Inspirational diary: FROM MOSCOW VIA MANCHESTER ALL 4 PARTS

The day had arrived. My friends from Russia were due to come from Moscow to Manchester, where they spent the night in a hotel. They would take a car from Manchester driving to us here. I had everything ready, the babies bed and mattress we bought a month previous, I had phoned for a taxi two days earlier, to make sure that I had a large enough vehicle to fit the bed, mattress and couple of boxes we had to take. I asked for a mini bus or a black cab, as the black cabs have room on the floor for the boxes. I told the girl on the phone that we had a baby bed in a flat pack to take to our friends flat. She told me that she didn’t think that there would be a taxi big enough for that. I told her that a mini bus or black cab would be fine as it was only a baby bed, so four foot long and it was a flat pack. She repeated everything I said and wrote things down. Well, my heart in my mouth as not only my friends were going to travel a long way first time driving in the UK, but would they like the flat I viewed and said yes to for them? Remember Bloggets, the flat my friend first wanted had fallen through? My friend D, his wife is a celeb and from a rich background, what I think is perfect, may be a shed to her? I so wanted everything to be right for them.

My Son was coming with me and he was going to put the bed together, but on the morning of the big day, his gf called to say she wanted to see him, so his plans changed. Thank God I had a number of a handy man who would come to my rescue. Sad though that my boy would not be there to greet our friends, but there would be plenty of time as they are coming on and off for three months. On and off as my friend Ol, is staying the full time with her Grand Son and my friend D, Ol’s son and his wife would be coming for a week, then away back for another week then away for a few weeks and back again for a month.

Well, I gathered a few toys we had bought for babykins and some food from the fridge that we got delivered the night before and some bags with bread and crisps in, just enough to give them a snack for when they arrived. I put my two dogs in their bed my LC was off at work with Hub.

The taxi had arrived. O

Mini bus?

Black cab?

Em. Nope. Not really.

The driver joked with me and forgives me, but by this point I had a humour bypass.

“Morning love. They said at the office you wanted a black cab, we didn’t have one, so I came in a black car.!”

First I thought he was joking. I could have cried as I heard my Sons words

“Mum, this isn’t going to work. There is no way we can fit the bed in that? It’s tiny!”

What could go wrong next? Really. I had enough now. I went ever so mad with the driver as I told him how incompetent the member of staff was back at the office. I exclaimed that I had to be at the flat for ten as that is what time we were to meet with the man from the agency and in my head I’m thinking, if I’m not there, knowing the bother we have had with the agency, they will tell us we were ten minutes late, so they gave the pigging house to someone else?

Anyhow, long story short, Son and driver put the bed in this very small car, and we managed to get there, now what damage it caused in the meanwhile, I’m not sure as there were a lot of squeezing sounds coming from the man and squeaking noises coming from his car.

We arrived and the man was waiting for us outside as promised. He even helped teen to carry the boxes in the flat. The lady I have been dealing with was on holiday that weekend.

Oh, what would teen think of the flat? He has really good taste. You see I know what places are like mainly because of the feel of the place. I get good bad or indifferent feelings about houses. This one I liked when I looked around with my friend Di. Teen liked it. He described the living room to me.

The furniture was light wood with a hint of red on the edge of one of the book shelves. There was a huge red rug on the wooden floor and Oriental ornaments as well as an African theme running through the whole apartment. I loved the lamps. The kitchen was basic, but clean. Everywhere was immaculate and this was another thing I liked about it. In the lounge, it had three windows. Two which lead to two Juliet balconies’ and one that lead to a larger patio with a garden cast iron table and chairs on with a huge cast iron floor standing jug and some planters. The balcony’s looked over the river. The boats passed by as teen was telling me about the view to the cathedral.

It just felt so lovely. Cosy and at home. I wanted my friends so badly to get this same feeling.

