Let's start with what Adrian has never done ever - the Lottery. This is the nearest he has got! Mum does do it, in fact we have used this to do it!

So if you want to waste your money each week then be our guest - you too can select your numbers here.

Of course we are interested in computers. Elena taught them at a basic level to often mystified students in Russia where there was much less spread. Adrian uses them in his work and produces websites. In 2004 Adrian was still using Windows 95 with enhancements but change was increasingly demanded by software changes and printer requirements and a second computer and printer with Windows XP was purchased in May 2005.

Although no longer at the University of Hull, nor is Elena at Voronezh State University (or Voronezh Pedagogical University for that matter), we retain our academic interests and ideas and ways of looking at issues.

For Elena this means she retains her scientific and mathematical ways of thinking from her doctorate, though her interests go far wider. Elena also attended a sort of school for astrology, though she was critical of it getting some basic astronomy wrong.

For Adrian this means a continuation from the research Ph.D in Sociology and MA course and dissertation in Theology, leaving Unitarianism with some regret and onward with forms of postmodernism and postliberalism in theology. In 2004 and 2005 he has been a regular contributor to Christian Aid's Surefish.co.uk forums

There was a great deal of frustration with Unitarianism's narrowness and localism: there was never full recovery from the experiences of training at Unitarian College in the Manchester region. At its heart lies a contradiction: that although it claims to be creedless it is quite conservative. This manifested itself in adopting an Object with clauses about "worshipping God" and "upholding the liberal Christian tradition". An Invocation was based on it. Thus it had created a credal precedent even though the blurb rejects credal approaches. I wanted to follow the blurb of a progressive body, one that was pluralist and had a social gospel of embracing differences within just as society should. In essence it had adopted a postliberal definition. A postliberal approach is simply better presented in those Christian denominations with some tolerance but richer resources in the tradition.

Adrian criticises astrology as having no causal basis, and Elena calls Unitarianism the "over eighties club"!

Elena thinks Adrian just does not believe according to standard methods and should not be surprised that he became so marginalised even within so called liberal Unitarian communities. Adrian regards this as an objectivist fallacy because religion does not need to engage with the objective/ subjective divide.

Adrian's progress:

1. Methodists (Sutton-on-Hull) as an agnostic (my acquired liberal Christianity was locally unacceptable)
2. Anglicans (University then Swine) from 1984, declining after 1986
3. Unitarians (Hull to 1999, Manchester 1989-90, Sheffield 1992 -with Buddhists) - my religious humanism and pluralism unacceptable in many locations
4. FWBO (Sheffield 1991-) - Western Buddhism
5. 1994 on and Unitarian attendance (refusing membership) on and off (Hull) and marriage service in 2001
6. PGCE RE in 2002-3 inevitably widened knowledge and views, becoming more explicitly pluralist: soft spots for Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism as well as a further appreciation of Christianity.
7. 2004 and completely stopped attendance of Hull Unitarians after becoming irregular
8. Into 2005 and attendance at St Mary's Barton on Humber with theological debate among Surefish Christians: a theology of give and take (reciprocity) with ritualistic implications drawn from social anthropology, along with a postmodern open style of postliberal theology based on an a combination in tension of empirical historiography and narrative religious story in the Christian tradition.

A while back, when living in North Derbyshire, mum and Adrian were members of the Chesterfield Art Club. On rare occasions one of us might improve the other's picture or just one paint and then the other on the same picture!

Adrian also photographed models before coming to New Holland and they went into many paintings. This photography did not continue for the lack of a good studio in the area, and in any case he has plenty of photographs to paint! He also does landscapes and still lifes where Elena thinks the better talent lies. Again the stock of photographs especially from Scotland and Wales is a big part of this. The house has 65 paintings on the wall (mother's and his) and there are many more and increasing in storage. In 2003-2004 Adrian was in attendance at an art class pumping out a painting a week term time.

Then there is politics. Adrian's main sympathy remains the Liberal Democrats, although he has voted tactically on the centre left in 1997 and 2001 general elections. in 2005 Adrian returned to vote Liberal Democrat. Adrian likes the idea of co-operative politics, of constitutional reform and European confederation. The constitution within the British Isles needs updating and the democratic deficit within Europe needs tackling. The island of Ireland needs to be its own confederation within the European Union, protecting traditions and letting them exist in mutual tolerance not power. Of course he would vote for the introduction of the Euro. An English Parliament would complete devolution (preferred over regional assemblies). A personal idea is that the Alternative Vote could be used to elect the House of Commons and a pure PR system for the House of Lords, except that House of Lords members would be elected for life or retirement.

Back in 1979 Adrian voted Conservative on "Manchester Liberal" grounds, but as a social liberal (which he remains) he voted Liberal/ SDP (and equivalents) in 1983, 1987 and 1992, Labour in 1997 and 2001, and Liberal Democrat in 2005. The latter shifts are explained by the Cleethorpes constituency being a Conservative to Labour marginal seat, but voting Labour became impossible in 2005 whilst (in short) teh deceptive Tony Blair remained leader and it continued to be a "New Labour" party. The Liberal Democrats as a libertarian and social justice party are increasingly attractive on their own terms.

There are those all important friends, especially two known since the 1960's and 1970's, and Elena and Adrian join them about once a week. Adrian drives and drinks his lemonades, colas or juices.