LATE SEPTEMBER AND BACK IN THE SWING!

BROWN WATER RUNS DEEP

I think I mentioned before that we have a few water issues here. Well apart from the fact that we can't drink it and that it requires 10 or 15 minutes running in the mornings to receive hot water, we now have BROWN water issues. Well, I mean really brown, we always had a tinge of the Vandyke colour favoured by water colour artists but now it runs the colour of the type of tea favoured by builders, you could stand a spoon up in it!

I am lying actually, to have more impact. The truth is that it isn't all that bad NOW, but when we returned last weekend from our trip it was unusable. I was really reluctant to shower (of course I did but...), it was not possible to do the much overdue laundry and the problem was getting to be a larger issue.

On Monday, setting out on my morning errands, I was perturbed to see a wide, rather worn, canvas/plastic pipe leading down to a mains drain in our courtyard, with an enormous amount of bubbling and boiling pressurised water surging through it's precarious body, causing enough pressurised steam to run a train. This scene was taking place between me and the bins where I was supposed to dump my large bags of household rubbish.

I considered dumping my kitchen waste somewhere in a street bin but then raised the courage to pass to the bins. A vivid picture went through my head of this pipe, under enormous strain, suddenly popping up out of the mains drain and waving around in huge circles furiously blasting out scalding gallons of water over any idiot happening to be in the way and that was me done for. The workmen supposedly in charge of this event seemed to be unworried smoking their heads off and not paying attention but I'm sure this wouldn't be allowed anywhere half civilised.

CATS ON A HOT TIN ROOF

I decided to go along to a neighbour's flat for a coffee with the ladies who were spending the morning 'crafting' to take a look at their works.

My neighbour has the most brilliant view from her kitchen window which includes the Church of the Spilt Blood (that is the church in the picture above). However she also sees most of the rooftops on our side of town. It was astonishing to be able to see people up on the tiles going about their business. Some were working and repairing or seeing to satellite dishes but others seem to be up there purely for the heck of it! I suppose if you don't have a garden or balcony and it is a sunny day, why not? Well, I won't be caught on our roof. I do sometimes hear footsteps above us and we are on the top floor so someone goes up there.

My neighbour has seen someone slip down a roof before but fortunately the fella was saved.

A SMALL VICTORY FOR ME OVER THE DOMESTIC HELP

Upon my return to my flat after an eventful morning I found my cleaner standing by the door in her coat waiting to leave (it was ten minutes before 12 so I wasn't late for her). This is going to be an interesting relationship. I am a bit weedy when it comes to household help and they usually get the better of me but this time I am determined to hold my ground. I think this change of attitude has come about because she is SO bold.

My windows needed cleaning. She has three hours to clean my flat. I can do it in two actually. I asked her very nicely if she would clean the three dirtiest windows and not to worry about the bath as we haven't used it since her last visit (I told you about the colour of the water, it makes taking a bath pretty unappealing!). She gazed steadily at me and said, "No, I will clean two". I gazed steadily back and said (with my weedy heart gathering pace), "No, I want you to clean three'. To which she replied "No, two!" yet again! I realised that this was a 'make or break' moment, so I held my ground firmly and decided that if she was going to be this difficult she could walk. She acquiesced and cleaned three. I had to go out for the morning in case I had created an atmosphere!

So that is why I was surprised to see she had finished before 12 o'clock. I should have asked her to clean four windows! Now that would be too bold!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Birthdays are fun at the best of times and this one was no exception. When one is living abroad a birthday can be enough to make you a little homesick for the family you love but expats always find a sort of substitute family amongst themselves and rally to any occasion that demands giving someone a little extra attention and this was the case on my birthday!

Four of us enjoyed a lovely lunch in a Georgian restaurant. Really tasty food it has to be said. The Georgians have this special bread which is a bit like a pizza base covered in delicious dripping cheese. Not normally my thing but this was particularly good. There was a heavy use of fragrant herbs, particularly coriander. My trout was simply fried and filled with a wonderful stuffing of walnuts and garlic and spices. This restaurant is local to us and I am sure we will frequent it.

NEARLY MUGGED AGAIN!

Walking around Nevsky Prospect after lunch, three of us, chatting merrily and dawdling along, looking in shop windows, forgetting to be vigilant, I suddenly became uncomfortable with the three men who seemed to be trying to pass us on both sides but were taking too much time to pass. One moment there were just the three of us girls and the next there seemed to be six people. I could tell from the body language that it wasn't right. I stared straight at one of the guys and he made no eye contact, neither were they making a connection to each other. That was a give away to me. I quickly walked slightly ahead and said to the other two "come on QUICK! I am not happy with this". They realised immediately and responded. The guys knew we were onto them and still made no eye contact, pretending they hadn't noticed anything.

