Dear friends at the Cambridge Russian Speaking Society,
"Dorogie druz'ya!",

Anne and I received an e-mail from Tanya, inviting me to jot down a few words about the most enjoyable evening which many of us shared recently, when we attended a lecture given by Madam Catherine Cooke, with Russian Architecture as its subject.

As you will be enormously aware, I cannot speak more than a couple of words of Russian (with much regret) and that generally, I am carried along on the flood tide of Anne's total devotion to all things Russian..... the house is rapidly filling up with Russian videos, books and memorabilia.............. so, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

The great advantage to me, is that I too, am warmly welcomed by all of "our" friends at CamRuss whenever there is an event of note taking place.

As I have often said to Anne, I enjoy these lecture evenings and presentations because I can come along in a state of blissful ignorance of Russian matters generally and yet totally immerse myself in the proceedings and learn all manner of new things in a most enjoyable and convivial environment.

Amazingly, I find myself and my imagination, fired by an enthusiasm for the content of the presentation and then, with further amazement, hear myself asking my own questions and receiving considered answers and supporting material from the guest speaker. I do try to ensure that my questions are not banal nor trite and I much appreciate the patience which the membership affords me as one whose questions might seem to come from a "Funny angle", from time to time!

I was flattered by Tanya's request to write down my recollections of Catherine's presentation on that evening and I must apologise for having waffled on for far too long.

As well as Russian, I also know nothing about architecture. I would not recognise a "Pediment" if it fell on me and a "Doric Column", must surely be a weekly editorial written by some "Yuppie" in the Financial Times?

I firmly believe however, that none of us NEED to have a proven understanding of so many disciplines or subjects and the technical principles lying at their core, in order to be able to derive great pleasure and interest from them.

After all, it is not necessary for any of us to have to understand the inner workings of our motor car engines, in order to be able to enjoy the journey, is it?.....

Architecture:- Catherine's presentation soon gathered momentum for me, even though I regretted not being able to join in the occasional and spontaneous laughter which interspersed the flow of the presentation from time to time.... a caustic comment or a play on words, no doubt!

Having said that, PLEASE do not arrange for the elimination of all such things from the lectures because for me, that sort of thing only adds to my overall enjoyment and it adds a dash of the exotic to the overall sense of subject "presence"...... and, of course, I have my own interpreter to hand, to lighten my darkness anyway.

The vast scope of background knowledge and experience being made available to us was awesome and it was drawn upon frequently in the form of recollections and anecdotes, in order to illustrate a point.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the Glasgow Exhibition in 1901. I had absolutely no idea that it had ever taken place and as soon as we returned home, I fired up the computer and found out a lot more for myself and even found copies of pamphlets and programmes from the Exhibition, along with more photographs. I enjoyed hearing about the little train which traversed the site of the exhibition, something which, in itself must have represented high technology and application of capabilities for the day.

The way in which the Russians turned up as a complete entity, complete with all their own materials and buildings, their cooks, artisans, diplomats and all manner of other supporting staff, was amazing. Very similar in fact, to the way in which the American military sets up "Little America", along with its own "PX Store", as the first action, wherever they go.

I was not at all surprised to learn of the stuffy, aloof and parochial attitude toward the Russians and their buildings, on the part of the local residents, dignitaries and "Establishment".........So I was even more delighted to see their use of their traditional application of warm and pastel colours which must have had an irreversible effect upon the local vernacular, in terms of architectural styling and potential. (If only they had built the Millennium Dome during their stay...... no comment here!).

For me, architecture, even if it is nothing more than the remaining grassy mounds of some long lost civilisation, gives us the chance to stand on the VERY spot where Kings and Queens, the humble and the mighty, have all stood and laughed, loved prayed and died.

For me, the very walls and flagstones of famous sites as well as those whose claim to fame is no more than to have been there at all at some time, cry out to those who are imaginative or sensitive enough to hear the long lost voices crying out down the ages. The sounds of battle, political cut and thrust, soft sounds of lovers, triumph and defeat are all locked in the very clay.

Who has stood at the Parthenon and not heard Caesar's voice? Similarly, who has stood on Red Square and not seen the May Day clebrations to the strains of the massed choirs and bands; the Reichstag and the torchlight parades......or even the humble little Dacha with the babble and warmth of a family meal or low spoken words.... which are for their ears only? It is all there for us to see, hear and absorb, with all of our senses..... to be able to relive the past, learn and, hopefully, look toward a bright future.

Not being an academic nor even a formal scholar of the arts or the higher disciplines, my rambling dissertation probably reveals a certain simplistic naievity.... no matter though, as this serves well to illustrate the value of such presentations to all and any who will listen, learn, and, most of all, ENJOY.

The architecture and the fabric of the building is our catalyst to all these great things and our only limitation, is the extent to which we allow our imagination to run free.

Thank you all for kindly allowing me to participate as a casual observer at the CamRuss events and to Tanya, for the opportunity to jot down my thoughts.

Vsego samogo dobrogo!

John Ashby.