For Mum from Russia with love:
It’s Russian Christmas Day here as I write this.
Sadly we couldn’t make it today with everything that’s going on in the World, so I wrote a few words for my Mum in appreciation of all she did.
Our Mum taught us many things so many years ago.
She taught us how to read and write before we went to school with big white cards that Dad made that had big peachy orange numbers and letters on each of them. 10 Numbers & 26 Letters – I never forgot those cards. Mum was an innovator & she cleverly innovated the extra E’s & A’s for Wednesday, Saturday & Three, this stuck in my head that there was always a way even you were beat, you didn’t need to stay beat.
The innovation took an exotic twist with a little brown Mini that wouldn’t start on cold mornings. At 6 or 7 years old (I’m not sure): Mum taught us the art of invective lexic as we sat in the back of the car & listened with awe, as this poor car was called all the names under the sun until it finally started. At such a tender age we learned to innovate the English language in complex ways but with regret we always ended up in school because the Mini was afraid of Mum and we felt for the Mini.
Mum gave me my love of cooking. When other kids in those days had Bangers & Mash & Baked Beans on Toast, we had Lasagne & Jambalaya! Mum could make anything from nothing. This was her innovation again.
Mum knew her classical music too & could name a tune and composer better than anyone. She told me of the wonders of the Hermitage & the Fabergé Museum many years before we came to live in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately Mum never got to see these marvels for herself but I was able to send photos via Dad. Next time we go to the Fabergé Museum or the Hermitage, Mum will be light as a feather, sitting on my shoulder.
Thank you Mum for everything you gave us – life and tools for life.
With Love
Tim & Natacha + Uri
Thursday 08 January 2026
Tim Coburn