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

I was 16 years old before I ever saw or rode in a tram.  That’s because I grew up in Perth, Western Australia.  Trams operated in Perth from 1899 to 1958.  I was born in 1967, so they were long gone before I was born. So, the first time I

procrastination: noun –  the action of delaying or postponing something. I have a million and one things to do.  So, I make lists.  I do the easy stuff and cross them off the list.  I can see progress this way.  That means I’m successful, doesn’t it? No, it doesn’t! It

In Australia, we call them ‘lockers’.  They’re often found in schools and universities, so you can put your books and other stuff in there without having to carry them around with you all day, or taking them home when you don’t need to. You have a key which you keep

Recently, Olivier and I went to a very unusual museum.  It’s called the Museum of Industrial Culture.  What does that name conjure up for you?  Industrial machinery?  Business/office machines?  Machines for the home? Well, to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. So, we set off one Saturday to

Last time, we looked behind us in Russia. This time, we’re not in one particular place in the world. We’re simply with friends. We all love taking photos when we’re together with our friends.  Group photos, so that we can have a visual souvenir of the good times we’ve had