Ekaterinburg, The Russian Federation From the airport Koltsovo International Airport (SVX) is about 16km SE of the city.  The most efficient way into the centre of Ekaterinburg is by bus.  There’s a bigger bus, the #1, and a smaller mini-bus which is #01.  #01 is more expensive, 100 roubles, plus

Are you happy? Have you asked yourself this question lately?  I mean, have you stopped everything you’re doing, looked deep into your soul and asked yourself ‘Am I happy?’ No?  Try it. Yes?  What did you find?  What was the answer? 6 months ago I asked myself this question earlier

Do you have a garden with plants and flowers?  Or is your outdoor area paved and concreted? Or maybe you live in a flat and don’t have a garden at all.  Maybe you have a balcony garden, or only indoor plants, like I have. One thing (of many!) I love

Sometimes when the weather’s nice, we take a walk around the neighbourhood.  There’s a huge park just down the road which is nice to walk in.  Or we just walk up to the shops, or around the neighbourhood to see what’s happening, and to see what’s changing (because in Moscow

For almost all of my life, I’ve dried my clothes in the fresh (or not so fresh, depending on my location) air.  I’ve never owned a clothes dryer.   Sometimes, when I didn’t even have a washing machine, I used to go to the local laundromat and wash and dry my

I don’t remember learning to read.  I mean, I know I did it, but I can’t recall the process.  I remember watching my daughter learning to read, struggling over every word, sounding them out, with varying degrees of success. But I don’t remember doing it myself.  The earliest memory I

One thing I love about Russia is the sense of community.  Even though Moscow is a huge city, in every local neighbourhood, in almost every block of flats, there are groups of women who are often outside together, chatting about God knows what. Spending time with each other. Sharing gossip

I thought I had prepared for the worst.  Until it was tested recently, and my preparations failed the test. So, what do I mean by ‘the worst’?  Well, in my case, it’s if something happens to me (God forbid), and my husband, Olivier, has to deal with the situation/aftermath.  I