Despite a resolution to update my blog every week, I have broken that in spectacular fashion. As I lay this morning, knowing that I would (finally) have some time to write before going to church, I reflected on the phenomenon that is 'Moscow Time'. This is nothing to do with being GMT +3 but simply that it does take longer to get everything done here. Time gets nibbled away so that by the end of a day, you wonder where it has gone.

For example: in the winter, you should go out 10-15 minutes earlier to start the engine, warm up the car, scrape off the ice and 'dig it out' if necessary (although the army of men and machines have often done this). This is after taking an extra 5 minutes to robe up into your winter socks and boots, coat, scarf, gloves and hat. There's 20 minutes gone.

Driving in the winter is slower...but the drivers are more considerate in general, as I have noted in previous blog posts. However, the conditions being as they are, accidents are still at a high level, so that slows the traffic down. 30 minutes drive to work: 1.5 hours return. And whilst any actual metro journey is still the same length, you should add time onto the walk to and from the metro, and also any bus/tram/trolleybus journeys.

Decisions always take a long time in Russia as they have to be passed up to and through so many layers of bureaucracy!

One thing that you can see is that the weather slows people down, as the days are shorter and the nights longer. Everyone takes longer to get started in the mornings and slows down more quickly in the evenings. All of us commented on Friday that we were glad to get to the end of the half-term as we were mentally tired. Our Russian colleagues made some comments about 'changes in magnetic fields'. These accounts for many health and tiredness-related problems in Russia, apparently, and is nothing to do with working hard.

So it is, indeed, our half-term - we have one week's holiday - and this includes the national holiday of Defenders of the Fatherland Day on Tuesday, a.k.a. Men's Day. Originally 'The Day of the Red Army, it's now the case that all Russian men are honoured, irrespective of whether or not they have served in the armed forces. So it was quite touching that I and my other male international colleagues were given cards on Friday as part of this!

We are staying here for the first part of the holiday and then flying to the UK to celebrate with Dad for his birthday. It will be great to see everyone for a few days - there is, as always, a lot of news to catch up with, and it's always more fun to do it in person.

When we return, there is one week and then another long weekend, as 8th March falls on a Monday - this is International Women's Day - God help us as the whole of Russia goes crazy. It is the most important holiday of the year as women are honoured. More about this later.

But for now, we have just had 'Maslenitsa' (Butter Week), Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and are now in the middle of Lent. I've tried persuading my wife to let me give up shaving but she's having none of it. Stuart and I would quite happily reprise the 'funky beards' that we did at School 2 a few years ago but I don't think that Lena would be too keen either! I suppose it will have to be chocolate - again It is my only food-related vice, though. Can't I just cut down..........?

I sent out our Christmas/New Year newsletter rather later than planned - around 20th January - but it was great to make contact again with quite a few people. I know that everyone's busy and unless you're in regular contact, you do just drop out of touch. Even with all of this wonderful modern technology, we're still human!

More later in the week. Have a good one.