Are you ready to meditate with Corrie?
Make sure that you're laying in your bed and you're super comfortable and everything is just right in your room so you can relax your body and let go of the busy day.
The cats were at Mila's house.
They were having a Russian night.
The cats would love to go to Russia but it was so far away and their mom and dad wasn't going on vacation this year.
So that they had an experience of what Russia was like,
Mila decided to invite them over and cook them Russian pancakes.
They were all sat at the kitchen table watching Mila cook.
Mila said,
Okay so this is surik,
Surik are Russian pancakes and they're absolutely delicious.
Cherry said,
Oh they do look nice and they smell so nice.
Can we have maple syrup on them like you do here?
Can we put butter on them as well?
What do you put on them?
Mila said,
I suppose you could put whatever you want on them.
Taste them first without anything on and then you get a really good idea of what they taste like and then you decide.
I bet you could put savory things on them.
I bet you could even put caviar on them if you wanted to.
Veya said,
I am not sure what caviar is,
Mila.
Mila said,
Caviar is fish eggs.
Cherry said,
You what?
Mila said,
Caviar is fish eggs.
It's what they get.
They collect it from fish and then you put it on like bits of bread or it's supposed to be a really fancy thing to eat.
Heidi said,
Yes you can pay a lot of money to eat caviar.
It's supposed to be really expensive sometimes.
Mila said,
Yeah exactly.
So you could put caviar on it even if you were one of those people that could afford caviar.
Or you could just put maple syrup on it if you wanted it to be sweet.
Or you could put treacle on it if you were in England.
Or you could put jam on it if you were in England,
Like a raspberry jam.
Or you could put jelly on it if you're in the United States.
So I suppose it just depends where you make them and wherever country you are at the time,
Depending on what you want and what you fancy,
Whether you want sweet or savoury.
Anyway,
It's a pancake and it's versatile.
And because it's Russian,
It's called suriky.
Surikys are pancakes.
Cherry said,
All right then.
Okay,
So I'm deciding right now that I am staying away from that gross sounding fish egg stuff because that just sounds absolutely disgusting.
So yeah,
Not for me.
But pancakes and butter sounds nice.
Pancakes and butter,
I think I'll just try it with butter first and then I'll advance and I'll go on to pancakes and maple syrup.
Or maybe pancakes and,
Ooh,
I wonder if pancakes and like lemon curd is nice.
When Grandad Wally came from England,
He brought lemon curd and lemon curd is absolutely delicious.
It's like jam,
But it's made of lemons and butter and it's so nice.
And when it melts on something warm like toast,
It's delish.
Mila said that that sounded really good.
She would like to try that for sure.
Heidi said,
So what else are we going to do that's going to make it feel like we're in Russia,
Mila?
Mila said,
Well,
I'm not quite sure,
But I can tell you some things about Russia.
For one,
Russia has over 142 million people in it.
Can you believe that?
Cherry said,
OMG,
Oh my goodness gracious me,
That's a big place.
Mila said,
Yeah,
Just a little bit.
It's absolutely enormous.
Did you know that there was like,
I'm not sure if it's 14 or 17 different countries that run the border of Russia?
So big,
Like from one side to the other,
It's like the biggest place in the world.
It's so big.
Did you know that it has over 1,
300 different cities just inside Russia?
OMG,
I mean,
Where would you go?
Oh,
Do you go see what you do?
Where would you go?
How would you know with 1,
300 different cities to choose from when you say,
Oh,
I'm going to go to Russia,
Which one would you choose?
Where'd you go?
Mila said,
Well,
I'm from a place in Russia called Kazakhstan,
And it's wonderful there.
But the capital of Russia is Moscow.
Moscow,
Moscow,
Said Cherry.
Moscow?
Like milking a cow?
And then she started laughing.
Just kidding,
Just kidding.
I'm just winding you up,
Mila.
Just winding you up.
Anyway,
Yeah,
So Moscow's the capital.
You're from Kazakstan.
Kazakhstan,
Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan.
Yeah,
Kazakhstan.
Yeah,
You're from there,
Right?
So there's like 1 million,
Billion,
Trillion people in Russia.
Got that.
So many.
It's like absolutely enormous.
So big.
What else?
Mila said.
Well,
The money in Russia is rubles.
So it's not dollars or pounds.
It's rubles.
Oh,
I like that,
Said Cherry.
It sounds like rubies.
You know,
Oh,
Actually,
You know,
I think India uses rubies.
I think that's the name of their money,
Heidi said.
Yeah,
I think you're right there,
Cherry.
