Happy New Year!

Christmas Party at Russian School - 2006

Thank you to Irina Kassatenko, who made this beautiful celebration a funny and happy event.
To see the slideshow click HERE.

Christmas 2006 at the Shool of Music

Slideshow is HERE

This was a big day for boys! They presented to us what they have learned for the last year with Luba Ellis. It was a great performance!!!

VKA Christmas Party 2006

To see the slideshow click HERE

What is that? Snow?!

We have snow!!!

First, we were having heavy rain and now - snow! What is wrong with the weather? It's not usual for this time of the year to have a snowfall in our area. Anyway, kids enjoyed it and so did we. Schools and many other government institutions are closed. The road condition is terrible, you better stay home. People here doesn't know how to drive when it snowy. It's understandable, because the snow itself is a big event in Victoria (BC).

Russian Twin City Orphan & Student Benefit Concert

On Friday, November 17, 2006 people had a chance to see great musical entertainment from various artists. This fundraising event was organized by the Victoria Khabarovsk Association and volunteers from Russian Orthodox Parishes.

All proceeds go to assist Russian orphans and to help sponsor a student from Khabarovsk, Victoria’s sister city in Russia, to attend Pearson College of the Pacific.

To see a slide show from this event click HERE

The Star

The Star, originally uploaded by Instant Moments.

Look at the Sun - it's a real Star!

Tranquility

Tranquility
Originally uploaded by Instant Moments.

We were invited to spend an evening with co-workers on a boat. What a beautiful time we had!!!

The Earth

To Dave with Love

Surprise Party!!!

We had a surprise party for our 10th anniversary!
To see the slideshow of it click HERE.



















There were 45 adults and 16 kids! It is a little less then we had for Peter's Birthday last year... Some people, unfortunately, couldn't make it. So, they missed a good party. Thank you my Friends for making such a good surprise!

10th Anniversary

10 Years together!
It is not that much, but it passed quickly. Peter wrote me a poem in russian! He is a talent! We spent that day at The Willow Stream SPA at Fairmont Empress Hotel. We had dinner at THE KEG and I got a ring and earings with Mystic Topaz. Next Day our friends came to surprise us with flowers, dishes and present. We made a shashlik on a big BBQ mashine (rus - mangal).

Hot Day in Victoria (BC)

It's really hot in BC.

Walking on a water (Playing Jesus...) Temperatures reached 31.9 Celsius at Victoria airport, topping the previous July 22 record of 31.5 C set in 2002, according to Environment Canada. At the Inner Harbour, temperatures reached 29.5 C.
Weather Network, which supplies figures for the Times Colonist's daily weather page, put Saturday's high in Victoria at 32.4 C.
The hottest day ever recorded at Victoria airport was July 16, 1941, when the temperature hit 36.1 C.
We spent that day at the Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville. At low tide the ocean recedes almost a kilometer, providing an ideal place for visitors of all ages to play in the sand and explore the shoreline. When the tide rolls in over the sun-baked sand, the warmed water is unbeatable for swimming and salt water fun.Rathtrevor Beach is ideal for a relaxed family outing. Simply sit back and soak up the seaside atmosphere or take a walk through the wooded upland area of the park.
That was a great day for the all family.

Do you want to see what is inside your eye?

It is ME !!!... taking picture of you!!! :-)

Canada Day

1 July, 2006
Pendray Farms celebrating Canada Day.













To see the slideshow click HERE

Celebrating Russian Easter in 2006

On April 23rd we were celebrating Russian Easter.
Michael and Mindy were as usually very kind to welcome so many people at their house. Every year we gather together to have a good time and to celebrate Russian Orthodox Easter. To see the slideshow from this event click HERE

19 May - Birthday of the Soviet Pioneer Organization

I was a pioneer myself.
(1st bottom row I'm second from the right - excursion to Sevastopol')
Young Pioneer Camp "Oleg Koshevoi" (Evpatoria September-November 1980)

On May 19, 1922 the second All-Russian Komsomol Conference decided to create pioneer units all over the country. This day is considered the birthday of the All-Soviet Pioneer Organization (Всесоюзная пионерская организация, or Vsesoyuznaya pionerskaya organizatsiya), named after Vladimir Lenin.

The main goals and duties of Young Pioneers and requirements of membership were specified by the Regulations of the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union; by the Solemn Promise (given by each Young Pioneer joining the organization); by the Rules of the Young Pioneers; and by the motto.
Although membership was theoretically optional, almost all the children in the Soviet Union belonged to the organization; it was a natural part of growing up.

