Russian Holiday Photo Entry

Hello everyone,

At last I`ve found some time to make an entry, with many of Kerry`s photos for you to look at.  Kerry was glad to be home after a crowded flight home with a fractious Roman in tow.  She didn`t get a good seat this time so she made the best of the aisle seat that she was given.   In the car going home she was telling us all about her time there, the people, the wedding.  She did enjoy it but she would never want to live there.  The people are so very different from us in the west.  They don`t smile much and they regard us with a little suspiscion, not that I can blame them, they know little about us and they have endured hard times through the many years of communism.

                     

Roman has changed so much, more than I could`ve imagined in just 10 days, even Kerry was amazed with the new things he did in Russia, it must have been the different food he was eating...lol!  When he left here he was almost crawling, now, not only does he crawl, he pulls himself up on the furniture and walks along.  He is into everything and I need eyes in the back of my head as I don`t know what he`s going to do next.  All this started the day after they arrived there, he must have been saving his new skills for his Baba ( Nanna) and Deda (Grandad) as they`ve missed out on so much.  He met several Russian children there and he was in his element, language not being a barrier with children, and especially a baby of course,  despite a well-meaning lady asking Kerry if he can speak Russian yet....lol!  Another thing, the Russians take a completely different view on childcare.  The don`t have set routines with babies and will always pick them up imediately if they cry, but Kerry was adament that her way was followed, she didn`t want Roman`s routine spoiled and they respected that.  But still he has come home completely spoiled by his doting Russian family, who incidently were very sad to see him go.  Poor Nadia was inconsolable at the airport and Kerry said she was in tearsherself seeing her so upset.  I am so grateful that I`m not the Nanna saying goodbye.

             

Julia and Sergei`s wedding went off really well, Kerry said she was beautiful in her dress.  They make a lovely couple and I wish Jim and I could have been there, we can visit at any time as we have an open invitation but it won`t be for a while yet I`m afraid.  Kerry could only stay at the reception for an hour because Roman was very tired and he wouldn`t settle so Slava took them home.  Kerry spent the evening watching an old American film with Russian subtitles....lol  One afternoon Kerry and Slava went for walk in the forest just outside St.Petersburg and they walked for over three hours, Kerry told me that she was completely exhausted afterwards but it was so beautiful there it was worth it.  They also took Roman to the funfair/playground/theme park, it`s not like anything we have here so she didn`t really know what to call it, anyway it`s where Russians go in the leisure time and there`s lots to do for children and adults.  They also walked along the beautiful River Neva with his huge fountains, a new feature Kerry says.  The family have a Dacha (Summer house), outside the city where they grow vegetables and just spend some time.  Ivan, Slava`s Dad built the house himself and created the garden which is not easy given the hours he has to work.  Russia is such a beautiful country but most of us no nothing about it.  Perhaps one day things will change and it will become more accessible.  At the moment even Roman has to be vetted before being granted a visa, despite having a Russian father, even Kerry as his wife, still has to have one too.  Change is definitely needed there in my opinion.  I haven`t been able to be too specific about the holiday as it was spent in a bit of a whirlwind and they flitted about from here to there most of the time.  I do hope you enjoy the photos though.  I must go now, I haven`t read more than a couple of journals and I must get cracking or I`ll run out of time.  Have a lovely evening, take care and bye bye for now. :o)