271:An Indian summer?

They say that the sun always shines on the righteous but this year it is finally shining on me. One or two nice days in UK last week, before the St Jude's day storm broke on Sunday night, and now it looks as though we're going to have an Indian summer (бабье лето) here in Russia. 
I've just looked on the weather forecast for the rest of the week and had my enthusiasm dampened. After today we're not due to see the sun again for at least the rest of the week. Never mind. такова жизнь!
Here are a couple of photos of churches I came across in my travels around the city. The first one is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the second one isn't!
On this day in 1961 the Soviet Union tested a thermo-nuclear device - at 58 megatons the largest explosion ever recorded.
This leads me nicely to my song for the day: Barry MacGuire singing "on the eve of destruction". I think perhaps we were. Maybe we still are.

270:Oh what a beautiful morning

What a wonderful bright and crispy autumnal day here in Cambridgeshire. There isn't a cloud in the sky. A very quick blog today so I can get out and do some work in the garden while there is still the opportunity.

269:The "real" Russia?

I commend to you this superb article from the New York Times describing some of the villages on the road from St Petersburg to Moscow.
A journey through a heartland on the slow road to ruin.

268: Art for art's sake

One or two blogs ago I complained about the eyesore that is graffiti. Today's first photo shows that graffiti is not yet endemic and people are taking some very positive steps to brighten up their environment.
The second and third photos help to illustrate the marvellous autumnal weekend we are experiencing. The sun is shining and people are out in their hundreds and thousands walking in the parks and taking the air - before winter engulfs us.
Finally, a view from the other side of my apartment (in English you can't say a view from the back side as it has a completely different meaning. See picture 5!)

Today's song: Art for art's sake from 10 CC.

267: A pot pourri

Pot pourri.
A few pictures from my week in England.

This reads "check front of train"!! Does that mean even the station staff don't know where it's going!	The things you see when you haven't got a gun! No monk(ey) business here
One of us is concentrating really hard.	50 pints donated. In theory eligible for the gold medal. In reality one of them was donated in Scotland, which is a different country so doesn't count towards the total.
The London skyline from Blackfriars railway bridge	For somebody not keen on heights this bridge was once a challenge. Now, thankfully I am almost blasé about it.

266: A sense of humour

I hate graffiti. With a vengeance. They've even been in and sprayed their nonsense on the inside of our lift. A problem all over the world as young people prove how clever they (think they) are.
But when does graffiti become art? When does it become acceptable? I came across this smiley face on several lamp posts in the Preobrazhenskiy district and it cheered me up for the rest of the day. 

There is lots of competition for teaching English in Moscow. Many blocks of flats have an information board outside where people or companies can advertise their wares. This one is outside my entrance and there are three notices advertising English lessons! Luckily though, demand exceeds supply. 

I'm on my way to UK in a couple of hours. Off to the kitchen to make a smoothie with my left over fruit and a yoghourt. Otherwise it would all go off before I come back next Saturday.

My video clip for today is that old Simon and Garfunkel favourite - Homeward Bound.

265:Time for autumn to fall

A photo taken out of the window using my mobile phone. Soon it will be time to put tape around the window frames to help keep the wind and cold out during winter. For the moment it is time to enjoy the rich red and brown hues of autumn (or fall as the Americans call this season).

Next, a couple of pictures of the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. It is where potential officers in the Royal Navy go for their initial training. I went there for a formal dinner on the evening of Saturday 14th as a guest of the Goldfish Club, a worldwide association of people who have "come down in the drink". Interesting to see the parade ground at the front of the building - debunking the myth that the Navy don't do drill!
The last photo for today shows a car that I thought was fluttering its eyelashes at me as I passed!

The song/video for today is of Eva Cassidy singing autumn leaves. Enjoy the beautiful words and pictures.