I’m going to cut a branch off and see if it can take root in my garden.
"Think you could grow me a bottle of Champion Ale? Спассибо!"
There is a distinct lack of litter bins in the streets…so people just use the streets. Or whatever takes their fancy. I’m sure after two bottles, doing that was simply hilarious.
On a different note, myself and visiting friends managed to miss the military parade on the 9th of May, which only lasted for 30 minutes from what I’ve been told. That’s what fooled us, I guess we were all expecting a Stalinian display lasting 4 hours. I think they save that one for Red Square. I’ve been to Moscow since but have managed to lose all my photos, so my planned feature on crazy muscovite architecture has gone down the toilet. I’m very very annoyed.
I only have precisely 15 days left in Russia. I feel like I should write something grand and inspiring on the subject of my most unusual year abroad, but I might wait until I’ve drunk a bit and decorated a tree with the empties. I’m mostly conscious of an overwhelming feeling of time running out of me. I haven’t written a quarter of what I’d planned. I was going to go into anthropoligical society pieces, about the Soviet past and Jackboot-Liberal present, about gender relations, the cities and the country, and publish many more photos. I’m disappointed but on the other hand, I needed some time to do my living and experiencing. The unexamined life isn’t worth living, yes, but the unlived life isn’t worth examining. And I’m sure all those unwritten observations will pop up some time or other in my future writings -for there will be more, make no mistake about that, I’ve enjoyed doing this and will easily find another excuse to do so again. For now I’m going to go and do some more soaking up of the Piter atmosphere…
That’s all, only 2 weeks left ? I thought you would stay until the end of June.
Well, bon courage for the departure. Hope they will let you out of the country. Wouldn’t be sure about that after you did all this dissident writing…
I’m going to miss this blog but I hope you will continue to blog for our edification, and especially keep posting your photos. I’ve said it before but I really think you have a lot of talent in that direction; which is not to downplay your writing – also quirky and fun. Ever thought about sending pieces to the mags and papers that actually pay you to do this stuff?
Anyway, don’t leave us without a forwarding address, I don’t think serendipity will work a second time.
I will certainly keep writing and put up my new blog address here as soon as I’ve got one! I have a backlog of Peterite things to post so I will keep going for a little while!
Thanks for your encouragements, I will certainly try to contact some publications, even though I’m not sure which ones… Do you mean travel mags and sunday supplements with travel features?
Travel mags and supplements are a good idea and the perfect place to start. I was thinking generally that what you have done proves you have an original eye and you might be able to parley that into commissions from other publications; why not try them all, there’s nothing to lose!