Here are a few Moscow sights to savour>

They are black, they are expensive, they have blacked out windows, the drivers are arrogant and agressive and they don't obey anyone's rules!

This is sunrise on January 30th 2008 over a Northern suburb of Moscow:

Vast areas of the city have these tower blocks. They are still building them but some of the modern designs are much more pleasing and sympathetic than the brutalist style seen here:

We headed out of the city this afternoon for a shopping 'experience'. The retail park was next to the Moscow Ring Road (think M25).

First we went to Leroy Merlin DIY emporium for a few home improvement items. The first impression was one of relief because it looked like good old B&Q. Finding what you need in a typical Moscow 'handyman's' shop is very difficult. You are not allowed to handle the goods because they are all behind glass. When you finally find what you want you take a 'chitty' to a cash desk and pay for it. When it is paid for you return to the shop assistant and present the proof of purchase before being allowed to touch what you desire. A right pain in the derriere.

LM is a bit like B&Q, but only a bit. The floor walkers are a lot younger to start with. The ailes are littered with pallettes piled with half opened boxes and the shelf fillers have far too much to do to consider letting the shopper through to find what they want.

This is a persistent and annoying attitude amongst Moscow shop assistants (with the exception of some of the more astute and forward thinking establishments). The customer is just a bloody nuisance and is made to feel as such. They would not last two minutes in Yorkshire before they were out of a job.

The other way in which the store was not like B&Q was the total lack of health and safety awareness. There was dangerous litter, wooden palettes and packaging everwhere and, worst of all, forklift trucks dodging about the floor like dodgem cars. A litigation lawyer could make his fortune in a week.

After having survived the gauntlet of LM we drove across the park to a familiar sign - Ashan (Au champs), the favourite of many a Booze Cruise Brit.
It was huge, sold everything you could imagine but kept its uniquely Russian character. How do they do it!
The same health and safety hazards were there plus there was an extraordinary Russian food experience. It was a Russian corner shop but on a massive scale. The preserved sausage counter was the size of Huddersfield Sainsbury's, the fish counter was the size of Iceland (the country, not the shop) and the cheese counter was all the same colour - a pitted off-white.
Russian cheese would mystify an Englishman. It is all the same colour, texture and bland taste. I call it Russian rubber, much to Olga's annoyance. There are all these packages with different labels and they all look the same and taste the same. Sorry, except for one, that would hold its own in any English county show stand, and it is called Rasisky. Ask for it if ever you are here. I can't wait to get home for a piece of Wensleydale. I am sure that an enterprising cheese exporter could make a killing. It would be like introducing Australian wine to the French - they would be astounded at the quality, variety and flavour.

There was good, cheap wine to be found (well, it was Ashan!). We found a recommended Chilean Cabernet from Rothschild and it was just delightful, at less than 4 pound a bottle.

I found myself getting used to the indiscipline and crazyness of Russian drivers. I will get a shock when I get home and have to drive amongst Brits again; they will all seem like pensioners wearing hats.

I took a picture of a huge Merc, with blacked out windows, parked at his convenience by the supermarket door. (Still in the camera - I will post it later) It typified the Russian Macho driver -"I drive this so I park where the hell I please." (Small penis eh?)

Do svedanya,

Graham

This is Ostankino, the palace of Nikolai Sheremetev. Built in the forests north of Moscow in the early 1800s. It now stands in a park in the Northern suburbs and its windows face the massive Ostankino TV tower at 1772 feet.

It is built out of wood and plaster!!
Like in most of the 18/19th century world, buildings were made from the readily available natural resouces. Russia is very rich in wood!
The Sheremetev family were the wealthiest aristocrats (after the Tzar) in Russia. They owned 25% of all serfs at the time of the building of this palace. They retained their wealthy status by adopting the British practice of making the eldest male heir the single benefactor; this at a time when the 'Code Napoleon' was trying to force Europe along the route of equal shares for all heirs.
The Sheremetevs were of a benevolent nature and very much interested in the arts and drama. A theatre is built within the palace and it has many refined technical devices: very advanced for its period. The serfs acting and performing talents were encouraged and most productions featured the lowest of these low class people.
It is a museum and occasional concert hall now and there is a sign outside saying:

"Open April to October. Closed when raining and when humudity is above 80%"

This is to protect the fragile structure from the ravages of water.
During the communist era it was cared for as a national treasure, and it was a symbol of the nobility of the worker, so they could hardly pull it down!

