Monthly Archives: September 2011

My husband and a band of similarly minded, and dressed individuals set forth regularly at the weekends to ride their mountain bikes across the Kazakh Steppe.  This is a vast area of flat, grassland with the occasional marsh.  The camel … Continue reading →

For 365 days a year we can swim in Kazakhstan.  The outdoor pool is a social hub for Dostyk Village during the summer time.  When the snow lays round-about then the indoor pool provides a warm respite from the biting … Continue reading →

Dostyk is Russian for friendship, it’s also the name of the village where we live. Purpose built homes often described as a little bit of Americana.  They are spacious and comfortable, but more importantly warm in the winter and cool … Continue reading →

With weekend activities not a plenty in Atyrau, kayaking on The Ural River has major attractions as long as you don’t look down.  The river is as brown as brown can be from the clay based mud that lines it.  It … Continue reading →

My big little girl and my little big girl will miss each other when the latter moves to England to boarding school shortly.  They just don’t know it yet.  Between them is 6″ in height, and shortly there will also … Continue reading →

Eventually we knew that the summer would take us back to Kazakhstan, and we arrived a week before school started.  There followed lazy sunny days recovering from jet lag, walks with Sammy, the “hound”, and breakfast eaten in the back … Continue reading →