rich beyond my wildest dreams!

I've been having a bit of a clear-out this week, making the most of my mum being here to distract Dulcie and my rare get-rid-of-it frame of mind.  I'm in the mood where I'm tempted just to put 90% of all my possessions to the charity shop.  In all honesty, that's probably what I should do, but I'm happy enough to be filling a few binbags' worth for now.  Anyway, while sorting through some books this afternoon, I found this pile of dosh between the pages of my travel guide to Moscow!  "I'm rich," I thought, "Rich beyond my wildest dreams!"  I had already put a mental deposit down on a house and handed in my imaginary notice by the time I got to the computer, but, according to the internet, 130 Russian rubles are actually worth just £2.75.  Oh well, it was a nice feeling while it lasted.

This month marks ten years since I went on a big adventure, travelling around Europe for four months.  When I got back, I felt I had the bug and also felt like a seasoned traveller who could go anywhere with confidence.  I vowed to go on lots more adventures abroad.  Well, as I said, that was ten years ago and I pretty much haven't been anywhere since.  I guess that's one of the perils of having a close relation who lives abroad - you tend to visit them whenever you leave the country.  Neither Graham nor I were taken abroad as children.  I hadn't even been on a plane until I was 21 and still find the whole airport experience a bit alien and stressful now.  I guess I'm not really the travelling type, but I was a bit deflated when I realised I really hadn't been anywhere in a decade.  I made Graham pinky promise that we'd do our best to take Dulcie away now and again, even just for weekends, in the hope that she'll see foreign travel as more normal and accessible than we both apparently do.  That said, I wouldn't have wanted to swap all the summer holidays I spent at my granny's in Islay.  I guess balance is the key.

Is anyone reading this planning a trip to Russia any time soon?  I'm happy to send you my £2.75 worth of rubles if you are!  You can go wild and buy yourself a Mars bar or something.