The term is drawing to an end and many of my classes have finished, or about to finish. Still don't know what I'll be doing after the end of next week.

I had my final lesson with my group of little kids last week. Nikita, the eight-year-old who has been tormenting me with kitchen implements and laser-pens all year, brought me a present - a hardback book of Winnie the Pooh stories in Russian! All is forgiven. He even signed it, in big scrawling capitals: "IT'S FOR YOU! TO JAMES! FROM NIKITA!"

And although he had promised to bring his new hamster in for the final lesson, that never happened.