So it's not rubies,
Mila said.
No,
It's not rubies.
It's rubles in Russia.
Right then.
So rubles is the money.
There's 1,
700.
No,
Said Mila.
1,
300 different cities in Russia alone.
Right,
Right.
Sorry,
Sorry.
So many facts.
Right.
So in Russia,
There's over 142 million people.
In Russia,
There is 1,
300 different cities alone.
In Russia,
Because it's so big,
Right,
It's so big,
There's either 14,
We need to find this out,
Please,
Mila.
Either 14 or 17 different countries that are on the border of Russia,
Like that,
Like spread over the whole entire Russia.
There's like 14 other countries that like are adjoined to Russia at the same time.
And they use rubles.
Anything else?
Anything else?
Mila said.
Well,
The flag is kind of cool.
It's white and blue and red.
You know,
There's so many flags that are red,
White and blue.
America's flag is red,
White and blue.
England's flag,
The Union Jack is red,
White and blue.
Is it the same like red and the same like white and the same like blue?
Mila said,
No,
The blue is different.
It looks different.
It's a different kind of blue.
It's not like navy blue.
It's slightly paler.
It's like a bit darker than the sky blue.
Cherry said,
Oh,
Good to know.
Good to know.
Right.
OK,
So the flag is red,
White and blue.
That's an easy one to remember,
Because like I said,
There's so many other flags that are big flags that are red,
White and blue.
They use rubles.
They don't use rubies.
And yeah,
There's a lot to it.
Anything else?
And what are the pancakes called?
Oh,
No.
So is.
No,
Don't tell me.
Don't tell me.
OK,
Something to do with keys,
House keys.
No,
Obviously not.
Not house keys.
Heidi said,
Suriky,
Suriky.
That's pancake.
Suriky,
Suriky.
Yeah,
That's it.
Suriky.
I'm about to have my very first suriky and I'm going to have it with butter and I'm going to have it with possibly lemon curd that Grandad Wally brought or possibly maple syrup.
Mila put down on the kitchen table a big plate of Russian pancakes.
They looked delicious.
They were smaller than American pancakes,
But they looked fluffy.
They looked like flying spaceships that were fluffy,
Like cake kind of fluffy.
But at the same time,
They were fluffy like American pancakes kind of fluffy.
They were definitely not like English pancakes.
English pancakes are more flat and they're a lot bigger and they're more like French crepes.
So French crepes are pancakes and in England,
Crepes are called pancakes,
But they're just like crepes.
And then in America,
Pancakes don't look anything like English pancakes or French crepes.
American pancakes just look like American pancakes.
They're about as big as your palm and they're soft and they're fluffy and they're more like a cakey kind of consistency,
Like a donut kind of consistency versus something flat and rubbery,
Like a British pancake.
And then now we have Russian pancakes,
Which are called surikys.
And surikys are like smaller than American pancakes,
But they look fluffier,
Like they've got more air in them,
Even fluffier cakey kind of texture than an American pancake and definitely so much more fluffier and softer than an English pancake because English pancakes,
Remember,
Are very big and very flat and you roll them up like a cigar and yeah,
They're nothing like American pancakes.
So yes,
Mila put the plate of pancakes down and the cats put a pancake on their own plates and started to eat them with their desired toppings.
They all agreed that these pancakes were the best.
They were delicious.
Fea said,
Thank you so much for making us have this Russian experience,
Mila.
I really appreciate it.
I do,
In a way,
Feel as if we're visiting Russia,
Even though we're not because it's so far away.
But let me ask you,
If I was to go to Russia,
If I was to go to,
Um,
Oh,
I forgot what it's called again.
Mila said,
Kazakhstan.
Fea said,
Yes,
That's it,
Kazakhstan.
If I was to go to Kazakhstan in Russia,
What would I wear?
Because,
I mean,
It's always nice to know what you can pack.
What kind of dresses would I wear?
What kind of shoes would I need?
Like,
Like,
You know,
What would I pack?
Mila said,
That's a really good question because from one end of Russia,
It can be extremely warm and then the other end of Russia can be extremely cold.
So it depends on where you visit in Russia.
Because Russia is so big,
You get all these different types of weather,
As if you're in a different country all the time,
Even though it's the same country,
They can have like one extreme,
Like snow,
To the other,
Which would be like a heat wave.
It's crazy,
Cherry said.
Oh,
Wow,
That's absolutely amazing.
Let me ask you this,
Do they all have like the same time?
Is it the same time from one end of Russia to the other?
Mila said,
No,
Definitely not.