It's not a good idea to idly walk around this town and forget you are a foreigner in Russia or you will lose your purse!

THE OYSTER BAR

Because I had enjoyed lunch I decided that I would walk to the oyster bar that evening where I was meeting Mike for my birthday supper. I thought I could work off some calories before indulging again.

It took me a full hour walking really fast. When I arrived I was completely knackered! I did stop to take the lovely photo above though.

I am not going to mention every dinner in which I indulge but what was noteworthy at this restaurant was the girls...

HERE COME THE GIRLS!

As we sat enjoying our first glass of wine in walked three incredibly tarted up ladies. I tend to distinguish levels of 'class' by the height of the heels but I am probably totally wrong as I am going by my own culture, Russia is different! These girls were in incredibly high heels and definitely in the money. I don't know what their profession is but they sat down to enjoy a dozen oysters each, flown in from France and costing about £100 for half a dozen! Mike fancied they were prostitutes but they were just as likely to be the WAGS of the local mafia guys.

Several other groups of girls came to the restaurant that night all dressed in a similar fashion. We enjoyed the evening immensely, although I did feel rather drably dressed myself!

ON THE SUBJECT OF GIRLS

There are not enough men to go around in Russia and the girls do all they can to attract a man.

In discussions with my expat girlfriends we have commented on this problem as we all realise that foreign men are a very attractive proposition, especially middle-aged business men! We have all been in situations where you feel the eyes of a girl on you and your husband and they are thinking 'what is a man of such position doing with a woman as old as that!!!' It is the name of the game here and is quite dangerous for some unsuspecting couples.

It is important for every expat couple to have discussions about this and to make sure the husbands recognise the danger and not mistake it for an attractive option!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

One of the less delightful aspects of living in a Russian apartment block is the all pervading stench of cabbage which one's neighbours seem to have constantly on the boil. At least I like to think it's cabbage. Mike thinks someone died in one of the apartments about a year ago and hasn't been discovered yet. I will keep you posted on that one.

On the subject of unpleasant things, I opened a tin of sardines for my lunch the other day. They are not like sardines I have tasted before and are extremely unpleasant. However, having opened them, I didn't really know what to do with them. I realise now, too late, that I should have chucked them down the loo however, at the time I thought the only way to get rid of them was to eat them. I soaked them in vinegar to try to disguise their flavour and put a tonne of salt and pepper on them. I ate them on top of crispbread without letting them touch the side of my mouth. Lesson, don't buy Russian tinned sardines.

THE BUSINESSMAN

I love the uniform of the 'businessman' in Russia. Italian suit and black tee-shirt, expensive watch, smart haircut, no smile and always a black, dark-windowed four-wheel drive. The amusing thing is they can't drive for toffees. At least, they can't park. I know this because I watch a lot of 'dark-windowed, four wheel drive activity' from my flat window (discretely of course) and they cannot park into a space! I assume this is because they can probably buy their driving license and don't take a driving test. I think you can buy most documents here.

ON THE SUBJECT OF BABIES AND WIND

Nicky continues to receive helpful advise in terms of caring for her baby. For example she should keep her in one country for at least the first three years so she can acclimatise. She should give her vitamin D and the nurse gave her something to stick up the baby's bottom for wind! (is that a cork Nicky?)

24 SEPTEMBER AND LOOK AT THE SKY!

It is such a gorgeous day today that I simply had to go out for a very long walk therefore haven't had the time I thought I would yet to blog however, I couldn't resist popping this picture on just to show the sky. I am sure I will need my thermal underwear soon but at the present it is really lovely weather!

ALL ABOARD THE LOVE BOAT

I think the sunset on the outset of this weekend boat trip speaks for itself. I took so many pictures as I have never seen a more beautiful sky. We were sitting in the dining room at the time and this was taken through the window of the boat just as it embarked on its journey. The timing was absolutely perfect to get this composition!

VALAAM

The purpose of the boat trip, other than just a fun weekend away on a boat, was to visit the above mentioned island and it's famous monastery which is the focus of many a pilgrim in the Orthodox church.

LIFE ABOARD THE JOLLY ROGER

I don't actually know what the boat was called and if I did I probably couldn't translate it to English.

We arrived around 7.00 pm to discover we were absolutely the only foreigners on board and absolutely nobody spoke more than two words of our mother tongue, so with our limited amount of Russian it was always going to be a challenge.

