The Internet is a wonderful thing... thanks to a combination of two programs, a website, and a 60 Euro per year proxy subscription, I can watch over 20 UK TV channels whenever I like. Add that to me sitting here, drinking a cup of English tea (with milk), eating Marmite on toast, and talking about football to people from England... it's like I never left the country. I know I should really be integrating with the community, but still...

Anyway, I'll just take this time to go through any bits and bobs I can remember about my stay here. I've been bowling 3 times: once at a big entertainment complex called Ultramarine, and twice at Bilshevik, the shopping centre I'm sure I mentioned before (it houses Megamarket). The experience is virtually the same as in England (the equipment is obviously imported from the USA or thereabouts, with Russian language modifications) with the only difference being that in the Bilshevik bowling there are intimidating men in suits who complain if you don't take your coat off, or if you try and go to the toilet without plastic bags on your bowling shoes. The word 'jobsworth' springs to mind.

I've also had a walk around Kyiv's two botanical gardens. One is free, and a bit lame; the other costs 10 UAH but is really rather nice, a very pleasant place for a walk or picnic on a warm day. Sadly, no pics. Maybe next time.

I think I mentioned that I went around Andriivsky Uzviz last post, but I've been to other places too: Trukhaniv Island is a charming island between the left and right banks of the Dnieper River, and I attended a barbecue ('shashlik') with a group of fellow teachers in decent weather - not too warm, not too cold. The thing to note is that the beer prices double as soon as you land on the island, so make sure you bring plenty from the 'mainland'.

Here's some pics:

Don't know who this guy is, sorry, but you can find him around Kontraktova Ploscha, near the statue of the bloke on the horse (this is the other side of Contracts House).






Pinocchio! Somebody appears to have carved it out of a tree or something, very nice. Saw it on a walk through the streets.







As you may or may not know, it was Easter recently (the time frame is different to the UK, the Orthodox have it a week later) and this is an Easter cake, known as paska. Very dry, nothing special, but looks interesting, so I took a pic.