I really should have said this three weeks ago. Sorry.

Yes, I'm back in England at the moment, after a safe and uneventful blah blah blah. I'll be returning to Russia some time in the second week of September, all being well with visas and flights and so on.

I probably won't write much on here during the summer, unless something really interesting happens. But then, this is England.

Old friends: feel free to get in touch with me if you want to. Usual address, phone number etc.


James

Also, if anyone wants a copy of my new poetry pamphlet, 'Together and Elsewhere', which is split 50:50 with an American poet called Adam Mahiques, then let me know. I'll stick one in the post for you.

OH NO! I'VE LOST MY VISA!!!

Only kidding...

Today I accompanied a sick friend of mine, another teacher, to the doctor here. Luckily we have private medical insurance as part of our contract but she's a bit doctor-phobic and has spent the past month denying she is ill, despite a hacking cough, feeling faint, temperatures, all that sort of stuff. Anyway, I finally got her to see the doctor only for us to be told that she has bronchitis!

So then it took me a good two more hours to persuade her to take some time off work.... added to that, I had to help her pick up her prescription, take her to physio, and stop her passing out on the metro after too many drugs. So I've been a right regular boy scout today. Well, I've got nothing else to do. Apart from spend time in the internet cafe, natch.

Only six more days to go before I'm back in England...

Just spent most of the past week in Obninsk, not doing much really, getting bitten by mosquitos and blood-sucking flies, drinking vodka, sleeping. So that was all very pleasant. Kostya is still working on his album in the recording studio - four songs nearly completed now.

Actually outside Kiev Station in Moscow, just before I left for Obninsk, I got jumped on by about twenty five gypsy women. Well, when I say 'jumped on', I mean that I started to run when I saw what was happening, as a couple of friends of mine have had things stolen in the past by groups of gypsies.

So if you can, picture me legging it about 200 yards down a bus rank in crowded central Moscow, being chased by a small army of head-scarved, floral-dress wearing h\gypsy ladies, all crying out to me in several languages! It was like something from Benny Hill. I managed to outrun them, probably the first time I have ever outrun anybody in my whole life.