Do svedanya,

Graham

I took Olga out for a birthday treat last night. We took Margo, her twenty year old daughter, with us. Margo recommended a sushi bar. I have only eaten sushi a couple of times before and enjoyed it, so I was 'up for it'. (I will eat anything!).
Sushi has become very popular here and there was a lot of choice of restaurants. Margo took us to a popular and not too expensive place. The food was very good, the surroundings pleasant and the service charming.

Smoking is still permitted in public places in Russia, but there was a screened-off non smoking section. We were lucky to get seats in this part. I enjoyed the sound of English being spoken at an adjacent table. It made me realise how much I miss being surrounded by my own native tongue. I guess Olga must feel this in the UK sometimes.

The bill was satisfyingly reasonable (under 40 GBP for the three of us) and that included the drinks.

On the way home I bought some flowers for my mother-in-law and they were delivered. It is the custom here to congratulate the parents on the birthday of their children.

We cracked the champagne, ate birthday cake on our return home and finished off a lovely day of birthday celebration - Russian style.

Do svedanya,

Graham

Happy Birthday Olga...(classified) years old today.

In Russia there is always a big fuss made about birthdays. Much more so than in the UK. If you are an 'any excuse for a party' person then you will love your Russian birthday. If you are a 'leave me alone and stop fussing' person then you will not be so happy. I tend to be of the second kind, Olga the first, so we are making a fuss of her.

Eat out at a sushi bar, concert in the city centre and drink champagne at home.
Here she is in a different place and a different climate!

Do svedanya

Until recently the Russians were enjoying a relatively snow free winter. But the last few days have ended all that. Today it has snowed heavily.
The machines and teams of snow clearers are out in force on the Moscow streets.

The reports are of traffic chaos.
"Hang on a minute!" I hear my UK compatriots shouting. "It is only us Brits who have traffic chaos when it snows. Everyone else in the temperate climates of the world is a model of efficiency. Especially the Russians."
Wrong. The difference is in the way it is reported:
In Britain it is always someone's fault. Our stupid newspapers insist on it...the local authorities, the motorist, the government; everyone is to blame, everyone but the bloody snow itself!
Here it is accepted that snow causes chaos and they just work round it. A lot of the chaos IS the motorists fault. They will not adapt to conditions and there are bumps and breakdowns holding things up everywhere.
If there is an accident in Moscow then the police have to be called to take down details etc. No one is allowed to move until that happens. So two cars can block a street for an hour or more. The only advantage this attitude of 'carry on motoring' brings is that drivers are not over-cautious and will plough on through snowdrifts anyway.

Do svedanya,
Graham

The most enduring image of this city is the never ending vistas of apartment blocks.

This is one built in the 1970s and is part of the view from our window:

The residents customise their balconies with various types of weather protection. No interference from planning departments eh?

This is the view from our apartment (8th floor). It looks south, and 3 miles in that direction is the Kremlin:

There are post perestroika blocks towering over the older apartments. The low block amongst the trees in the centre is one of Kruchev's notorious 1950/60s 5 story blocks - put up in a hurry and being removed slowly.
The centre of the courtyard is a children's playground, which unfortunately doubles as a dog exercise area! Most dog owners act responsibly. Garages can be seen bottom left - these are made from galvanised steel and are just a bit larger than the car. They have a side door to allow the driver to get in and out.

Many families still use the main living area for sleeping. It is considered a luxury to have a separate bedroom for everyone. Apartments are advertised for sale by the number of living spaces, not the number of bedrooms, as in the UK.
Olga has just gone to pay the monthly services cost - maintenance, water (cold AND hot), gas, elec, sewage, heating... everything. She complained that the total came to nearly 60 pounds! It used to be a lot less.

