Long time no see. If you are a regular blog follower, you probably know me in real life. Thus, you'll know that I'm back in Ukraine, doing the same old thing, after a busy Xmas/New Year period which included a lot of British sightseeing and my sister's wedding. Altogether, busy times. Still, better give the rest of you a bit of insight.

After I gave my last update, I flew home on the 23rd, which gave me time to show my girlfriend around a rather bleak and quiet Burton the following day. Obviously, the 25th was spent inside with the family, and a good time was had by all. On Boxing Day (though not 'technically' Boxing Day, as it was a weekend), we had a good look around Repton, the little village next to Burton. Then we met up with the relatives down in Northamptonshire the following day, before me and the girlfriend went our separate ways on the 28th: me to the football, her to Derby for shopping.

29th was London day, as I dashed down early to put in my visa application. The weather was horrible all sodding day, rainy and cold. My feet got very bloody wet. Still we saw a few things, and my girlfriend bought a soft toy raven, which she was very happy with. 30th was me and me lass seeing the sights in Derby, New Year's Eve was spent mostly in Nottingham, before heading back to Derby for a relatively sedate party to see the new decade in.

New Year's Day was pretty quiet: we went to Barton Marina, which would've been lovely if everything wasn't shut. Still, we had a drink or two before heading off to a pub/restaurant combo. The 2nd was a little busier: we headed off early to Oxford for a very enjoyable day trip. As I used to live there, it wasn't so difficult to guide my girlfriend round.

3rd was also pretty quiet, and we didn't do much at all, other than, at the last minute, deciding to visit the National Memorial Arboretum, an impressive new place nearby to honour Britain's war dead. The following day was more interesting: York. I'd been there before, also, so once again looking around was not too taxing, though I visited York Minster for the first time and was mightily impressed.

The 5th was my second trip to London, ostensibly to pick up my new visa, but we had an excellent day out too, as the weather was much more favourable this time round. The overpriced London Eye was on our to-do list amongst other things, and all in all it was a good trip. All this travelling between towns was tiring - and my girlfriend had picked up a nasty cold - so the 6th was a total rest day. We found the time to wander to the shops and back before dark, but not much more taxing than that.

After that rest, I promised we'd go somewhere far the following day. We decided on Chester, which I knew nothing about, other than it being the setting for Hollyoaks. It turns out it's quite an historical city, with walls you can walk along, and a church which we didn't fully explore (money) but which was rather nice. With the light fading, we jumped in the car and headed off to Llandudno, of all places, before nightfall. Out of season, and in the late afternoon, it was obviously deserted, and all of the things which would attract people to it normally were closed. Nevertheless, it was lovely to look out into the sea, with Blackpool Tower invisible 75km in the distance. We also had a lovely meal at the nicest restaurant in town, so it was all good.

Obviously, we rested after that mammoth journey the next day, but the 9th was mainly devoted to packing our bags, then having separate male and female parties, as the wedding was the following day. And so it passed: 10th January, my sister's wedding, and we flew out rather early the next day. It was a bit tricky, as we had to run and thus miss out on Duty Free, but we caught the plane alright and were back home very soon, to a lovely welcome from my girlfriend's family. Much drink and food was consumed. Incidentally, I had another big meal today at another family member's house, in a small village north of Kyiv. We introduced them to crackers - you know: pull, bang, hat and crap present - and they were all rather amused by the idea.

So, anyway, a wonderful time in Britain, I'd say. It just made me want to stay there, with my girlfriend... ho hum. Back to the old grind. Ah, and I forgot to mention: it's Ukrainian elections tomorrow. So, I'll probably be updating rather soon.

Oh, you were wondering about pictures, weren't you? Well, I took virtually none, and my girlfriend took about 5,000. So, if you want some, I'll have to be very selective, won't I? Maybe next time.