Emmichka means "Little Emma" in Russian and became my nickname throughout the family. 

about

“Emmichka, come sit next to me, I’ll tell you a story”
“Emmichka, would you like some plum compote?”

These are the sounds of my childhood, particularly when I’d visit my maternal grandparents. My grandfather, a distinguished, kind man, with a warm Ukrainian accent, lived in Kyiv before making his home in London. Visiting the beautiful flat he shared with my grandmother, they would both welcome me with “how’s our Emmichka?”

As the years passed, and I began to visit their apartment by myself, I would tuck myself onto the small stool next to my grandmother’s stove, and listen to her stories from the past: stories from Paris, Nice, Wales, London. Lovely, evocative stories. Invariably at some point, I’d also hear “Pass the tarragon Emmichka” or “Emmichka, set the table, lunch is ready.”

Emmichka. A lovely sobriquet, filled with memories, sounds, flavours and scents. My fabulous father, on the other hand, nicknamed me “Trouble” when I was about 6. As in, “here comes Trouble”… but that’s a whole other story…