Snow

So it's snowing in Moscow! after 30 degrees it's a tough pill to swallow. But it does look incredible and beautiful. However the slush is not my friend and I will be investing in some snug footwear to stop my feet from getting soaked. I did buy a pair of boots at the supermarket having walked to my boss's office and back, poor little toes begging for warmth. By the time I had put them on to go out again the snow had melted - typical. They are a bit too big but lovely and warm.

I was thinking, looking around at people whether people, like animals eat more in the winter to keep warm. Judging by the guy in McDonalds I would say so. I was there picking up a McFlurry, when this guy arrived in the line next to me.

I did want to suggest that maybe this was not the best place for him to be eating and that possibly even missing the odd meal would not do him too much harm. My russian is not that good. I have never seen somebody seems so keen, almost agitated, to get to the front of the queue. I wish I had stayed to see what he had ordered... Maybe a salad who knows.... Damn me for being judgmental!

Wow

I'll keep this one brief but just outline that I am visiting a fairly beautiful place on earth and have had some pretty cool experiences. I really love seeing the dolphins and the whales. I went swimming with the whales and swam a bit in the same vicinity as the dolphins - they were a bit more elusive.

I have tried a number of different foods including:

Marlin, Octopus, Sea Urchin and a couple of other fish I cannot remember but had not heard of before.

I have also been doing a lot of thinking (always dangerous, I know) about what to do with myself. Still not come up with much..haha. It has made me realise that I am not going to work with this family for another year. I may look for another family in Moscow, I may travel, I may come home... The coming months will tell.

Inexperienced

So flying to Mauritius was a new experience. I have not been on a long haul flight for a very long time, if at all. So things have certainly changed and we were flying on Emirates. I was surprised to see that the family were flying in Business not in First - lack of availability is my guess. I was in Economy, which I have to say is still pretty nice. I had my own tv in the headrest and an onboard phone. I had to use it, obviously. So I called Dominika at whatever the time was and has a short conversation $5 a minute, which incidentally is cheaper than using a mobile in Mauritius, as I later discovered.

However, before my new experience with the phone there was a minor event with a Russian gentleman. The plane was delayed as there was a technical issue with the cargo doors closing or something to that effect. This guy started ranting at the staff about that fact that it wasn't good enough and that the service was poor etc... When they attempted to placate him with the fact that it's a question of safety and security, he just didn't get it. I really don't understand what it was going to achieve. Were they because of his outburst going to suddenly change their minds and fly anyway...hmmm no. Pointless and oh so Russian.

Wedding, Poland and back to Russia

Great time back in the UK. Wedding was fab, no real gossip. One of the highlights was obviously hiring the TVR for the weekend and burning about in it. It really does make a lovely noise. The only problem in driving it is that I now want one. There was the amusement value of convincing everybody that James and I had bought it - my propensity for doing silly things meant that the ruse passed without much surprise.

The only other aspect to note was James nailing the front splitter on the kerb. Bear in mind the front of the car is quite long and takes some getting used to. As he came to park, I suggested to get out and assist him. To which he replied " No I think I've got it".....CRUNCH! Ah yes that would be the kerb then...

Only a scratch requiring 350 pounds worth of repair. Had the whole part needed replacing it would have been a more unsavoury 3000. An amusing event which only added gravitas to our web of deceit.

After the UK and spending time with Mum and Sis I headed to see Dominika in Poland. It was cool! She had rented a cosy little 1 bed-flat which was uniquely designed. Quite spacious and thought-out. She was a great tour-guide and hostess. I think that I managed to try all the Polish specialities in the course of a day and a half. This included:

Tongue (tasted like spam, ah school meals), stomach soup, pure fat with garlic, a range of soups and a few other more tasty dishes. It was a brief but enjoyable whistle-stop tour.

The arrival back in Russia was uneventful but for the baggage. As you know, the cases are unloaded off the plane, brought by little buggy thing and "loaded" onto to the conveyor. The inverted commas are important in this instant. I was standing close to the start as I wanted to avoid the customs queue. As the chap was loading them on he did so in such a way causing them to pile up and not go through the little flappy things. So he just proceeded to kicked them until they came through the flappy thing and fell all over the floor. Not that bad I guess, even though two of the cases were not cases but boxes marked "fragile"...

Night out

This is a belated entry in reference to my weekend off in Moscow before heading back to the UK. Had another action-packed weekend, with a lot of walking. I am jumping to the saturday night though which involved dancing on tables in the club - you know I am a shy inconspicuous guy... But that is all very normal. What I found amusing was what my friend Sergey said to me.

It goes something like this:

S: We have to think of who we are going to be....

D: What?

S: We have to think of what characters we will be

D: I see, why?

S: Because girls like guys with money

D: right.... (at this point I thought, just go with it)

S: So we are business partners...

D: What business are we in?

S: I had not though of that yet

D: How about Real Estate?

S: No they make a lot of money and would not go to the places we are going to.

D: I see...so who are we going to be

S: Import and export of goods

D: OK

I thought I would stop asking questions at this point. I just found it highly amusing.

Heading back to the UK

Of course there had to be a little story about leaving Russia, but nothing that I have not already mentioned. The two ladies who were checking passports etc.. were just having a conversation among themselves, stopping every so often and turning to each other at moments of poignancy. The ever expanding queue was simply an inconvenience and got in the way of what was clearly a juicy story...

Interesting sights on the metro

I shall opt for a list style of writing for these particular observations

1. On the my way to work, just going through the barriers, the chap beside me was downing a can of Gin and Tonic. Clearly the crisis has struck hard here. It was 8am. I suspect he's the type of chap to have vodka on his cornflakes. Coffee is for girls!

2. There are a lot of stray dogs wandering about Moscow, you see them all time. Lounging about, chasing after stuff, usual dog activities. I have never seen one take the metro. I was at the platform, it trotted down the steps, moved along the platform and sat down and waited. The metro pulled up, people let it get on first and then got on. He looked quite at home and seemed to know where he was going. I was tempted to follow it and see where it went. Animals can be pretty amazing.

3. If you happen to go through the barriers without swiping your cards, they slam, shut crushing your legs with alarming power, whilst also playing a little ditty to alert the authorities (usually asleep in their little glass boxes). I can only assume the following faced with these facts. One parent on one side of the barriers. One parent the other side of the barriers. A little girl screaming and crying. The parent showing her how to place the card on the barrier system. I have a feeling she just tried to walk through and the barriers (indiscriminate as to their victim) nailed her. Traumatised slightly? I think so.

4. I have often heard about them, but never really seen - A dirty old man. This old chap was looking intensely across the metro at a woman in a skirt, he kept shifting in his seat, had his hands in his pockets and had a very itchy upper leg! For a very long time!

5. I know that couples sometimes wear matching clothes, wear the same colour or style of things to show their love. I have never seen a coupe with matching moustaches before though - That's what I call sharing and caring. True love they say is blind! And you'd have to be not to see that bad boy! ......Wax that mother!