However, we ascertained that we were booked onto the first sitting for our evening meal. We were allocated half an hour to complete our meal before we would be kicked out for the staff to prepare for the next sitting! Whilst waiting alongside a gaggle of very hungry Russians outside the restaurant for the doors to open and the gobble fest to begin on time, we contented ourselves by deciphering the menu. It told us the weight of the portions at the end of each item, for example, bread 100 grams, chicken, 120 grams, rice 50 grams etc.! A far cry from our trip around South East Asia on Sun Viking!

When the dining doors opened everyone fell in and ran to their tables. We were luckily in front of the window, hence the great photograph, and were able to watch from the dining table as the boat set sail. Two ladies were put on the table with us and we felt like alcoholics as they drank tea and we ordered a glass of wine each (we would have had a bottle but didn't have time at the table to drink it!) The women were very sweet but of course it is a bit awkward when one can't communicate and even more so when one tries! However, we did manage and even had a couple of laughs which was just as well as they sat with us for every meal during the weekend. I suppose we were lucky to have our own berth without being paired up.

MORE ABOUT THE FOOD

Let's just say it reminded me of when I was a child in post-war Britain, simple and cheap and cleverly improvised. I was delighted that every desert was enhanced with artificial cream which brought back memories of visits to the bakery with my Auntie Jessie who would always buy me a cake with this type of cream and I loved it and apparently I still do!

I must point out that this was not a 'cheap' weekend, at least not for us foreigners, as typically for Russia the boat company has a two tier price system, one price for them, another, considerably more expensive for foreigners. I may be wrong here but I don't think I have come across this system anywhere else in the world.

MANCHESTER UNITED V ST. PETERSBURG

Our cabin was just down the corridor from the television room where about 100 people were screaming with delight as St. Petersburg beat Manchester United. We didn't sleep well, the match was a late starter and we are two hours ahead Monaco (that's where they were playing).

VALAAM

We awoke to decent weather, which was extremely lucky as it had been raining all week. After a really strange porridge laced with butter and a couple of apple pancakes we set out on our first tour of the morning which was to be a walking tour. One thing I will say about this walking tour, other than the fact that it was very slow and that the scenery and air were lovely is that the guide could talk the hind legs off a donkey and of course we didn't have a clue what he could possibly be saying about the pine trees and the lakes that took so long. It was pleasant all the same.

After lunch we went on a smaller boat around the island to the monastery. Because we are not Orthodox it's significance was lost on me but one thing I will remember is all the monks. They have long, straggly grey hair, really dirty looking clothes and look just Rasputin did. I always associate religious followers with bodily cleanliness, seems I'm wrong. I get the whole simple poverty thing but..

All in all a good weekend. Although we couldn't talk with the people on the boat very much they were very warm and friendly, that is until it was time to disembark at the end of the weekend. It was back to pushing and barging as in the bread queues of the communist days, just to get off the boat and to the metro station! FUN FUN FUN!!!

BACK FROM SPAIN AND TIME FOR ANOTHER HIV TEST!

RETURN TO HOME!

Mike very boldly borrowed the company Land Rover Discovery (black with dark windows!) to collect me from the airport on my return from Spain. I was very impressed and would use this service again!

DON'T BUY FROZEN FOOD UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR WAY HOME!

Glowing with the success of the airport meeting, the following day we ventured off to the supermarket and IKEA. IKEA is difficult enough at the best of times but to manage it in Russian is horrible! However, the big discovery that day for me was MARKS AND SPENCERS! Maybe this is a soft posting after all?

So far we remained empty handed so a trip to a hypermarket was essential. Having moved into the new flat with an empty freezer we purchased a lot of fodder to fill it. It was quite surprising to find that this huge establishment didn't accept any cards, credit nor debit. We had done a huge shop so were wiped out of cash.

The journey home was going quite well, until we couldn't turn left at the normal turn. We had to turn left at some point and drove on and on and .... I started to think we would be eating all our frozen food that evening, when fortunately we turned left.

DON'T BRIBE THE POLICE!

One of Mike's partners has told him never to try to bribe a policeman (as if Mike would!). However, that same partner said do carry 5,000 rubles around with you just in case you get stopped by the police whilst driving. Apparently, 5,000 (around £100) is about the most you will get charged and you may or may not get a receipt. Charged for what? You can get stopped for nothing and that happens all the time and you may not know why but you have to pay up to £100 but don't try and bribe them? I'm confused




MOVE TO ITALYANSKAYA 37/18 APARTMENT 5




Please note the new address but please don't send anything by post to that address. I may conduct a small experiment to see if things actually arrive by post but let me be the first to try!

As you can see from the above picture I have a really lovely apartment in a great position. I spend many a happy cup of tea in that front window watching the streets below. I can actually fit very nicely with my feet up into that window ledge and it's a great place to read and catch the sun (when it takes it's hat off that is). It's going to be fully furnished with cushions to sit and lean on.

