Postcard from Bishkek

I am back from Naryn.  Yes, it was a flying visit – it often is. It’s a five hour journey each way, and we usually start work as soon as we arrive and continue until late into the evening.  Tatiana, (my accountant from Bishkek) and Asya, (the accountant from Naryn), work on the monthly accounts […]

These two terms are often used interchangeably although they have quite distinct meanings. The world’s weather patters are a dynamic system which is in a constant state of change and flux.  In the past the world’s climate has changed due to natural causes, but more recently the term “climate change” has been used to refer […]

The “tourist season” in Kyrgyzstan is traditionally in the summer months – from mid-June to mid-September.  This is when most people visit – especially those from the countries of the former Soviet Union who spend their holidays on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul.  The days are warm – indeed they can be hot – […]

Apparently the United Kingdom is currently undergoing the coldest winter it’s experienced for over a hundred years.  I have just listened to a news report that commented that the country is under the grip of “Siberian Air”.  Siberia has a reputation for having cold winters, which is probably quite a fair representation as temperatures of […]

It is said that the British have one subject of conversation: The Weather.  I have turned into a joke and when the conversation slows and a silence develops, one of the techniques I use to break the silence is to comment: “What a lot of weather we have been having …”.  I’m not sure where […]

Making predictions can be a difficult business.  Predictions can expose the self-proclaimed prophet to the possibility of praise and admiration as an oracle, a seer like Nostradamus, or ridicule and scorn.  Prophecies of doom and destruction, in particular, can result in comparisons to Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam who predicted the fall of Troy.