I wrote this last weekend - I'm a bit behind on blog....
See, shouldn't have got all happy about having things in place - the nanny/cleaner can't do some of the hours we asked....damn it! Back to the drawing board on that one. Plus a wheel just came off the buggy - oh for the love of God, cursed cursed cursed. It is raining today and so our plans have been scuppered for going to see more sights with Arthur. Graeme wants to go on the KGB tour - in fact he's overly enthusiastic - don't know what he thinks is going to happen. A Russian guy told us a place round the back of the Kremlin that you can go in and see all the diamonds - equivalent of crown jewels I think. Although why we have to sneak round the back I'm not sure - we might be part of some heist and will be totally unaware of this until we end up in Siberia doing time. That's the kinda shit that happens here. I was reading in the paper yesterday - sorry should have done the title -
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE OF THE DAY - A leading Gay activist in Russia had flown in to Moscow to stage a peaceful Gay pride march when he was picked up by police and bundled into a car and driven off. Luckily he still had his mobile and so was texting his friends to let them know what was going on. The last text message they received was from Minsk (yes, the capital of Belarus) where he'd been driven for some unknown reason and then the police discovered his mobile so that was the last they heard from him. I don't know whether anyone has heard from him since - i'll keep checking the papers...but seriously, you can't do that, it's totally insane. At least take the poor man to Florence or something. You can't just remove people that you don't like....ahhhh, I forgot, I'm in Russia, they do things differently here..... - update - the guy was found in the outskirts of Moscow (alive) as the police had pretended to take him to Minsk but it was all just a plan to scare him....
Also, a gangster got taken out on the road we're going to live on recently. Opened his car door and as he stepped onto the street - boom - sniper shot from a window across the street. I'm getting the feeling that you really shouldn't annoy anyone here as there could be serious consequences!
Anyway, enough of the scare stories as I could go on all day... that's an understatement and a half. - update - crime boss was actually hit in the stomach by the sniper and is still alive in hospital with 50 armed guards - police put out that he was dead to stop anyone trying to finish him off in hospital...
We ordered a pizza last night as we decided that we hadn't eaten any fat since we got here which is outrageous and so we found a pizza hut site that had an English menu and ordered away - all excited. Well, two hours later we were still waiting and finally the guy arrived but he has to go by Metro so it takes the poor man forever - as you can imagine this results in rather cold stodgy pizza that doesn't quite live up to the image you have in your head....looks like i'll be losing weight after all...damn it.
By the way, the whole Pope thing is getting in the way of the only English channel I have - it's the only thing on sky news and I've had about as much as I can take. That's it now, go home please so that my channel can be restored to the usual stories of murder and terrorism. There was a brilliant placard that one of the protesters was holding up, it said, 'Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers' - you gotta give credit where credit's due - that's a pretty good play on words...made me chuckle anyway. This is what happens when you only have one channel. Pope has gone home now so T.V is back to normal.
Managed to get to the play park this afternoon with Arthur. The whole area is made of that spongy stuff so they don't hurt themselves but there was one tiny area that was a bit rough where the spongy stuff had come off and what happens...Arthur walks straight for it and boom...forehead and nose grazed. Excellent, he now definitely looks like the victim of abuse and these Russian ladies love telling you what to do with your child - I got stopped in the lift yesterday as I was taking Arthur down to the little supermarket in the hotel and so he didn't have any socks on - well, you'd think I had left him in just a nappy in minus ten! I had three Russian ladies all pointing at his feet and huffing and then one lady spoke English and said accusingly, 'You're not taking him outside are you?' Keep your hair on - it's all okay, just going to the internal supermarche...don't stress people! We managed to get to the toy shop today as well to stock up on baby food - Graeme stupidly handed Arthur a toy to look at and then took it away from him - oh dear, you could hear the crying through the whole of Moscow. We live and learn. We found an amazing snow suit for children in the shop so we're looking forward to getting one for Arthur - it had all fur around the hood - very Siberian! So just a relaxing day today although because the buggy broke we're going to struggle doing much tomorrow but I think we'll head to a Stalinist fun park...I know, slightly contradictory you're thinking but heh, you never know it might just be a barrel of laughs.
