I know which country I’n in because my phone sends me messages “Hi from EE! Great news! While you are in Poland…….ec”. Huge areas of farmland roll by – no fences just like the Czech Republic where, they told me, all the fences came down under the Soviet regime and they all had to farm co-operatively. And forests Miles and miles of trees!

Its wonderful just watching the countries roll by, I worried it might be boring but its a a chance to just be, to take in what it feels like to be hee, and not to be constantly mentally organising my life or even mulling over any cncerns or conundrums in my life. Just being. It’s good!

The most delightful staart possible on my journey wih a posse of lovely friends to see me off at the station and good people to spend time with in London, everything went well. I love St Pancras and treated myself to a glass of champagne.

and if you wan to know what its like on this train which goes all the way from Paris to Moscow its all here on this delightful website: https://www.seat61.com/paris-moscow-express.htm

i”d booked, as I thought, a cabin to myself but in the event i was joined by the most delightful, trendy, and on the ball young man who tried his best to a) swap so his femail companion could share with me or b) bunk in with his 2 companaions in their compartment. but our carriage attendant was firm and it was difficut to negotiate “do you speak english, french, german…..?” “this is Russian train. I am Russian”. ‘Nuff said. They were fun, they got off in Berlin, leaving me in solitary spendour.

Very bravely, I got off the train at one stop to stand on Belarus soil (and get some fresh air – ha ha it was thick with smoke from all  the smokers desperate for a drag)

And that’s enough for now, sorry it’s so long. I’ll date these posts the day the were written but they will get potsed when i get internet (intermittent).