Do svedanya,

Graham

The first swear word I ever saw in Moscow was written on a building site screen and was the same as can be found all over the UK. A clue - it is usually refered to as Anglo-Saxon in origin and begins with 'F'!! I have heard it in its universal form quite often.
Olga tells me that there are a lot of vulgar expressions that are used by the working man - most of which a polite lady would not mention.

As in most cultures what offends one is seen as innocuous by another. The most vehement and aggressive insult I have heard is to call someone a goat. The Russian word is 'Kazyol' - with the 'zy' lengthened and the teeth pressed together. I pick this word up regularly, and its context, when watching TV.

Another insult I recognised immediately: It is 'Durak'. It is a Mongol/Tartar word and we use it in the form of 'Toerag'. It was brought to my attention when Olga shouted it at the cat - who immediately went and peed on her boots. Serves her right!

These two Russian insults have served me well so far. I will let you know when I learn some more.

Do svedanya,

Graham

I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone wearing a fur coat in the UK.
I am led to believe that it is a foolish thing to do and at best would lead to ridicule and at worst to murder at the hands of an animal liberationist.

A visit by a 'libber' to Moscow could lead to mass 'babushkacide'. They love their animal furs: Long, sleek and shiny, and usually topped by a cylindrical hat made from the same animal. I have to admit they do look nice but they are worn as much out of practicality as for the sake of appearance. A fur coat is warm, perhaps the warmest of all garments. On some of these Moscow winter days I would happily put aside all prejudices for the sake of a warm garment.

Animosity and prejudice at the wearing of fur has not reached Russia. If it did it would have a struggle to get established. There are strong business interests, a low level of 'alternative' cultural activities and indifference towards animals that serve the needs of humans. Domestic pets are loved and the birds are fed but the fish markets have tanks (condemned cells) crammed with carp gasping in murky water and crayfish stumbling over the bodies of their ex-pals. Angling with a rod and line is seen as a means of acquiring protein as much as a sport. It could be argued that this is easier to justify.

I am quite comfortable with this state of affairs. The anthropomorphic, soggy sentiment that is part of our UK animal welfare culture I find hard to take.
Apart from that I have seen Olga in a fur coat and she looks a million roubles.

Do svedanya,

Graham

The header picture is of the beautiful Eden Valley in Cumbria and the magnificent hill in the background is Wildboar Fell.

This is Olga, the photographer:

Olga is the one on the left!

My sister and brother-in-law live in the Eden valley, close by here.

Graham

Last night Olga and I were invited to a steak restaurant by Olga's son, Gosha. It is on the Garden Ring close to where it crosses New Arbat. He has a very good job with the company that owns the restaurant.

It is very up-market! (You can tell immediately by the prices (!) but then its status is confirmed when you appreciate the superb quality of the food). It is in no way pretentious though. There is a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere and everything is focussed on the attention to detail that goes into the buying, storing and cooking of the meat. I can honestly say that I had the best steak I have ever eaten. I ate it in small pieces, and slowly, so that it lasted. Not that it was small: It was a 12oz sirloin, medium rare.
We were introduced to Misha, the owner. It is one of many restaurants he owns in Moscow.
I amused myself by correcting the grammar in the English menu. The establishment were very appreciative. I hope the next reprint will be word perfect :-) I reflected on the fact that when I first came to Moscow a critical comment of this kind would be most unwelcome and seen as a source of shame and embarrassment. The attitude on this occasion was pragmatic and phlegmatic.

Do svedanya,

Graham

When I was looking for a host for my blog I went round and tested various providers. I eventually settled on Google's 'Blogspot'. Then I started having problems and the discussion pages showed that I was not alone. So I am kicking Blogspot into touch and having a go with this site.

The first thing I notice is how comprehensive the WYSIWYG editor is. It worked intermittently on Blogspot (and then disappeared altogether!),

So here we go - a fresh start - a rebirth.