We didn't actually head to the park as we had no buggy but it's okay - we have a buggy now. I finally snapped and ordered/ asked nicely Graeme to go and get one the other evening as the shops stay open here till 10pm. He got a taxi - which is quite a step here as you do have to speak some Russian plus they have rogue taxis that are just private cars hoping to earn some extra cash. They are supposed to be safe and everyone uses them here but you have to be quite firm in what you want to pay. You state a price and then walk away if they complain and usually they'll call you back - takes some guts and practice so this is something that may take me some time to conquer although if I have Arthur then it's nearly impossible as you have to have a car seat in taxis here unlike Britain and if it's just a private car then you definitely have to have a car seat!
As I have been hotel bound up until yesterday there is little for me to share hence why there has been a lull in my blog - plus the dial up is beyond annoying and so I am waiting with glee to get into our new flat. On Monday we signed the contracts and got our set of keys although the landlord said he is going to change the locks as he thinks the last tenants still have a set. The landlord is a lecturer at the university and boy is he a cliché of that mad professor image you have in your head! He seems very nice and laid back so that's great. He is ordering curtains for us as we stipulated that we wanted him to supply them as the windows are huge and it would have blown our whole Ikea budget! I have some pictures that I will try and put up later. Arthur is very taken with the piano that is in the flat - I fear some noisy times ahead...let's hope the walls are thick whilst Amadeus Ogilvie tries his hardest to knock out a few tunes. I'm really really happy with the flat we have found - it definitely has a warm and open feeling to it and it seems a very sociable place. Arthur has ended up with the biggest room which opens up onto the sitting room as we thought that this could be a playroom as well and then he can keep all his mess on one side of the flat....well, that's the plan anyway! I have been trawling through the Russian Ikea site - not the most fun i've had in a while but I have found some very nice stuff to fill the flat with although I am slightly worried by the fact that a notice kept coming up saying 'These prices may not accurately reflect the actual in store prices' - mmmm -the prices online are pretty good - just a bit more than Britain but i'm now concerned that I'll arrive at Ikea with my well thought out list and everything will actually be double....they can't do that though eh...it's Ikea...surely they have to keep within a price band?! Oh heck....watch this space for Ikea meltdown story..we're going a week today so not long to wait for that.
I'm being a bit of a wally with the language - Graeme is doing much better than me and I'm just being a total wimp - I keep pushing him forward going 'you say it, you do it' like a shy child hiding behind the leg of his mother! Graeme finally had enough last night as I refused once again to phone someone as they might speak Russian to me - ' For goodness sake Chloe - you're supposed to be the linguist here and I'm doing all the work!' to which my reply was 'It's not my fault I have a phobia of phones!' - I do actually have a real case phobia of speaking to people on the phone...I was one of the people in the world that rejoiced in the invention of texting and so I don't particularly want to phone someone where it might be even more uncomfortable as we don't speak the same language. I keep getting words mixed up and have a real problem with a few words that I just can't seem to get straight -
Please - POZHALUYSTA
Hello - ZDRASTVOOYTE
Excuse me - IZVINITE
Sorry - PROSTITE
For some reason I just can't get these words in my head against the right meanings and so become dumb in the street as I'm worried I'm going to say 'hello' when I mean 'Excuse me' oh Lord, make it end. I've really just got to get a grip of myself and stop being so damned British. Typical Brits as well that the first words we are learning are all the ones to make us more polite where as the Russians barely use these words! I've got to phone and book a restaurant today - Graeme has refused to do it and so in doing forced my hand and so I will let you know how I get on...
This afternoon Arthur and I are off to a baby group called 'The mostly boys club' sounds just the sort of club for Arthur as rough and tumble seem to be his middle name. It's being held in a park today as the sun is shining. Yesterday it was 5 degrees and I must admit that I was quite chilly - oh dear - what am I going to be like in minus 20?! I'll be used to it by then surely!
Anyway, sorry for the lack of photos but until I get into our new flat (a week tomorrow - yihaaaaaa) then you'll just have to wait. So long friends.
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