Summer in Kharkiv

Its Summer in Ukraine! Yep lovely and warm with an expected top of 36 degrees today.... That's PLUS 36 folks. I am in my element! Spring just vanished & Summer is here with a bang! The heat is very similar to Melbourne in summer. Unfortunately, We are working 7 days a week 24 hours to cover the factory hours, so we don't get to see much of the good weather! One thing I am a bit worried about is that I said at one point in time that if it ever got to + 35 in Kharkiv, I would run naked down Pushkinskya street.....Hmmm, I should have kept my mouth shut! It will be fun going home in the VOLGA tonight, In most of the VOLGA's you can't wind down the windows.... they either don't have handles or they just wont wind down!  And No... VOLGA's dont have air conditioning!  I logged onto the Herald Sun online today & I see that you have good snow in the Victorian ski fields for the start of the ski season!....Ugh.... I have to come back to the cold although maximum of +11 to +15 is not cold!!!


I want you to meet my new friend........

Do you recognise
the face?







This is the new
Sasha, with
very little
hair!




Wow, things are happening here. Removalists being organised...... very slowly...... bank accounts being converted to USD so we can withdraw $,  etc, etc.... but all very slowly and I'm wondering if I will get everything done in time, but Im sure it will fall into place as it did when I departed from Australia.

I am in two minds at the moment. I desperately want to come home to my family, friends and babies....  on the other hand,  I have developed some special bonds with  people that I will soon have to say goodbye to. This I am not looking forward to!  This period is especially hard as we have just gone live with the new software and we are all tired & a bit grumpy. I hope we can relax a bit on Sunday night when Australia play Germany in the world cup soccer, (Football for Gordon) match. Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi......I think we are going to a pub in Freedom square to watch it, I might get another blog out of it.
 
My Angel (Inna) appeared the other day at PMU

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She was delivering something to Anya & while I was waiting for the VOLGA, we had a bit of a chat in broken English & Russian & she asked when I would have time to go somewhere with her? I suggested that maybe the last weekend I am in Ukraine, I would be free. I said somthing about not even being to Kiev yet, & she suggested she would drive me to Kiev! Wow, what an offer. Of course, it really depends on how work goes, but what a nice thought! I will let you know how the schedule is my friend & then we can make some definite plans

Anyway, we were chatting away & I had a bit of a coughing fit (still trying to get rid of the yucky aftermath of a cold) ! Ah, she said, your not well... & trots off to the back of her car. She comes back with bronchitis cough mixture, & special tea to also help with clearing bronchitis... her husband is CEO of a pharmaceutical company & she happened to have a whole lot of supplies in her boot!! So I now have something for the cough! Then she said, come back to my place for a swim! If only I had the energy.
 
I really hope we can do the Kiev trip as we really haven't seen much of Ukraine since being here because of the timing of the project  Kiev being the capital of Ukraine should be a treat to see and of course, what better  tour leader than Inna!!  

Finished my second jigsaw puzzle this week.... here tis!

 










Now I really have no excuses not to study! I have watched all my DVD's, many times over, I cant watch TV(only Foreighn language channels), I have nearly finished my last book, (the only other thing to read is the Lonely Planet guide to Eastern Europe), so I will have to get this assignmnet finished so I can submit it when I go home !

 Mishka &  Mashka

enjoying the Baileys

& helping me to

update the blog

header pics

Bye the way ... to all my Ukraine mates. I will be pulling down the Ukraine flag from the office wall soon. It needs to be decorated with your messages and signatures..... Very important to me that this task is completed so I can take the flag home and add it to my collection.. I will start moving the flag around soon. Please write a meaingful message using a permanentt black marker on it and then pass it to the next department, keep it in the third floor for now.. Inna, Andrey and Princess, I will get the flag to you somehow so you can write your message.

That all for now folks

xm