I had never met my friend’s wife before. I know my friends Son since he was a little boy and that little boy would have loved the flat as would my friend Ol, but would the wife of D? Gosh, I was really anxious.

The guy left and soon after that, my Son did too. Oh boy was I afraid then? I mean there was I without a white cane, in a flat I didn’t really know how to get out of if there was a fire or whatever.

The intercom didn’t work properly either. I could let people in the main entrance, but couldn’t hear who was there. My Son did a practice with me so I could let my friends in, but he could hear me though me not him, so I could end up letting in whoever? Haha. Well, he left, it was just before half eleven. My friend Ol said the days before, that she would be leaving early morning. As I locked the door behind teen, I was on my own. But not for long, right?

Suddenly I realised, I had to find my way back to the lounge, to sit in a comfortable chair at least.

Gosh, that wasn’t easy, after I toured the bedroom, then found the cupboard and almost sent a lamp table flying, I found the living room, vie the kitchen. Not that you go through the kitchen to get to the living room, but I ended up in the kitchen. I learned the lay out of the living room pretty quickly.

Then I thought, the handy man is due at one, if my friends get lost, and are a few minutes late, then I could let him in. I kind of thought they would be there by now, but hadn’t left Manchester still.

So back out into the corridor to see how long it would take me to get to the front door. The front door onto the landing, not to the front of the outside world.

I’m not too sure I could live in a flat. I like to go to my front door and be outside. It’s rather like living in a box living in a flat, though the flat I learned was really lovely. As I found lamps, I put them on, it was a wet dull day and I thought it would make the place appear more homely and cosy. Were the lamps on? Hmm. Waited till they got hot then realised they were…

Zig sag

The pattern of the route to the door was slightly more complicated than one participated.

About four minutes it took me to get there, Oh, I found a chaises longs

I hadn’t noticed before, on one of the walls leading to the front of the flat. There were three tables with lamps on. One had a clock too and there was a chest of drawers with an artificial plant on and a large chest of drawers.

You really did weave in and out, as though going up stairs. Left, then right, left then right I learned that there were four rugs on the way to the door, problem is, I had to stay centre as on the walls were smash magnets like the deer looking lamps. One didn’t want to attach oneself too much to them.

Once I perfected getting to the front door within two minutes, a time I was proud of, as though running the London Marathon. I had to find my way back to the blooming living room. As when they came, I would open the door after letting them in via the intercom, I didn’t want to appear totally disabled in front of D’s wife. So afraid of scaring her off.

Sitting in the living room, no music or TV and not like I could do anything to clean the house, I got a really good feeling about the flat and kind of knew they would like it or was that my wishful thinking?

Then I decided enough sitting and I would go in the kitchen, try to put on the coffee machine. I hadn’t a clue how to work it. I opened the bag of coffee and put the remainder of coffee in the china pot my Son had told me said tea.

As you do,

Put coffee in a tea caddy, right?

Well, fact is, there was no coffee pot or sugar as a matter of fact.

Oh dam, sugar, I had forgot to buy this.

Let’s hope they are all sweet enough, right?

Now, how to work the machine? Well, feel for the wire at the back of the machine.

Follow it up to the wall, where it was plugged in

It was, was it turned on at the wall?

Yes.

So now to work out where the water goes and where the coffee goes.

Did that, now what to turn or push on?

Hmm. Two buttons, I can’t really go wrong right?

After a few moments, no sound from the machine, so I pushed another button, same one as before, just I may have turned it off. Then I called my friend Ol. They still hadn’t left Manchester.

Oh Why? Well, that sad news was to come.

Then just as the machine was making a bubble sound, the doorbell rang. Oh it was handy man time.

Now then, I had gone from the blooming living room and back, not done the kitchen and back. Haha... Hell, bubble bubble echoed in the vast corridor and I answered the intercom, saying come in.

Come in? Em, who? I hoped it was steady Eddie?

