Moscow

I appreciate timing and procrastinating! I've been having an obsession with maps for a few weeks and wanted some old random ones to cut up and rearrange into a collage or something not quite decided yet. A couple of days ago had an urge to go and find some old maps. The lady in the 2nd hand shop was rearranging the book shelves when I asked for any old maps. She said Well, coincidentally, and handed me a half dozen old maps that were right there to hand, she was going to throw them away, thinking Who is ever going to walk in here and buy a map of Moscow in Russian?

So I thought I'd add Moscow to the group story, and googled Moscow dog legs (because I'd had the maps spread out on the floor, and all the dogs walked all over them, so I took photos of where the dog legs pointed to, because dog legs had already popped up in the group story) and found an article about stray dogs on the Moscow metro. I posted on FB and Fionn commented, I'd forgotten how entranced she is with Russia, and how I love her London tube series of paintings. Then coincidentally I started getting posts on my FB newsfeed from a Russian guy, in Russian.

Jib had asked me the other day if there were any deer syncs, and sure enough an email followed the next day from Dad, saying he had ten deer on the lawn (and that moments like that made it all worthwhile). The amout of times his emails sync with something or other is extraordinary.

True to synchronistic form, he sent an email mentioning Moscow.

"The deer here are also a menace to any gardener. Need at least a 4'6" fence. 5' better. They, too, cause numerous accidents on roads. I know of two people in Connecticut who hit deer late at night, crashed, and both ended up in Sharon hospital with broken hips. Both were friends - J.C., English and ex RAF pilot, then BEA. The other Juan Carlos (Cortes, actually, not Carlos) de Ayala who knew Rasputin (he was a ballet dancer who studied in Moscow) and was (Juan is dead now) related to Queen Elizabeth I, and many members of European royalty. True - I have been to his house and seen documentation, photos etc. to confirm. For instance he was at Prince Bernhardt of the Netherlands wedding (saw the photo - Uncle Juan - we called him Uncle - in his fine regalia). Any road, for all the royal blood he couldn't avoid a deer on Route 7 just north of Kent, CT and ended up in hospital. Pity he's gone. A very interesting chap. He also stood in for Tyrone Power and did the bullfighting scenes in "Blood & Sand".

I didn't know that he knew Rasputin. The photo is me with Juan in CT, 1985.