Fiona4Ukraine

  "Two holidays, one power," is the English translation of "Два свята, одна сила." The two holidays were on consecutive days over the weekend: 23 August - Kharkiv City Day, marking the liberation of Kharkiv from Nazi Germany in 1943. It coincides with the National Flag Day of Ukraine; 24 August - Independence Day of Ukraine, commemorating the Declaration of Independence of 1991. These holidays have as much significance now as ever. In fact, I feel that the mood of celebration over this weekend exceeds the previous 3 years - the extravagance of the lights and decorations (funded by local businesses, I believe), and the jubilation of the crowds seems to verge on defiance. There is definitely no sense of a city (or country) that intends to capitulate to the territorial demands of the war criminal across the border. This was Kharkiv last night, Independence Day evening... The evident contradictions can be difficult to comprehend for those of us living here, let alone to...

When I was a social worker I sometimes used a communication technique called the "good news sandwich," whereby negative feedback was delivered between two positive statements, the idea being to soften the impact of the negative feedback. So I will begin with something positive. About a week ago my landlady's mother came round with a workman, at least in his 70s - to make a bench for me, she said. She must have noted that I like to sit outside and that the only current bench consisted of one rickety plank! The bench maker didn't start until dusk and he finished well after 10 pm, when it was completely dark! During this time there was an air alert but this did not deter him. In the morning it was a surprise to see what he had constructed and, at the end of the day, there was a coat of creosote. I christened the bench with a glass of prosecco, as it was also a celebration for 'passing' the security interview for the annual renewal of my temporary residence permit...