Preaching with a purpose

I was becoming more and more interested in taking a holiday in Russia.  I was sure I couldn't afford it but I thought I would just send off for a brochure.  Just to see what there was available.  Nothing serious. So I took a look and then my brain started to work on what savings I could make in my usual expenditure.  I had an abundance of clothes so I didn't need to buy more in the next year.  I was also sure I could save on my heating in the winter.  I looked up on the internet what a healthy O.A.P should have for room temperature and it was a lot lower than I had had it in the previous winter. So there were two good savings I could make.  It's amazing what you can do when you really want something. I have never been out of the British Isles so now I needed a travelling companion.

To improve my pronunciation and vocabulary I decided to watch Russian T.V. online. While doing this I came across a wonderful Russian.  He is a fifteen year-old boy(then 14) who was taking part in Russian T.V.'s version of The Voice. His name is Danil Pluzhnikov.  He is an amazing singer who sings with passion and emotion unusual in one so young.  He is someone who has suffered himself and knows how to express great emotion and empathy because of this. Danil suffers from a form of dwarfism.  He is 98cms tall that is 3foot2ins. He has problems walking. But Danil does not sit down and let life beat him, instead he sings to comfort and help.  Recently after the St. Petersburg terror attack Danil sang to a huge crowd in Moscow who had come together to show support for their sister city.  I attach a link to this below.  Danil is an important part of my gradual determination to go to his country. In this link Danil sings about rising above problems. " People...

Beware when you look at Kindle for a free book to download, you never know where it will lead.  About eighteen months ago  I decided to look for a free read on Kindle.  Browsing through the titles I came across a book on Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. This is someone I had often thought of reading about and so I downloaded the e-book.  I enjoyed the book and went on to another free read about Peter the Great of Russia.  I found him a fascinating character.  By now I was interested in the common people of Russia as they were the ones who built St Petersburg and the boats for the country's navy, although it seems that Peter was also hands on when it came to making a navy. Russia was beginning to get into my blood.  At the time I was wasting a lot of time playing Spider Solataire on my PC.  I decided to look for something more beneficial to do with my time.  That is when I decided to learn Russian!!  Surely this was a good way to u...

Yesterday my friend and I went to London on the train to apply for Russian visas.  No doubt this is an everyday event for many people but for us it was a grand adventure in itself.  We are country folk.  I noticed I had a tendency to look at people on the underground as if I might know them.  This is because at home we know everyone in the village and look to say "Good morning" to them, so it is strange to keep looking and realize that you know none of these people you are travelling with. Now we have to wait a week to see if our visas are granted.  I can't think why they should not be but one always wonders.  And so our holiday in Russia is only just over two months away.  Again for most people this is no big deal, but I have never been abroad before and also I am seventy!!I used my new walking stick for the first time yesterday.  It is one of those that you can collapse and put in your bag when not in use. Today I come back down to earth with a ...