The hermit queen of Chechnya

Afternoon all, Some people live interesting lives. Devi Asmadiredja is one of them. She was told by her husband to leave Germany and move to Georgia to learn Chechen. It’s the language of his forefathers and he thought she could come back and teach him. Within twenty minutes of arriving in a small village she had a tutor and free accommodation. Meanwhile, her husband told her not to bother returning to Germany. So Devi became a bit of a mountain goat, getting to know the hills and the caves because there was nothing to do apart from walking. That, and fall in love with a cow herder. The woman who swapped her home for a hut near Chechnya How many of us will be telling our grandchildren what we were doing at work 30 or 40 years from now? Leanne Doig will.

She says she gets goosebumps when she thinks of the tunnels she’s creating. She’s one of thousands of people who have been trained from scratch to bore the tunnels under London for the Crossrail project. To get an idea of the tunnels' scale, consider the tunnel boring machines - they are 150m long, staffed with a 20-strong “tunnel gang” and each have their own kitchen and toilet. Crossrail: Who wants to work in a tunnel? The Henry Ford quote - that customers can have any colour car they want as long as it is black - has been turned on its head in Turkmenistan. Customs officials have reportedly refused to allow the importation of black vehicles. It’s not entirely clear why, although may have something to do with black being seen as unlucky. Let’s just say Turkmens have become accustomed to eccentric restrictions on daily life, often imposed apparently at the president's whim. Turkmenistan: Black cars 'banned' by customs officials

Meanwhile... More tenants are sharing bedrooms Don’t give a watch as a gift One care home is now hosting cocktail parties Forecasters have downgraded warnings for Winter Storm Juno

That's it from us today.