Summer time - and the living is easy...

Summer has arrived in Moscow and to all intents and purposes, it's a different city. Despite the preponderance of imposing architecture (I always think of the Russian capital as a city built to intimidate visitors; it's built on a colossal scale), this is a town - in the centre, at least - with a lot of open space. Unfortunately for 6 months of the year that open space is either covered in white stuff or is simply earth sparsely populated with grass and a few dead leaves.

In the last 6 weeks however, Nature has been getting busy and where once there was mostly brown, now there is an intensely vibrant green. It's incredible how a little dappled sunshine, some warmth (the temperature here has been between + 18degC and + 28degC for the last couple of weeks), and a light summer breeze can lift the spirits.

All over Moscow a plethora of pavement cafes are emerging, the dress code is becoming... interesting (city shorts on men, and sheer blouses without bras on the ladies, anyone?), and the weekend traffic is worsening as vast numbers of Muscovites down tools and head out of the city to their summer dachas. Looking out into our compound I can see children staying out later, adults promenading, and bbq's being lit (although of course that may be as much for the protective properties of smoke against mosquitoes as for the opportunities to eat burnt hamburger).

My parents came to visit us last week, and what with the onset of summer, the fact that city was wearing it's best bib and tucker for the Victory Day celebrations, and the wealth of culturally interesting stuff to do here, I think they are wondering if we are ever coming home.

Even the birds are a delight; my father - a bit of a twitcher - was able to record a wonderful recording of a nightingale song near our house. I've been trying all evening to work out how to upload it so you can hear it; no luck so far but if anyone has any suggestions on how to do so they would be much appreciated!

Of course, we are coming home - eventually. They might have forgotten the 4+ months of sub-zero temperatures, and the lock on our front door freezing on the inside in January - but I haven't...