Meanwhile whilst I waited for footsteps to come along the hall way to the flat, I hoped that the coffee had not started to overflow and drip down the highly glossy white kitchen units?

Eddie it was, he asked where he could park his car. I told him the code and said he could park in bay one and behind the gates,

On his way, he quickly pushed the buzzer and of course I couldn’t hear what he was saying, so just shouted like a mad woman, come in?

Haha. He did and said the code will be great, but the keys to the gate are also required. Oh God, of course they were, that is why the agency man told me that morning all about the code linked with the keys, right?

I hoped he could park his car as the parking space we had been told was rather tight and small.

Any way, he came in and built the babies bed in fifteen minutes and the coffee machine was OK. I don’t know what it tasted like, I was too anxious.

Eddie left and again on my own. By this time it was half one.

I was hoping my dogs would be OK as they had been left since half nine.

I spoke to my friend on the phone and she sounded a little flat and I don’t mean as in an apartment.

She said she had just left Manchester and she would explain when she saw me.

Oh Boy?

From Moscow to Manchester with love part 2

Well, at last, my friends arrived. I stayed for about fifteen minutes, then left. The baby is so cute. So very quiet though. It was great to see D, my friends Son. I met his wife for the first time too. I think they liked the flat. Not too sure. I love it but to them, it’s small I guess, though it is bigger than my house.

I learned that in Manchester, just after they picked the car up, someone crashed into the back of them. It was the other persons falt and he admitted it. Thank God they were OK.

I got in a taxi after standing out in the rain, as the taxi company got it wrong again and took three calls to them to get one sent out.

Got home, exhausted and dying for a drink. My baby girls were bursting. I let them out and after washing my hands, I made Hub a delicious cheese and mushroom omelette for his tea. Oh with bacon.

He came in and we just chilled for the night, though I thought of my friends and hoped they would be OK?

Little did I know, but they had no hot water. It was the next day when they told me that news.

But not until ten in the evening.

Oh I couldn’t stand the thought of the baby not being able to have a warm bath, and I knew that the agency would be closed as it was Sunday the next day and then our holiday we call bank holiday Monday. So again closed. No hot water for all those days?

Well, a few calls later, realised that there would be nothing we could do but go down ourselves the next day and try to fix it.

So Sunday lunch time, I asked my friend Ol if she had managed to fix it?

But no. So the rain coats were put on and we braved the weather!

Oh my word. It was pouring. Anyway, we decided to take a taxi, though a very deer option, we had to get there and no way we could get lost in that, so the driver got us there in twenty minutes and there was no stress.

My D was there, and no Ol. She was putting the little boy to bed. Hub had not yet met him, so I wanted him to, so ask D if he would not put the baby to sleep until Hub saw him. Helene. I love babies.

So Ol brought a tiny parcel to us and what a cutie he is too. D was lovely. I love that lad. I still find it really weird that he is all grown up and has this lovely baby. D’s wife had gone home or somewhere that morning, so only stayed two nights in the UK.

After a while, babykins was put back to bed and we had a chat as Hub got the water back on.

We stayed about half an hour and then left our friends to their day as D wanted to go to bed as he had to get up to drive his wife back to Manchester, so was up from half four that morning.

Ol walked us down the steps onto the street. Oh it was pouring again. We asked Ol what direction the town was and off we went. We walked; we didn’t have a clue where the heck we were going... Oh God, there was loads of traffic and at more than one point, we were in the middle of the road, you know those islands where by there are cars in front of you and behind you? Whizzing around and the sounds of the tires on the wet roads made everything sound so much more dangerous and louder.

Well, we walked and I said to Hub I thought we were going in the wrong direction to the town, so we turned around, next thing I learned, we were in what we thought was a park. Then we took another turn. Hub with LC and me with my white cane. Passing by sounds I had not ever heard before as in shops and huge empty spaces which scared me as the empty spaces meant we were getting more and more lost.