The official Rules of the Young Pioneers of the Soviet Union were:

• Young Pioneer loves his Motherland, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and prepares himself to enter the Komsomol organisation
• Young Pioneer honours the memory of those who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom and for the prosperity of the Soviet Motherland
• Young Pioneer is a friend of the children of the whole world
• Young Pioneer studies diligently, is polite and well disciplined
• Young Pioneer loves to work and protects public property
• Young Pioneer is a good comrade, he cares for the young and helps the old
• Young Pioneer is brave and not afraid of difficulties
• Young Pioneer is honest and values the honour of his group
• Young Pioneer keeps in good physical shape, doing physical exercises every day
• Young Pioneer loves nature, he protects plants, birds and animals
• Young Pioneer is a good role model for all children

These often appeared on many children's items, such as school notebooks.

Happy Mother's Day

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell
"MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

Help Others!

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.
/Barbara De Angelis/
It's simple to get started. Do something to bring a smile on someone's face and leave behind a smile card to keep the kindness going.

Ideas For Kindness!

9 мая - День Победы!

Имя твое неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен.
Светлой памяти павшим в борьбе против фашизма.
Это праздник всех миролюбивых людей на земле.

Victory Day (Russian: День Победы, Den' Pobedy) marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War commonly referred to in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War. This capitulation was signed late in the evening on May 8, 1945, following the original capitulation Germany signed earlier to the joint Allied forces. The Soviet government announced the victory early on May 9, a day after the signing ceremony in Berlin.[1]
The May 9 Victory Day is celebrated in most of the successor states to the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The day is traditionally marked by ceremonial military parades with the most prominent one being traditionally held in Moscow Red Square.
Two separate capitulation events took place at the time. First, the capitulation to the Allied nations in Reims was signed on May 7, 1945, effective May 8. This date is commonly referred to as the V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) in most western European countries. The Red Army's command however insisted that the Germans specifically surrender to the Soviet Union, which contributed most to the defeat of Nazi Germany, and held another surrender ceremony in Berlin late on May 8, when it was already May 9 in Moscow due to the difference in time zones. Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel submitted the capitulation of the Wehrmacht to the Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov in the Red Army headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst. To commemorate the event, the ceremonial Moscow Victory Parade was held in the Soviet capital on June 24, 1945.
Wikipedia

Gone Fishing

Today Peter and I went fishing. I like when he has a day off and we can do something together (especially fishing). The weather was perfect for going out. We catch four trouts. And as usually, I had to much sun. Now I look like a racoon.

Международный День Солидарности Трудящихся

Today is the 1st of May. In Russia it used to be a big celebration - Day of the International Solidarity of Workers (aka May Day or Labour Day). In Europe the day had older significance as a rural festival, but over time it has been replaced by the labour connotations of the holiday. The holiday has become internationalised and several countries hold multi-day celebrations including parades, shows and other patriotic and labour-oriented events. The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day in September and May Day.

May Day is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, and a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. The 1 May date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, inspired by labor's 1872 success in Canada, demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This resulted in a general strike and the riot in Chicago of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. The May Day Riots of 1894 and May Day Riots of 1919 occurred subsequently. In 1889, the first congress of the Second International called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago riot. These were so successful that May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.

Due to these left-wing overtones, May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist, and anarchist groups. In some circles, bonfires are lit in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot usually right as the first day of May begins. [1] In the 20th century, May Day received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union; celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in support of the government.

The Red Scare periods ended May Day as a mass holiday in the United States, a phenomenon which can be seen as somewhat ironic given that May Day originated in Chicago. Meanwhile, in countries other than the United States, resident working classes fought hard to make May Day an official governmentally-sanctioned holiday, efforts which eventually largely succeeded. For this reason, May Day in most of the world today is marked by huge street rallies of workers led by their trade unions and various large socialist and communist parties — a phenomenon not generally seen in the U.S. (which has a history of strong anti-communism).

In most countries other than the U.S., May Day is often referred to simply as "Labor Day" or "Worker day".

The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand celebrate their Labor Day on different dates, which has to do with how the holiday originated in those countries.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


In USSR we had a lot of fun on that day - parade with songs, dances and transparency "Peace, Labor, May!", "Peace to the World", etc., delicious food on the streets, meetings with friends and of cource drink. I really miss these days.

У-ля-ля! My First Posting!

У-ля-ля!
My first posting!
I'm still thinking which language should I use - Russian or English?
I know I'm not that good in english as I am in russian, but now I have more contacts with english-speaking people. I want to introduce myself, my family and culture to new friends. So for now, I will write in english. May be later I will create a russian version of this blogg. :-)