THE WATER

Mike is the first up every week day morning and has the privilege of the first shower and the honour of drawing up the hot water. All the apartments are provided heating and hot water centrally. It is not the custom of the Russian people to rise early in the morning so he is probably the first to shower in the block. It is probable we are the only ones to shower as a part of our daily routine! It takes absolutely ages for the water to come through, sometimes about 10 minutes. Mike thinks he is drawing it from the other side of the river!

THE LIFT

Although the apartment is fab, I can't say the same for the courtyard and the hallways but I console myself with the fact that for St.Petersburg it's pretty good and we have a lift which is a real perk. This is not the most modern of lifts and a few weeks ago I could not imagine that I would be entering solo without fear, however, now I don't even think twice. Apparently, the average amount of time to be stuck in a lift in St.Petersburg is 30 minutes so .... I always make sure I visit the bathroom before leaving home and hope for the best.

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

We have a restaurant in our block. They have decided to store some old and huge pieces of ventilator shaft right outside our entrance way! There are three pieces, each the size of a small car, stacked on top of each other to the left of our doorway. It's unbelievable that nobody seems to care! I have mentioned it to our landlady and she said she will complain about it but doesn't think she will get anywhere. I am planning to talk to the manager of the restaurant about it but haven't plucked up the courage yet! Ridiculous! The cats seem to have made a home in them so at least they are happy!

CATS

There are cats everywhere. Some really beautiful creatures. People seem to look after all the cats in the town very well and I haven't seen any hungry ones.

THE BINS

These are pretty grotty and there is no way to recycle which feels awful except that there is a woman (I think she is a woman), who looks like one of the very poor people of the dark ages who seems to spend some time at the bins sorting the stuff out so hopefully she gets something out of them that she can recycle in some way. She must be residing somewhere in our block or she wouldn't get to the bins which just shows how mixed the area is.

ANATOLE

I heard our bell ring the other day. I took a look through the spyhole and saw an old man standing there who I didn't know, so following the rules of survival in Russia, I didn't answer the door. So I heard another, then another ring, then four rings. I decided to take my life into my hands and answer.

This very kind faced elderly gentleman tried to tell me something which I didn't understand. He then started to pull me outside! I was so confused but realised I could knock him over if I wanted to so I allowed myself to be pulled. It turned out that he was trying to show me the fact that my keys were in the outside of the door! We had accidentally left them hanging there and seeing as though everybody says you should lock your door when you are inside your apartment this was quite a vulnerable situation and this gentleman was worried for me! He introduced himself as Anatole and he lives opposite with his family (in about 30 square metres).
Anatole is out and about every day. I see him chatting to various vendors on Italyanskaya and more worryingly waving his stick at the traffic and crossing the roads regardless of whether they stop for him or not. He is a really nice old man and I wish I could hear about his history. I bet he was here during the siege of Leningrad.

THE NEW CLEANER

Tanya has come to me by way of our landlady. This woman is a human dynamo. She moves so fast and has an unsettling amount of energy. She makes me feel completely inadequate in terms of my ability to clean. This is a happy state of affairs and a good arrangement.

HARRODS FOOD HALL OF ST.PETE'S

I am delighted to discover that I am living a pleasant 7 minute walk from the best little supermarket in the city. It has just about everything I could need and more. It's going to be possible to eat well after all. I will be very strong if I continue to shop in the markets having discovered this shop.

CUSTOMER SERVICE - NOT!

Yesterday, having arrived at the checkout of my new wonder market, the checkout girl pointed out that I hadn't weighed my mushrooms. Two points here, firstly, instead of calling one of the many assistants standing around doing nothing she expected me to go myself but before I went she insisted that I handed over from the trolley all the remaining items to go through the checkout. Second point, when I returned she was sitting smiling and my stuff was sitting waiting for me to pack into bags! I calmly packed my bags whilst she sat impatiently waiting for me to pay. I hoped that she might have realised it would have been a good idea to help me but I doubt she gave it a second thought. Oh well, I suppose you can't expect customer service as well as a wonder market.

MY PURSE, YOUR PURSE

One very strange custom amongst the shop assistants here is that if you don't hand over the correct money and they ask you if you have a particular amount e.g. a 100 note and you say you're not sure and you are looking, they think nothing of delving their own hands into your purse and looking themselves! I don't really mind and I am sure they are only trying to be helpful but it seems a little forward and makes it difficult to lie if you are trying to keep a 100 note for some other purpose (then you have to sort of hide the contents whilst looking through without her getting her hands in there!). Also the next person in the queue gets to see the extravagant amount of money in a foreigner's purse!