Da - Di Mosca

Yes indeed, I am writing to you from the glamorous Moscow suburb of Savyolovskaya, where the office of Independent Media, the owner of my employer (The Moscow Times - www.themoscowtimes.com) is to be found.

I am living with Pietro, and our landlady Olga, in a lovely Stalin-period flat on Prospekt Mira, 5 minutes to Prospekt Mira metro station. We both love Olga - except when she's telling Pietro he can't have girls to stay, or spending the whole time in the living room (her bedroom) despite telling us she would be away evenings and weekends.

Actually, when I first moved in she was lovely. Her sister from Belgium was also there on a visit, and it was like I had two extra grandmothers for a fortnight - they bought me chocolate, made me tea, made my bed, and even invited me for dinner one night with some other guests of theirs, in the living room (on the menu was smoked salmon, smetana salad, sour cream and potato salad, and various meat delicacies).

Things are quiet now as I'm only working 3 days a week or so at the newspaper, but soon, like in November and December, writing will start flooding in and I know I'll be very busy! Right now I'm writing articles on a Viking-period re-enacting group, a foster village in the Moscow region, and the revival of Jewish klezmer music in Moscow. Pietro and I speak in Russian, but I'm dreadful! It's so slow learning... hello to you all, ali alastairgee@cantab.net