Catch up from end of summer to Kiev at Christmas

It's been six months since I last blogged. Here's a taste of what we've been getting up to. I'd say the main difference is in Alastair's progress. There are so many firsts I can't list them, but as of now - December 2009 - he's beginning to build very basic sentences and get a feel for word order. Gregor is reading and writing, and loves the reading and being read to, but I'll have to take care to not let him see writing as 'work'. I think they do so much of it at school, anything else is too much. I finished my cycling job with Sustrans and have cooked a few breakfasts at the B&B opposite my house when needs be, but will look for something else next year. I continue to do my GCSE maths course each week - having failed it over 25 years ago. In my class is a Russian lady who was very (pleasantly) surprised when I spoke to her in my broken Russian. And the girl I sit next to has a Czech auntie! Misha has begun an interpreting diploma in Norwich; the course is in public health, the idea being that he'd be qualified to interpret for the National Health Service all over Norfolk and Suffolk - the original East Anglia. Here are a few pics of our end of summer and autumn, starting with the last day of term.

I took the kids to London early in the hols, to visit the Science museum and catch up with some old mates from Prague. My niece, Allie, joined us that day. The boys liked this tube poster.

Back at Allie's house in Ipswich, site of the former airfield where my dad used to fly for a hobby. Once he took me - as a nine-month-old baby to Oxford and back, and complained to my mother that I cried the entire journey!!

We went with my friend Kam and her family to Thorpeness and messed about on the meare. Alastair insisted on 'rowing'.

Moo farm. Gregor and Olivia fed the greedy goats no end of the fruit on the nearby trees. We didn't hang around to find out if they were sick or not.

Another day Misha had an interview for an interpreting and translation company in Cambridge, so I took the boys off to the botanical gardens there.

Quite the best picture of Gregor yet.

Tony, Jo, Aiden, Teagan and Alannah came to visit. Well, they stayed in Hopton-on-Sea, just up the road from Lowestoft. On one of the days we went crabbing at Walberswick.

All dressed up for the Lowestoft carnival!

Gregor in his element.

With Kam and co again, this time at the maize maze at Southwold.

Up the steps on the windmill at Thorpeness.

During the summer Alastair's fascination with the council diggers and dustbin trucks grew, so much so that we took to stalking the depot on random days.

A soon-going-back-to-school-party with some of the school friends.

One of our many summer walks. This one to the cliffs along Covehithe, a few miles south of the Lowestoft coast.

FIRST DAY AT BIG SCHOOL FOR ALASTAIR!!!

FIRST football match for Gregor!!! Lowestoft vs Redbridge. Lowestoft went on to win the Ryman league the 2009/2010 season!

Fab day at the Aldeburgh food fest at Snape maltings. Here's Alastair trying to get some ham.

Lucky sighting of the Dartmoor ponies introduced in Dunwich forest, another frequent destination.

Even managed a swim in the North Sea in September.

Cousins Sam and Alex up from Kelvedon for a visit. Gregor tending the bbq.

And at the food fest closely observing the scallops.

Recycling dump. Alastair taking tickets and payment for entry to the dump.

Bonfire night.

Hunting for minibeasts.

My paella with local squid and mussels. Yummy!!

My old friend Charlotte introducing her newly-adopted daughter Reana to the boys.

Making pies.

Alastair's old teacher, Kirsty, came over for a visit.

Misha and I, October 2009.

Alastair snowflake with Hannah at the school play.

Gregor the shepherd.

A pre-Christmas visit to Shirley and Owen's in Ipswich, friends of my late parents.

Owen reading to Gregor about the great fire of London in Pepys' diaries.


When school broke up we flew to Kiev for Christmas and new year. It was busy and relaxing at the same time. The weather was awful and wonderful and it got as cold as minus 17 and plus 2! That place is just full of extremes. This is the smoke from the sugar beet factory en route to Luton airport.

Once there, 3 generations of Belousov.

And here would be the 4th....Mikhail Belousov, the great actor.

Right by the parents' apartment is a wonderful Italian coffee house. Every time we ventured out we started any activity with a hot chocolate for the boys and coffee for grown ups.

Mid-week it snowed, and we played and played and played. Our ice-house took about 4 months to melt. The grandparents looked out of the window every day for a lovely reminder of their little grandsons' industrious work.

Alastair having a frequent cuddle with Gaga while watching Oggy and the Cockroaches.

We managed to get out a couple of times without the kids. Here we were at a Belgian restaurant designed by Misha's two architect friends, Larisa and Vadim.

Dima generously lent us his car and driver (!) to visit a museum of regional folklore on the outskirts of Kiev. We spent a couple of hours wandering round vast tracts of land dotted with churches, old school buildings and farm barns. Alastair thought a particular barn was where baby Jesus was born.

More coffee at a fab little pizza place by the toyshop. An expedition we had to absolve.

And next door to the toyshop was the original destination - the 'posh' supermarket. Here's a snapshot of the clientele. Carp swimming with turtles....in case you were thinking of cooking something a bit more exotic for Christmas.

Talking of cooking. We did a lot of that, and even Alastair was keen to assist the effort. Here he is tenderising the beef for a stroganov.

The boys were enthralled by all the snow ploughs they saw during their stay. They were all over the streets clearing them of snow throughout the day and night, and as a result, the streets were immaculate and traffic flowed smoothly. A remarkable sight coming from England!

The presidential election campaign was hotting up while we were there. This is a supporter for Timoshenko, the candidate favoured by most pro-European thinkers. But, as anyone who is familiar with Ukranian politics will know, nothing there is simple, so we'll see what happens.

And meanwhile, people with money and flash cars do what they want. Including driving along the pavement and parking outside the shop. Oops, forgot to mention. They turned the wide pavements in Kreshtatik street into a parking lot!

With Dima's car and driver at our disposal we were taken to the best place to buy a Christmas tree. Here is Misha explaining to an unimpressed and disappointed Gregor why a small tree would be easier for Baba and Gaga (the grandparents) to dispose of long after we've gone home.

The boy knows what he wants. Here he was, potentially breaking an elbow, but at least his roubles were safe!

There was lots of time for quiet playing at Baba and Gaga's. Here the boys were playing 'depots' with the new diggers they had as a present from their grandparents.

Lego from Olivia in Lowestoft.

Nela expertly securing the turkey breast stuffed with all sorts.

And me bravely attempting the Russian potato salad, and on new year's eve too....A very special eating occasion in Ukranian/Russian households. Fortunately my mother-in-law and me see eye-to-eye on food. She's a fabulous cook and so the rest must be alright too, right?!

The said potato salad with our other fare: beetroot salad, hams, smoked fish, boiled potatoes with dill butter, smoked salmon, prawns in marie rose sauce, roast pork, horseradish, pickled cabbage, pickled pickles and champagne.

Lovely family.

My fabulous little twins running like mad through the tree-lined avenue to the park Misha was taken as a little boy.