A few weeks ago I saw a Facetweet post stating that the Aussie TV-soap ‘Neighbours’ was going to be axed (after 37 years).
Back in the ‘80s, when the programme started, anything with an Oz connection was ‘bonzer’. ‘strine’ was everywhere. You couldn’t throw a koala (or a dwarf*) in any direction without hitting a ‘Kylie’ or a ‘Shane’…, ‘spose it took some of the heat from all the Bruces & Sheilas.
*Dwarf throwing (non-PC I agree), was an actual thing, originating in Australia!
Home and Away, the new wave of Aussies were big news in the 80’s, Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee, XXXX lager, shrimps on baaarbies, Ocker blokes, Men at Work , Midnight Oil [link], Bryan Brown…Mel Gibson, Mad Max, the Great White Shark (Greg Norman), Pat Cash, an’ Kevin ‘bloody’ Wilson in his ‘ute’ …., strewth! Pass me another tinnie mate., me throat’s drier than a pommies towel.
Down Under was deffo the top place to go.
What’s that Skip?…Steve Irwins fallen down a mineshaft.. crikey!
More than a few of the Neighbours cast then used the exposure and became global singing stars; Jason Donovan an’ Kylie were followed by Natalie Imbruglia, Dannii Minogue, Craig McLachlan… we all expected Harold Bishop to join in and release a single about wombats. Treely ruly we did.
Anyway, the subject of ‘Neighbours’ came back round on Thursday 24th February when Russia crossed the border and invaded next door Ukraine. It had been predicted that ‘something’ would happen (no-one was entirely sure when) as 150,000 Russian & Belarus troops had been engaged in military ‘training’ exercises conveniently near the border.
A couple of days earlier, two Ukrainian regions, with large ethnic Russian communities which had been fighting the Ukrainian military for 8 years were suddenly ‘recognised’ (by Russia alone) as ‘independent states’.
Almost immediately, and with his customary charmless approach Russian President, Vladimir Putin, having accused the Ukrainians as the aggressors, sent ‘peace’ keepers into Luhansk & Donbas.
The parallels with 8 years ago are obvious, and the script is becoming depressingly familiar:
– local (ethnic Russian) population unrest,
– Winter Olympics closing ceremony (2014 Sochi, 2022 Beijing)
– Red Army invades, Russia annexes territory. Simples.
Makes you wonder which bit of eastern Europe will be ‘liberated’ next, after the closing ceremony of the 2026 games in Milano Cortina?
Prior to this, Russian denials had included such classic quotes:
“Russia has never hatched, is not hatching and will never hatch any plans to attack anyone,”
“Russia is a peaceful country, which is interested in good relations with its neighbours”, said President Putins Press Sec. Dmitry Peskov back in November.
I imagine he must’ve felt a bit surprised when his boss did the exact opposite. ..mmmm, probably not. Honesty and truth aren’t the Kremlins normal stock in trade.
He was also quoted in Pravda as saying “Russia is not going to attack anyone”
In the ‘cold-war’ era, ‘Pravda’, (meaning ‘the Truth’) was the main Communist newspaper and ‘Isvestia’ (meaning ‘the news’) the main Soviet newspaper.
Back then, the joke was “there’s no truth in Pravda and no news in Izvestia”.
It seems, 50 years on, that Pravda is still reporting ‘anything, but the truth’, and the truth in Ukraine is no joke.
Suddenly the world changed. TV images in the first few hours showed Russian helicopters swarming to support attacks on airbases north of Kyiv (now pronounced Keev). Like a blockbuster movie, images of Russian tanks driving through the suburbs, with shocked residents looking on from apartments above, were filmed on mobile phones and shared with the world.
In TV news broadcasts, maps showed the areas of incursion, and the suspected targets along with expert analysis of the possible Russian tactics and the expected timeline for Ukrainian resistance to yield.
News of a huge convoy of military vehicles, 40 miles long, heading south towards Kyiv on March 1st, suggested the full might of the Red Army would just roll on and crush the opposition. 40 miles long… wow! That can’t be good news.
At a rough estimate, say each tank is 30 feet long, that’s about 10 meters. 40miles is 64km or 64,000 metres. Divide that distance by 20m (that’s 1 tank + same gap between) mmm… that equals 3200 vehicles. Over 3000 diesel vehicles! Think of the CO2 emissions. Just 3 months after COP26 in Glasgow, it’s almost as if the Russians don’t care about the environment!
As usual, my writing hasn’t kept pace with events…(left-paw typing, and overwhelming amounts of dynamic news)
I started to write this (24feb) to capture the feelings of the day, in case I couldn’t describe it later – unbelievable just doesn’t cover it.
In the first few days, political & economic measures were announced.
– the Germans cancelled the Nordstream2 gas pipeline
– travel restrictions; Russians excluded from airspace around the world (& oligarch yachts impounded)
– the Germans change their 70 year policy of supplying weapons to conflict zones, and increase their defence spending.
– UK government trade sanctions (amended several times since) setting out what business is allowed (or mostly not)
– EU, US and others issue similar edicts, to restrict the flow of money, goods & technology to Russia.
– With government restrictions, public opinion and some sense of moral obligation taking precedence over commercial activities – ‘Western’ companies pull out of Russia.
‘Aww, no more Beeg Maxxskii for leetle baby Oleg’- as McDonalds closes over 800 outlets.
