thanks so much in advance.

In today’s episode of Postcards from Bosnia, I’m taking you behind the ...

Not too long ago, I was sitting quietly here at home when something odd happened.

My lower lip went numb.

Not entirely, but just enough to make me stop and think.

Now, for most people, that might not mean much. Maybe just a fleeting reminder of a trip to the dentist. But for me, it took me straight back, nearly 40 years back, in fact, to a part of my life I rarely talk about.

A chapter that began with a similar sensation… and ...

Pull up a chair — this one’s a ramble, but the good kind.

It’s a Wednesday evening in northwest Bosnia. The sun’s just dipped behind Kozara National Park, painting the sky in that deep red you only get here. Tamara’s in Banja Luka with her mum, Predrag (her father) is off with a chainsaw (don’t ask), and I’m here with two dogs, seven cats, and my thoughts.

This episode is about what it really takes to live here long-term. No...

Postcards from Bosnia is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨Thanks so much in advance.

It’s a misty Sunday morning in the village, the firewood’s sorted for n...

As I sit outside this evening, the sun is just slipping behind the wooded hills of Kozara National Park. The sky turns that perfect dusky pink, the kind that makes me reach for my camera, though it never seems to capture the colours quite right. I must work on that.

But tonight isn’t about the view. It’s about the sound.

Not the familiar birdsong, the bark of a village dog, or even the faint whir of a distant tractor.

No, thi...

Postcards from Bosnia is an audio journey into the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seen through the eyes of an Englishman who has made this place his home.

Paid members get access to everything I create, including exclusive podcasts, behind-the-scenes reflections, photo essays, and more that I only share with my inner circle ☕✨Thanks so much in advance.

📍 A Walk in the Garden, and a Few Thoughts from Čardačani

Hello and wel...

A Sad Farewell to an Important Voice

Hello from Bosnia. Today, I want to share something that’s left me truly disappointed. A rare moment where I find it hard to keep my usual optimistic outlook.

The End of Al Jazeera Balkans

This past Saturday, 12 July, Al Jazeera Balkans closed its doors after almost 14 years of broadcasting. Whether you tuned in regularly or not, the channel has been a critical voice in the Western Balkans...

Welcome to Postcards from Bosnia.

This morning, as I wandered through our small apple orchard here in Čardačani, I noticed apples scattered on the ground. Maybe it’s the heat, already 29 degrees and climbing to 32 today, but it got me thinking about change and cycles. As a sleek cyclist sped past, dressed head-to-toe in gear, it reminded me how life moves at different paces for everyone.

Why the Name Change?

After a lot of th...

A Stroll into Stillness

It’s a bright Sunday, and I’ve taken a short wander, just a kilometre and a half from my front door, down through the fields, to the river Turjanica. No fancy kit today, just my mobile phone doubling as a microphone, minus a pop shield. The Turjanica gently winds its way near our village before slipping into the Vrbas a few bends downstream. The Vrbas itself journeys from the south of Bosnia all the ...

Hello there, David here, from a Baby Boomer in Bosnia. If you’ve been following along on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever our digital paths cross, thank you. I genuinely mean that. It’s a lovely thing, this little corner of the internet where we can connect, reflect, and share a slice of life.

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