The big fishing day arrives. We ain't going to be leaving until 4pm so we have plenty of time to relax and to pack. First thing after breakfast we take the kids down to the lake for a swim! The weather today is in the mid 30's and the cooling effect of the water is instantly refreshing! We spend 30 minutes in the water! Maia refuses to wear her armbands and dives and swims independently! She is gaining so much confidence with her swimming, and we can't wait for her to start swimming lessons in September. The next time she come to Belarus she will be jumping and swimming in the lake with the rest of us!

After lunch and when Jamie is sleeping Yuliya and myself go for a swim which again is lovely before I head back to the farm to mend a bike for Jamie to ride on! I help prepare some of the bait for the fishing trip and Sergey and Victor pack everything for the trip! When the girls and kids return back from their swim we head off on our overnight trip! It turns out the lake we went to on the jet ski is known as the White Lake, and we are heading over the other side of the huge power plant to the Black Lake! The plans for borrowing a boat fell through, so a shore based fish was on the cards! The Black Lake is a large expanse of water surrounded by marshy waterways, and it would be on one of these that we would be setting up home for the night! We found a small trail big enough for a bike and Victor drove the car down it until we came to an area where others had camped and they had recommended the fishing. We parked up the car then set about fishing for supper. Victor had the most success catching 3-4 big fish whereas me and Sergey would have had more luck staying on the lake near the farm as we only caught a couple of small ones each. Whilst I finished watching my bait fish swim round in circles for the 4th hour running, Sergey and Victor started a camp fire. Using branches, torn down from the trees adjacent to our camp area, they soon had a fierce fire going and an old cauldron was hung between 2 fishing rests. In this cauldron went herbs, spices, water, potatoes and the fish (thankfully gutted and cleaned) that Victor had caught. We chopped some meat and bread and some tomatoes. We sat down to relax for the evening as it was now too dark to fish. Out came the brandy and Sergey and myself drank toasts into the evening.

Now some may know but I am not a fish lover and when I am presented with a bowl of fish soup (not only lovingly prepared but also lovingly caught) I felt obligated to at least try some. The bowl was full with broth and potatoes and on top the crowning glory..... A whole fish (tail, fins, head and eyes...the lot). The broth was lovely if not a little fishy tasting. I put my spoon in to get some fish and it's head came off, Sergey helped by eating this. The fish itself was bony and quite earthy tasting. If I was to pick a fish to eat this would not be top of my list. But I cleared my bowl and threw the bony remains of my fish into the fire in triumph, and settled down to roast pieces of salami on the fire ( much more my cup of tea).

We talked into the night with Sergey translating and drinking brandy. It was nice to be able to spent time with my brother in law. This is something we have never done. I found out about his dreams and aspirations, we talked about his work, his heroes (Garstelo), and we attempted to talk about the political situation in the Ukraine. We listened to music from my iPad as I tried to introduce Sergey to Mark Knopfler and other British greats. Victor took himself off to the car but could not sleep and returned an hour later dressed like the Michelin man ready to brave the night! He asked me for some of my mosquito spray as he was being bitten. Now I must say Victor does not get bitten so I realised outside the protective net of the campfire things must be getting bad.

Since arriving in Belarus I have been subject to the systematic abuse and aggression from the native Mosquitos! Now you may say this sounds a little dramatic but my entire body shows the scars of my ongoing battle with these little b******s. Well this it turns out was hopefully the pinnacle of this battle. I had got a couple of bites early on as the evening set in, so I had put on jeans tucked into socks, hoody top, with a second hoody top for good measure. Whilst by the fire this was an issue by the fact I was sweating like a prostitute! It turns out the fire was the effective method for stopping the Mosquitos and not the clothes. I only realised this when we went to bed.

You have seen pictures of the car, this was Sergey and my bedroom for the night. It not only turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable night sleep but one of psychological warfare. It was fine for the first hour but the car started to get hot so Sergey, in his 'I never get bit' way, opened the window. This introduced I am guessing but can't be far away 100 little winged tormentors. I only realised a little while later when I was awoken by the high pitched drone of these creatures. Sleep became impossible as I tried to hide any exposed naked skin as I was slowly consumed. My clothes did not stop them either. I realised that the Mosquitos were winning because every time I managed to kill one my own freshly sucked blood would splatter across the car. This was not new blood, they were on their second or third course. I abandoned the car at 4am and sat by the campfire relieved that the assault was over. I sat there drinking coke and listened to podcasts until the sun came up. Victor offered me some cold fish soup but having a quick mouthful I declined a bigger portion.

We fished for a couple more hours with no success before packing up and abandoning the site. We had an hours drive back to Beryoza. Yuliya and Jamie were up when we arrived back. Jamie had been caught up in his own adventure as a thunderstorm awoke him during the night, and was therefore quite restless for Yuliya. I watched them all get dressed and have their breakfast before succumbing to my own sandman and drifting into a disturbed sleep.

I awoke with my ankles and wrists on fire. I was suffering from the mosquito bites. I have now got bites three layers deep in places. I am not leaving this house today. Which is quite good as a rain front has settled in and, apart from the essential farm jobs, the outside is to be avoided. It gives me time to catch up with the news. I am shocked and saddened by the apparent suicide of Robin Williams, I won't focus on his death but depression is such a powerful debilitating illness that ravages the lives of so many, and it appears the only relief for Robin was the ultimate escape. His performances in Good Morning Vietnam and Good Will Hunting will live for ever. But his inspiring performance in the Dead Poets Society will remain his greatest achievement. Oh Captain My Captain sleep well.

The day is spent relaxing! I take the kids for a walk around the village and visit the farm animals. Maia's friends Mischa and Macha come and play with her for a while. Jamie either plays on his bike with people pushing him around or to Victors amusement he pushes his pink pram around the village.

Tomorrow we are off to Minsk and hopefully the kids will behave for Tania, Victor and Sergey as we finally untie the strings that have kept Jamie attached to Yuliya the entire holiday.