About halfway through the results marathon for the Eurovision contest, Graham Norton, the UK’s new host for the event after Terry Wogan flounced off the show in disgust at the way that in 2008 the UK had come bottom again whilst the Eastern Europeans (and Finland) were having a run of good luck, mistily declared [...]
Archive for the ‘Britain’ Category
On Eurovision 2009.
Posted in Britain, Culture, Culture Shock, Europe, Music, Russia, tagged Eurovision, Eurovision 2009, Moskva 2009 on May 17, 2009 | 8 Comments »
On Merry New Year (Orthodox) Christmas.
Posted in Babies, Britain, Churches, Family, Health, Holidays, Motherhood, Movies, Russia, tagged Christmas, New Year, Orthodox Christmas, Peculiarities of the National Hunt, The Irony of Fate or With a Light Steam on January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It’s the 7th January.
If anyone wonders why you don’t, as a rule, get that Christmas tree up until the last possible moment before (British) Christmas, then the fact that in the Solnushka household you are still deep in the holiday season should be reason enough. The midwinter blowout won’t be over until Old New Year [...]
On Guy Fawkes Night
Posted in Britain, Culture Shock, Holidays, Russia, Weather, tagged 5th November, Autumn, Birthday, Bonfire Night, Fall, Fireworks Night, Guy Fawkes Night, NaBloPoMo 2008, Red October Day on November 4, 2008 | 6 Comments »
The fact that the 5th November went completely unmarked in Russia was always extremely disconcerting to you.
It’s always been a holiday you have celebratedwith vigour, and a trip to the local fireworks display, followed by baked potatoes and your Dad setting up a tray of sand at the far extreme of the garden so that [...]
On inflation.
Posted in Britain, Russia, TV, Very Fast Cars, Few Women. Who Drive., tagged F1, Fast Cars, ITV, Lewis Hamilton, NaBloPoMo 2008, Stevenage, Very Few Women on November 2, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Being a Formula One fan in Russia was not easy.
They never seemed to conclude negotiations for the TV rights before the third race, which meant that not only did you miss the beginning of the season, but you had to surf the channels every Sunday from March until you found out who was showing it [...]
On the gasman not comething.
Posted in Babies, Britain, Culture Shock, Kafkaesque, tagged Flanders and Swann, The Gasman Cometh on October 1, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Your life is beginning to resemble art.
It was bad enough that your heating and hot water were cut off for over a week recently, but the situation has descended from the sublimely irritating to the completely ridiculous when you got back from having the Star jabbed to find that the gasman had cometh in your absence to [...]
On чистота – чистоТайд.
Posted in Architecture, Babies, Britain, Clothes, Culture Shock, Family, Motherhood, Nodnol, Russia, tagged How Clean Is Your House, Kensington, moving house, чистота - чистоТайд, Washing Machines, ZX81 on September 13, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Being without the Internet for twenty odd days as a result of the move to the new flat was bad, but being without a washing machine was far far worse.
This is because the washing machine is the single most useful invention ever.
It’s taken a while for you to realise this, of course.
When you were at [...]
On good citizenship.
Posted in Britain, Citizenship, Nodnol, Pregnancy, Travel, tagged Heathrow on April 20, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Yesterday, you went to the airport to see off Mother In Law after her epic three month visit.
So there you are, sitting in the cafe having a last cup of tea before sending her off to brave the security gauntlet, when you notice that there’s a number of cabin crew types drinking coffee there too.
You were idly pondering over this – [...]
On discoveries.
Posted in Britain, Culture, Drink, Family, Food, Holidays, Patriotism, Poetry, tagged Burns' Night, Robert Burns, William Topaz McGonagall on January 30, 2008 | 2 Comments »
You are not in the least Scottish.
This has always been a source of faint irritation because you are able to conjure up in almost equal amounts a Welsh background, an Irish one, a Northern English past, a Southern English birthplace and a strong connection to the Channel Islands out of France. So to miss out on being [...]
On your holiday.
Posted in Aberystwyth, Architecture, Bridgenorth, Britain, Castles, Churches, Floods, Ludlow, Nature, Shropshire, Sightseeing, Travel, Wales, the Countryside, the Severn Valley Railway on September 20, 2007 | 12 Comments »
So you and B went on holiday.
You haven’t the energy for much description right now – in the last two weeks you have spent five days locked in a room with thirty three 8 year olds who have been fed a bowl of sugar for breakfast each and 30 minutes writing down the story of Britain from [...]
On rubbish modern life.
Posted in Banks, Britain, Culture Shock, Kafkaesque on August 28, 2007 | 6 Comments »
You have now given up work so you can prepare for your training to become a school teacher, starting in two weeks.
In honour of this, on your last day you baked a cake for your colleagues which, owing to a kitchen accident, enjoyed the twin flavours of chocolate and pesto. You also attended the leaving party [...]
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