250:Peru

Following my son's recent visit to Machu Picchu I thought I would just make the point that itinerant "Peruvian" musicians now seem to have conquered the world. Here they are in Moscow, being closely watched by security!

I've spent most of the last week planning and organising a trip to UK for one of my young students. Fingers crossed that all the separate parts of the visit come together seamlessly and that he has a good time. I look forward to an improvement in International Relations when he reaches adulthood.

My video clip today is the 1977 hit from Brotherhood of Man - Angelo. And yes, before I'm inundated with trolls, I know it is about a mountain in Mexico and not Peru.

249:No hot water

Actually they didn't have to tell me, I already knew. Unfortunately when I land back in Moscow tomorrow morning there will be no hot water in my apartment block until 12th July. At least not through the taps - the kettle will be earning its keep! Not too bad though - it used to be two whole weeks. 

248:Ramsey 10K - 30 Jun 2013

Yesterday I ran in a 10km race - the first for years and years. Since I started running again I have been plodding along: jogging for 2 minutes and walking for 1 minute. I was keen to see how, or if, such a regime would/could fit into a proper race. 
When I heard that the Ramsey 10 race would be held on a weekend that I was in the country it seemed to me that fate had decided to intervene. What could I do but sign up to take part. I finished 272nd out of 276 runners.
I was pleased and disappointed at the same time. Pleased because I actually finished the race (and not quite last) and disappointed because it took so long. If I am to get back into "serious" running there is a lot of work ahead of me. 
Here are edits from the video of the race showing the start and runner number 302 coming in 1 hour and 14 minutes later.

Everybody that finishes gets a "medal" and this is what it looks like:

247:Napoleon

Today is the anniversary of when Napoleon began the disastrous French invasion of Russia by crossing the River Niemen with 614,000 men. The year, of course, was 1812.
My first student of the day, who lives not far from here,

and also not far from here,

told me that he had visited the 1812 museum, just outside Red Square, on Saturday. He recommended a visit and one day I will probably go and see for myself.

Today's video clip has to be from Tchaikovskiy's 1812 overture. Enjoy.

246:Summer in the City

My British Airways plane landed at Domodedovo International at 04.30 on Saturday 15th June. Because the first aero-express train doesn't leave until 06.00 I decided to take a scheduled coach to the nearest metro station (which, appropriately enough, is called Domodedovo). These coaches don't run to a timetable but only go when every last seat has been sold. It is a matter of luck whether you get on when it is almost empty or almost full. 
Anyway, we arrived at the metro stop at about 05.30. Metro stations open at different times in the morning, between 05.30 and 06.00, and this one opens each day at 05.40. I would say there was somewhere in the region of 100 people milling around waiting for the metro to open. Not bad for half past five on a Saturday morning! Mostly, I would suggest, immigrant workers heading into town to start their daily work.
Having got 'home' safely and snatched a few hours sleep, I decided to spend my Saturday having a wander. Here are some pictures taken not only on Saturday but on different days this week as I passed anything that seemed to me to be noteworthy.

St Basil's looked particularly fetching this morning basking in bright sunshine

The old British Embassy. The Ambassador and some Attaches still live there This is faintly amusing. It is a typical storage area for rubbish the like of which can be found outside many apartment blocks. The funny thing about this one is that on the left there is a sign saying that video cameras are in operation.	There were countless wedding cars on Bolotnaya (this is the place where sanctioned opposition protests are held. Not today! This is the view I had of the Kremlin when I worked in Moscow at the old British Embassy 1978-1980 Fountain outside Novokuznetskaya metro

For a video clip today I have chosen "Summer in the city" from the Lovin' Spoonful. It reached Number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966. 

245:Fathers' Day

Yesterday, in UK (and many other countries) it was Fathers' Day. Here is a selection of cards sent to me by my son over the last few years. I hope he doesn't mind me publishing them. It shows that he has inherited my sense of humour - what a lucky lad! :)

To finish off, a video with a cheesy song from from the 1950s - "Oh my papa", sung here by the Everly Brothers. Actually it causes me to remember both my parents.

244:Daphne Alice Beatrice Buckley - Rest in Peace

My mum had a fall a couple of weeks ago and fractured a bone in her pelvic girdle (перелом таза). She was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where she was x-rayed and then admitted. 

Over the course of the next 2 weeks she picked up a chest infection and then had problems with her heart.
She was 87 years old and did not respond well to the treatments offered.
On Monday morning the medical team looking after her decided to put her on a protocol called the Liverpool Care Pathway . This meant that active intervention was stopped and mum was allowed to slide slowly and gracefully to the end. She was put into a side ward where she was the only patient and nurses and doctors came in from time to time to make sure she was comfortable and pain free. They also checked that the family members there with her, holding her hand, were coping.
The end came yesterday evening and she passed away peacefully in her sleep.
It is an extremely emotional and harrowing ordeal to watch a close family member slowly dying in front of your eyes and to watch for hours on end. 
Having said that, it does allow time to prepare yourself mentally for the inevitable outcome.
The funeral will take place in the St Thomas a Becket church in Ramsey on Friday 28th June at midday. The 'wake' will be held in Jones' Court, where mum had been living for the last few years. All those who knew mum are invited to attend.

Rest in Peace mum. We will all miss you.