Then LC took us over another road, and she did it on an angle. I hate it when she does that, as sometimes I think we are crossing two roads. Well, because she was stressed, she did her business. Oh God, could this day get any worse? Em

Yes.

We got really lost. Hub was getting rather tense. He tried to use the navigation on his IPhone, but it was rubbish. We stopped a few people but they were foreign or not from our town. We passed an undercover bus stop. Great, we would wait there for a bus. I asked a lady if she knew what number bus came there. She said only the number 3. No good.

We walked on. I found it incredulous that only one bus came to a huge bus stop, but never mind.

Hub thought he knew where he was, but he didn’t. We had never been there before. Not ever.

We stopped and waited to ask for more help, but every person who passed spoke in another language. The cold sounds of the wheels of suit cases passed us by. I wanted to cry. We were so lost and getting more and more wet.

Poor LC was in a state, bless her.

We couldn’t even call a taxi as we didn’t have a clue of the street name.

Then we realised that we were hearing sounds we heard fifteen minutes before.

So we turned around and tried to go back to where we started but ended up in a narrow street with cobbled walkways.

This city seamed so much bigger.

God I so badly wished I could see?

My Husband was becoming more stressed. We thought we had to cross the road, but couldn’t find a crossing, so had to take the risk and just wait until we didn’t hear any cars, this was hard as it is so loud our city.

OK, heart in mouth, off we went. Please God don’t let today be our last? I thought as we crossed the never ending road.

I mean never ending, as where was the path?

There wasn’t one. Feeling more and more sick.

One hour had now passed and at least the rain had stopped.

One and a half hours had now passed and my batteries were running low on my mobile.

Then we heard the sounds of a group. Playing music and singing.

Oh I didn’t want to walk right through them. We passed them, as we approached them, their voices and instruments got louder and louder. As we passed and their songs sounded quieter, the rain came again and huge vehicles passed, splashing the water into the air, making it impossible to even hear each other talking, trying to give each other idea’s as to where we were going.

God it was awful.

And then what?

FROM MOSCOW VIA MANCHESTER WITH LOVE PART 3

There was a metal fence, I was sure I recognized. Then Hubs IPhone behaved itself with the navigation. We just stopped and took a breath. It was so hot. The air was kind of damp as the rain made its blanket of moist threads. Hub said he knew how to get to the such and such street where he would be able to find his way back. I thought impossible. Just no one absolutely no one knew where anything was? Made me wonder just how they were getting around themselves? Anyway, we went past places that seamed familiar, but I wondered if that was wishful thinking?

Then we smelled the pastry shop. Hub said it was the one we use, but I didn’t believe him. I mean there are hundreds of bakery’s in our town.

He asked me did I want a coffee, but no I didn’t. I was shell shocked. I was shaking inside. I just wanted to go home and close the curtains. Cuddle up in bed and sleep my day away.

So much I wanted to spend time with my friend, her Son who I love and his baby, but they have their life to lead so why should they bother with us?

My Hub said let’s go across the road, there is our café, I said no it wasn’t. Well, LC didn’t think it was either, as we did the steps that would normally lead us to the café, LC would not find the door and she always does so well at that place, so I told Hub that we have found a bakers, but not the one we know, so across the road is not the café we know, Hub insisted it was, so back we went to the bakery to once again trace our footsteps. No, LC said not to do it so we had to weave in and out of the performing clowns and stalls with fruit and veg on. People watching as we did this time and time again. They clapped as the performers did their stuff.

God I was mortified.

Hub would not give up. He was determined that he knew he was right.

You know what? He blooming was? I told him to stand still and among the musicians, we would just listen. We did this, I heard French music. I said I could hear the music and Hub said so we are in the right place as the café is French.

We followed the music; this was hard as there were loads of other musicians playing at the same time so we had to wait for a second break from them to hear our café music.

Through the door. Still didn’t know was it as shoe shop or an electric or our café. Until we got through the second door and heard the sounds of plates and so on.

