In this episode of the Life in Bosnia podcast, I talk openly and honestly about something that has been on my mind recently — what it means to live between two countries, between two identities, and sometimes between other people’s opinions.

After a recent visit back to the United Kingdom, I found myself thinking about where I really belong. Am I British? Am I Bosnian? Or am I something in between?

I also talk about the reaction to one of my recent videos, the criticism of living abroad while receiving a UK pension, and why retirement — wherever you choose to live — should be about building the best final chapter of your life that you can.

This episode is very much a stream of consciousness — thoughts about retirement, immigration, identity, healthcare, lifestyle, and why I believe people should live where they feel happiest, not where others think they should live.

If you’ve ever lived abroad, thought about retiring abroad, or wondered what life is really like living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this episode is for you.

In this relaunch episode of the Life in Bosnia podcast, David reflects on turning 73, restarting his creative projects, and what it really means to live between two countries. After a recent trip back to the UK, he talks about feeling like an “in-betweener” — not fully belonging in Britain anymore, but also not originally from Bosnia, the country he has called home for more than 20 years.

This episode also explains the future of the Life in Bosnia podcast, the YouTube channel, and the return of the Englishman in the Balkans interviews. Expect stories from daily life, travel around Bosnia and Herzegovina, retirement reflections, hiking adventures, culture, food, and honest observations about life in Southeast Europe.

If you have ever wondered what it’s really like to retire abroad, live in Bosnia, or start again later in life, this podcast is for you.

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 storm drains after snow, the River Vrbas, and the fields lying bare before spring planting. I reflect on being 73, on starting (and restarting) creative projects, on YouTube ambitions that might only aim for £100 a month — but mean something very real here in Bosnia when converted into local currency.

There’s also the familiar thread of village life: plum trees that haven’t fruited properly in years, the hope of distilling domaća šljivovica again, and the quiet privilege of being able to walk two kilometres on a Sunday afternoon and simply talk.

This is what I’d sound like if you were staying upstairs in our apartment and we’d just had coffee together before heading down to the river.

If you’re listening in London, Toronto, Sydney, or somewhere entirely different, I’d genuinely love to know. Send me a note and tell me where you are.

From Bosnia and Herzegovina to your headphones, speaker, or kitchen radio — thank you for giving me your time.

Stay safe.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

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 you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

* What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

* What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

* Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

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 you’d like to get more stories, you can subscribe to my Substack, it’s free, and if you ever want to upgrade to paid but can’t afford it, just email me. I’ll sort it out, no questions asked.

Here are 3 questions I have.

* What would make you hit “play” on an audio post instead of just reading?

* What makes a podcast episode feel personal or meaningful to you?

* Would you like me to add audio versions of my blog posts so you can choose how to enjoy them?

I’ll give a complimentary subscription to Coffee and Rakija for life for taking the time to answer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

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 means to be heard in later life.

From my garden in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, I talk about why calm AI voices feel familiar, why they feel safe, and why so many older people are reaching out, not because they’re gullible, but because they’re human.

Because we still want to be seen.

And we still want to matter.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

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 eighteenth-century northern England, meat was expensive and fuel was precious. A joint of beef wasn’t an everyday meal. It was planned, stretched, and respected.

Yorkshire pudding began as a simple batter, flour, eggs, milk, poured into a pan and placed beneath roasting meat to catch the dripping fat. The batter rose in the heat, filling stomachs cheaply and effectively.

And here’s the detail many people forget: it was originally served before the meat. Gravy poured over it first. The beef came later.

Yorkshire pudding wasn’t a side dish. It was strategy.

Why that makes sense in the Balkans

Living in Bosnia, this logic feels immediately familiar.

Across the Western Balkans, there’s a deep understanding of food that fills rather than flatters. Batter-based dishes appear everywhere, not as treats, but as anchors. Uštipci at breakfast. Plain palačinke when cupboards are bare. Proja on a wooden table, sliced and shared.

These foods aren’t identical to Yorkshire pudding, and they don’t need to be. The connection isn’t about copying recipes. It’s about responding to the same conditions.

Cold winters. Hard work. Limited ingredients.

Different kitchens, same instincts

What strikes me most is how naturally Yorkshire pudding fits into a Bosnian kitchen. The ingredients are familiar. The technique, hot fat, confident timing, no hovering, makes immediate sense.

Even the arguments feel familiar. How much fat is too much? Should it be crisp or soft? Big or small? Everyone has an opinion, and everyone trusts experience over instructions.

That fierce protectiveness around simple food exists on both sides of the continent.

Is there a direct historical connection?

No. There’s no evidence that Yorkshire pudding travelled east or that Balkan batter dishes travelled west.

But history isn’t always about movement. Sometimes it’s about parallel solutions.

When people face similar problems, they often arrive at similar answers, even if they never meet.

Flour, fat, and reassurance

So this isn’t really a story about Yorkshire pudding at all.

It’s about how ordinary food carries quiet wisdom. How it feeds people without asking for attention. How it reassures rather than impresses.

Flour.

Fat.

Heat.

Different names.

Same human need.

And the same promise, whether you’re in Yorkshire or the Western Balkans:

You’ll be fed today.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.coffeeandrakija.com/subscribe