It is now over a month since I came back from Russia

There it was a different life, fed on interesting nutritious food, with no dishes to wash or cooking to do.  We were transported to see the splendour of the Hermitage, to really walk where the Tzars had walked and see what they saw and the beautiful rooms they had planned and had constructed.  If you had a little touch of megalomania you might think it had been made just for you to enjoy and walk through that day.  The decor was splendid and included lots of gold.  There was a ceiling whose pattern was mirrored in the parquet floor, the same design on both.  We saw a clock with a peacock, we were told would lift its tail while a cock crowed on the hour.  We didn't get close to that as megalomaniacs  from another country seemed to think they could monopolize the floor nearest the birds.  We British are so used to queuing that we don't understand that this a completely alien concept to other people. There were beautiful paintings to miss, but I managed to stand right by a Rembrandt.  Having only seen this painting as a print in a book I somehow found it difficult to realize that this was the"real thing." It is difficult to remember what we saw because there was so much gorgeous stuff.  There were huge vases made of malachite in rooms with glass windows in the roof.  I think I will go on remembering other things as the days pass.  The guides were terrific, telling so much interesting stuff but it is difficult to take it all in.

  So where was I?  Ah yes I was just about to say what a contrast my life is back home.  By no means a nasty contrast.  Take today, I took the 9.40 bus to a town ten miles away.  Why did I go by bus when I have a car?  Because it's free for retired people.  You get an application form from The County Council, fill it in and have a photo taken, send them back and within a few days you receive a nice card with your photo and you can then take any bus in England.  I am saving up to go to Russia again, so it makes sense for me to take the bus.  Conveniently it stops very close to where my daughter lives.  So now I am back to helping with grandchildren;  That's a delight which I missed in Russia. Getting back to the bus pass I remember we had a very left wing English teacher at school, he said that all public transport should be free because it would cure the huge amount of traffic on the roads.  Sounds good to me.