We were shown to a table and my head in my hands. I reflected our exhausting day.

Hub told me to ask our friend by phone if they would like to go to our restaurant that night, I did and they want to wait a week until the baby was more settled. I was kind of pleased as I was not really in the mood to socialise.

Did feel sad though as Hub back to work in a couple of days so wouldn’t see them for a while.

Well, left there and the corner where we would head towards the street that lead to our bus stop were blocked by more musicians. O M G.

So we had to go down another street and find our way with our mobile sat nav

Got to the bus stop and guess what? A man was drunk and wanted a fight with some innocent young lads next to us. He was a Scottish guy and really not well in the head. Just really really asking for trouble.

Just let us on that bus? All we need now is a fight?

On the bus and you know what? Our day didn’t end there. Oh My God.

From Moscow via Manchester part 4

Remember the Scottish drunk who wanted a fight with the lads? Well, he only got on our bus. The bus we really struggled for the first time getting on. I think because we were so tired and stressed and LC was not at her best as she too was out of sorts.

We went for the bus, but it was not there. The noise of the traffic was so loud and just as we went for our bus; the sirens of an emergency vehicle went past. Deafening us.

Well, Hub turned to me and said there was no bus there. The Scottish bad boy shouted to us.

“Are you two getting on here or what?”

Well, I think he was talking to us?

The bus was a mile off the curb. Well, OK, not a mile, but about six feet. Well as a blind person, you step down to get your bus and there isn’t one, you don’t walk onto the main fast flowing road, right?

We learned as we got on thanks to Hub and LC, as no way would I have been brave enough to walk and walk into the fast traffic, but the voices which were waiting with us for a bus were heading towards the road, so he followed.

On the bus, the driver asked Hub to push the button. Hub never has had to do this, so where was the button? Again, things like this make me just want to stay at home. Hub calmly asked where it was. The driver said

“There!”

Hub asked again in a calm voice, where?

Then a man showed Hub. We learned that the man was also a bus driver, training the fool who parked six foot away from the curb, who didn’t lower the step to get in and who didn’t have a clue how to talk in a civil manner.

We then went to try to find a seat. God, it really wasn’t our day.

A lady shouted at me

“There’s one. There’s a seat. The person has given their seat up so you two can sit together!”

OK, so I guess she was shouting at me? So where was this seat? I felt and could only find sweaty shoulders occupying the seats.

She shouted again, by this point, Hub had found a seat. I found one too. Then realised there was a one next to me so I called Hub to sit with me. The woman said that is the one I was telling you to go in.

Well excuse me, but how was I to know? If you can’t see and people say over there, over where? I mean, is it not common sense? Or do these people just have none.

Well the driver stopped and started the bus. Didn’t have a clue where he was going.

Oh God. Just get me home?

Hub and I did get home. Thanks to his amazing knowledge, bravery or madness.

Home sweet home, but we couldn’t go few, as our minds were all over the place and I think we were in total shock.

Yesterday was bank holiday so he had the day off.

We stayed in, apart from taking our dogs to the local shop. Just to get out and our confidence back. Thank God Wagga tail worked well. We took the long walk there and back. Just to give her some work. Her head as ever is all over the place. So I held the harness never really knowing in which direction she will go so always have to be on the ball, whereas LC is straight solid and focused.

But we got there and back.

I have a lot of work to do this week and a lot of reflecting.

My friends have their meeting today with the nursery, so I hope it goes as planned for them. I just pray I have picked a nice nursery. I do feel for the baby though, as it’s a strange country. Foreign language and to be left five days for ten hours, having said that, the staff sound so loving and I am sure they will look after the children there. It is a nursery with a difference for sure. It’s an organic nursery. They grow their own vegetables and have chickens for fresh eggs.

The children play mainly outdoors, in little houses made from wood in the forest.

So let’s hope the little fella has a great time?