Ye gods!  When I think of how difficult it was to bring up four, the thought of doubling that amount makes me go cold.  The poverty must be extreme for such a small financial reward to be any sort of "incentive".  I'm down to one child now and that is more than enough!  There again I'm a bit older than a lot in a similar position, but I've noticed that when I look round the playground there are a lot of older mothers these days.  There is one aged 43 that had a baby last month through IVF.  Careers first, then family later.

I've just watched "Whistleblower" on BBC about child-care and Ofsted and after seeing that I thank God I have never had to rely on anyone else to look after my children.  I was, and am, so fortunate!  I have always been able to work from home.

My heart goes out to those women abroad who are encouraged to have eight or more children to earn a prize of one hundred quid!  I would be climbing up the walls with that sort of responsibility.

Here a view of the Conservatorium of Music in Ashgabat:

A penitent sinner replies:  No, Turkmenia was the former Soviet name, which I forgetfully & wrongly typed.  "Turkmenistan" is correct. Both are euphemisms for avoiding the historically correct "Turkistan", which is how the entire Central Asian region was known prior to being subsumed into the Russian Empire in the time of Catherine the Great and onwards.  (Peter Hopkirk's "Setting the East Ablaze" is highly recommended for an account of how Lenin wriggled and struggled to hold on to Central Asia after the October Revolution - and how British and German agents were posted into the area in the hope of destablising it).

We thank Mr Grew for the fine picture of the Music Conservatoire in Asghabat!!   Although we wonder what on earth they did there under Mr Berdymukhamedov's precursor as President, since he banned classical music entirely (disbanding the National Philharmonia and National Opera, and reforming the National Ballet as the National Folkloric Dance Troupe)?  He said that such activities were unbecoming for Turkmen people. Perhaps Ms Hodge attended cultural guidance seminars with him?

Mr Bedrymukhamedov recently gave a Press Statement saying that he intends to reconstitute the Philharmonia and the Opera,  although neither ensemble has yet performed.  Many of the performers emigrated - primarily to other CIS states - when their place of work was closed-down on ideological grounds.

The sad truth is that the present-day rulers of Turkmenistan are as rich as Croesus, on the back of gas & oil reserves found in the Caspian.  Their people, however, haven't been invited to join in the proceeds - although they do, at least get domestic heating entirely free of charge,  a sop to popularity that effectively costs the Government $0 anyhow.