Mixed fortunes.

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I was the first get back yesterday evening so I kept the lights off and went to my room. About ten minutes later there was a bang on the door. I didn't want to answer it but the knocking didn't stop. When I opened the door there was a man asking for Marina Ivanovna. He took a horse-shoe out of his pocket for me to give to her then left without an explanation. She would know what it means, he said.

Getting up was even more of a struggle today. I always set my alarm an hour early for six priceless snoozes, but there is no chance of a lie-in because of the loud clattering of the trams outside on the street. I slept on the sofa instead because it's further from the tracks, but there isn't as much space. So I walked to Yartek half asleep and wasn't much more awake at the end of the day at 2.30. Lena taught us some more grammar then we translated part of a novel with Olga, both of which I found harder than usual. The people who are leaving next week are all having their last lesson with each teacher; they are all ready to go home but still feel emotional about saying goodbye.

In the evening Lokomotiv lost 2-0 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, who are the team in first place. I understand hockey better now, it was an even better match than on monday. It's a very fast game: not a minute goes by without a shot on goal or opponents colliding, and there are so many substitutions that players are always jumping over the advertising boards to get onto or off the ice. One of their players kicked our goalkeeper in the face with his skates which started a fight, which once we were bound to lose at least lifted the crowd's spirits slightly. Again most of the group went, and somehow Chris W managed to get us the same priceless seats in the front row.

We held our last complete Evropa pool tournament afterwards. I left after a while to take Katya out and we went to a bar underneath Mario's pizza restaurant. The tables are surrounded by a bamboo fence so it is like sitting in a cradle. I hadn't seen her for more than a week and I had a lot of news to tell. A month from today we will have to say goodbye and I will really miss her. We went back to the hotel to rejoin the competition, and I played Sara and Dawn while my supposed doubles partner practised her English with my friends at the bar.

I won both times, which shows that in the last three months my pool skills have improved as much as my Russian!

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