A holiday morning. Blue sky, sun… During exercises, you run along the path, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of flowers and the freshness of the air. Wonderful. If only one could record the smell of the Earth, the flowers, the freshness of the air and take it on board! Yesterday I spoke with Lyusya and Vitalik — they’re doing well. Something is wrong with a toe on my left foot; when I was trimming my nails, I apparently got some dirt under the toenail of my big toe from the side. The surgeon Znamensky cleaned it out and put on such a bandage that looking at it you’d think they’d amputated the toe. That’s a joke, but every small thing is dangerous for me right now. I need to heal it quickly.

After exercises we organized a swimming competition in the pool. Our photographer Yura and one of the engineers bet a bottle of champagne on who would finish first. We gave them the start. The engineer completed the full distance, but Yura never even moved from his spot. When the engineer arrived and saw him at the edge, he was utterly astonished that he — a first-class swimmer — had been beaten. We confirmed the victory went to Yura. Everyone roared with laughter. The mood all around is good. We played volleyball, putting together two teams — the “Thinkers” (the engineers) and a team of doctors and methodologists that included the cosmonauts. I couldn’t resist — even though it’s risky for me after my leg injury — I played three sets, putting on knee pads beforehand. The trainer and Dr. Kobzev wanted to throw me out, but I talked them into letting me stay. And then a festive table outdoors in the courtyard, surrounded by greenery and blossoming apple trees. It turned out like a wedding feast. Then dancing. Merry. Almost too merry. I watched and thought about how much has changed here, in the steppes of Kazakhstan, over 25 years. A modern city, lots of greenery, swimming pools, people in holiday clothes as in the capital. And not so long ago — work overalls, tent camps, scorched earth. Technology advances, we push further into space, but all of this comes with the growth of people and their achievements on Earth.