I met with Olga today and liked her immediately. She looks to be in her mid-thirties, fresh-faced and Slavic-featured, with long sandy hair pulled up in a bun.

I hate to stereotype, but she fit my idea of a strong Russian woman–sturdy, earthy and very sweet. Liev liked her immediately and got on well with her two daughters.

Olga and her partner have one birth-daughter apiece with the same father. The girls were sweet, but I confess that the four-year-old was quite a handful. If she can deal with Lizzie, Liev will be a piece of cake. We set up a schedule for a few times a week, two hours a day. We have our fingers crossed!