Time to fire up the stoves in Estonia….It could be a long cold Winter! As many of you who have followed me for years know I also live in Estonia, and we will be going there on Sept 15th for about a month. 2 years ago we remember in January when Russia switched off the nat-gas to Ukraine and in turn to the rest Europe… The crisis was resolved once Europe got spooked, but this year may not be as easy. So I am thankful we use wood burning stoves!

We have about 4 of these stoves on each floor of our house and let me tell you it may sound like hillbilly living but it is actually very effective and a hell of a lot cheaper than my $2000 a month heating oil bills here.

Winter will be here before you know it and as someone who grew up in Minnesota, let me tell you Estonia makes Minneapolis feel like Miami in January. These stoves keep us toasty warm in our big house, no worries…We even cook with it…. Yes cook on a wood burning stove. We also have a microwave too and other things but we use the wood stove all the time.

Morning! Pancakes anyone!

Anyway, I will be reporting form Estonia and even form Russia when I go to Ivangorod on the border. I will be bringing you new video and photos form the shale mines, the border and interviews with others. It is a scary time for all of Eastern Europe and now even Western Europe….Just read the story below. Don’t think it will happen? Well I can tell you it can and will!

Russia may cut off oil flow to the West

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 10:39am BST 29/08/2008

Fears are mounting that Russia may restrict oil deliveries to Western Europe over coming days, in response to the threat of EU sanctions and Nato naval actions in the Black Sea.

Any such move would be a dramatic escalation of the Georgia crisis and play havoc with the oil markets.

Reports have begun to circulate in Moscow that Russian oil companies are under orders from the Kremlin to prepare for a supply cut to Germany and Poland through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline. It is believed that executives from lead-producer LUKoil have been put on weekend alert.

“They have been told to be ready to cut off supplies as soon as Monday,” claimed a high-level business source, speaking to The Daily Telegraph. Any move would be timed to coincide with an emergency EU summit in Brussels, where possible sanctions against Russia are on the agenda.