I think there's like a lot of different time changes.
I'm not sure how many,
Cherry,
But there's a lot of different time zones.
Obviously,
It's so big.
Cherry was like,
Yeah,
Obviously,
Because it's so big.
I can't imagine how big it is.
You know what,
It'd be really nice one day to actually fly over Russia and get to experience like,
If like the pilot said,
All right,
We are coming into Russia.
And like you were going from one end of Russia to all the way to the other end.
And it was like a long time.
And you could see on the map and you're like,
Oh,
Wow,
This is taking forever.
And the pilot goes,
Yeah,
We're still trying to get to the other side of Russia.
Yeah,
From that side of Russia to this side of Russia,
It's like 1700 billion million miles.
Don't try and walk it,
Especially in flip flops.
I don't know why I said that,
Said Cherry.
Heidi said,
I think it's just because you're a bit crazy,
Cherry.
Cherry said,
Yeah,
Yeah,
I think so too.
I just had this really,
Really,
Really funny vision in my head,
Right,
That I'm like trying to do,
You know,
Like people walk for charity.
And they said,
Oh,
I'm going to walk across America.
I'm going to walk from one side of America to another.
And you're like,
Wow,
Blimey,
No,
That's a long way.
I just saw myself trying to walk across Russia.
Russia.
Russia.
Sorry,
Russia.
I just saw myself trying to walk across Russia,
Right.
And I was like,
Oh gosh,
Can you imagine what kind of shoes you'd have to wear?
And then I flashed.
It flashed in my mind that I was wearing flip flops and I just couldn't help myself.
I had to share it.
Anyway,
Yeah,
It's kind of strange how my mind works.
It's all over the place.
I worry about myself sometimes,
But you know what,
On the other sometimes when I'm not worried about myself,
When I'm just like looking at myself and I go,
Oh my gosh,
Cherry,
Your mind is so amazing.
It's just genius to watch.
Then in those times,
I'm like,
Oh,
Thank gosh I'm like this because I'm going to be famous one day because of my mind.
My mind is going to make me so famous one day because I'm so creative and I'm so fantastic.
And now I know so many facts about Russia.
If I have to go on a game show,
Right,
One day,
One day,
Because when I'm famous,
They invite you to do all sorts of things,
Don't they?
They're like,
Come on my talk show,
Come and appear on my game show.
And I'll be on a game show and I'll be like,
Do you know what guys,
Do you know what?
Did you know,
Right,
That Russian pancakes are called sukiyaki?
I'm so smart.
And did you know,
Right,
That like if you,
If you live in Russia,
You're like 142 million of just like one of those people,
142 million live in Russia.
And I'm sure they're popping out babies all the time.
So that number changes.
So don't quote me on it,
But you know,
Like 142 million aroundabouts live in Russia.
Did you know that?
That's what I'll be saying on the game show.
And then if they have a section on the game show that says facts about Russia,
I'll be like beep on me buzzer and I'll be like,
Yeah,
That's me.
I'll take Russia,
Please.
For $700 million because I know everything about Russia.
I know so much.
I know that I have a friend called Mila.
I have a friend,
Right?
And she's called,
I'm in trouble.
You know why I'm in trouble?
Because I know so many facts.
Now my mind is full of facts about Russia.
But I forgot my friend's name.
I forgot Mila's name.
Oh,
Mila,
I'm so sorry.
I almost called you Fred.
Don't know where I got Fred from there for a second,
But I was like,
My mind's so blank.
It's full of Russia,
But it's blank on what my Russian friend is called.
Mila,
Forgive me.
Mila just started laughing because you know,
Cherry,
She's nuts.
Anyway,
So Cherry went on about the fact that she would know so much about Russia if she was famous and she got invited onto a game show that had,
You know,
A subject matter that was about Russia,
She would probably win the game.
After a while,
It was time for the cats to go home.
They gave Mila big,
Big,
Big hugs.
Cherry rubbed her nose on Mila's nose and said that she thought that that was a Russian hug.
Mila said it wasn't.
Cherry said,
Oh no,
That's right.
Sorry.
That's an Eskimo kiss.
I think that's what they do in Eskimos,
Not Eskimos,
In wherever Eskimos live anywhere.
Yeah,
I think that's what they do.
Cherry gave her a big hug.
Heidi gave her a hug.
Veya gave her a hug.
And then the cats went home.
When they got home,
They brushed their teeth and hopped into their big,
Soft,
Comfortable cat bed.
They snuggled down,
Relaxed,
And eventually fell fast asleep.
The end.