– Poland generously offers its Mig 29 aircraft to Ukraine (flying them to a US base Germany)
– in banking, Russia was cut-off from SWIFT payment network
It might take a wee while, but sanctions will help in reducing the rouble to rubble
For the record, I noted that cheese was sanctioned after the Crimean invasion – In 2015, 470 tonnes of contraband cheese was seized.. mmm, I wonder who has it..
Conversely, Europe is still funding the Russians, due to its dependence on Russian oil & gas, a bizarre, contradictory situation which will take some time to resolve.
I saw a TV news (6apr) – which reported that, during a period where the EU gave $1Bn in aid to Ukraine, $34Bn was paid to Russia for oll/gas.
We’re witnessing one of those defining moments in history. Like the Twin Towers (9-11) , or the Berlin Wall coming down.
Unwitting participants are being shoved into the spotlight of history.
Patriotic proud, brave, angry and most likely scared Ukrainians respond to the ‘call to arms’.
From day 1, the president, Volodymyr Zelensky (previously a TV comedian) has led by example
– staying in the capital, appealing to the watching world to help Ukraine and fight for democracy
– seems to be absolutely the right man at the right time.
These recent photos show him in Bucha (4apr), and the following day, addressing the UN Security Council. The video he released yesterday (8may) for the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation for those who fought and defeated Nazi Germany is one of the most powerful and emotive speeches I can recall.
As quickly as the Russians invaded from the North and East, large numbers of Ukrainians left their homes and headed west seeking safety and sanctuary.
Except for those that didn’t.
With their homeland and families threatened, the Ukrainians dug themselves in and prepared to fight.
Reserves were mobilised, and all men (aged 18-60) were ordered to stay and defend the country.
The Kremlins apparent expectation was that an isolated Ukraine, being outside of NATO, would be an easy territory to annexe. Simples.
WRONG!
Like the Borg (in Star Trek), the evil empire’s attempt to assimilate the independent, democratic free-thinking people came up against spirited, determined Ukrainian defiance galvanised by the man of the moment, their own Captain Kirk – Zelensky.
The Ukrainian resistance to the Red Army has been fierce and appears to be effective in slowing up the advance. The David & Goliath-ness of the situation is compelling. We all hope they can maintain this until reinforcements of whatever shape/form can ride to the rescue.
Where’s the 7th Cavalry comin’ over the hill, or the charge of the Light Brigade?
Most of this blog, including that last bit, was written within the first fortnight of the war. Since then, the Russians have changed tack, and the early advance towards Kyiv from the North has fizzled out. (the blue bits show where Ukraine has re-taken ground) The maps (below) show which bits of the country the Russians occupy. The Donbas area in the south east corner has been the focus more recently. A widening strip of territory along the coast linking the illegally occupied Crimea to the Russian border, has been seized. In the middle of this is Mariupol. History will see this as a metaphor for heroic resistance like the Alamo, or like Aleppo in Syria, as a 21st century Stalingrad – surrounded and besieged for weeks by the Red Army.
There have been instances of heroic bravery, insolent humour, and downright legendary stoopidity.
Top of the list for me:
– (28feb) the Zmiinyi (Snake Island) defenders; telling a Russian warship to “go F*** yourself”, rather than surrender their position. Sitting comfortably in all of the above categories, their tale will live on for generations.
Arnie, Bruce, Clint, or even big John Wayne couldn’t have delivered that line any better.
And it does get better, as the warship in question (the Vasily Bykov) was later destroyed.
In Russia too, there have been brave Muscovites protesting (& getting arrested)
14mar: Marina Ovsyannikova appeared on State TV behind the newsreader in an effort to highlight the war to Russian viewers who are being fed a different narrative.- or as we call them, LIES. The state sponsored propaganda relating to the ‘special military operation’ has deviated from the truth from day one.
– Mar2 – Yelena Osipova, 77, was arrested in St.Petersburg while protesting against the illegal invasion of Ukraine. The little old lady was ‘escorted’ away from the cameras by eight (yes, 8) large policemen in riot gear – presumably the state had identified her as a threat to its security, and was exercising a defensive policy of an appropriate level. Babushkas are troublesome.
We salute you all, and hope that you get through this safely.
Motorway signs in Ukraine welcome the invaders with the message, ‘РУССКИЙ КОРАБЛЬ ИДИ НАХУЙ’ . This translates as, ‘Russian ship, go f**k’ …oh, that sounds familiar
Other instances of morale uplifting would have to include these musicians waiting in Odessa (early March) for the Russians to attack.
‘Don’t worry, be happy!’ they play with a jazzy insouciance. (“ooh, that’s a nice word” said Mrs.P, enviously, from behind her tripe-writer.)
Like the band on the Titanic, they’re doing what they can to lighten a grim situation. Gallows humour.
If you like your resistance music to have a bit more of a clash, try some Beton – ‘Kyiv Calling’.
Then there’s ‘Bayraktar’, the Turkish built drone which has it’s own folk song. Like Scottish bagpipes, this ‘drone’ has been highly effective in putting fear into opponents.
So, with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance – I have a plan. A cunning and low-budget plan – like a fox driving an Imp, maybe. (I would’ve suggested a Skoda but they’ve gone all posh these days)
My Plan – Option #1:
If Putin’s the hard man he claims to be, why doesn’t he just go ‘mano e mano’ with the mayor of Kyiv – Vitali Klitschko.
Winner takes all. ‘Putin v Klitschko’ – folk’s would pay to see that.
Plus it’d save a lot of time, and lives
For the record, Klitschko has a 55-3-0 record as World Heavyweight Boxing Champion (ie. he’s got form)
Here he is in 2001, having retained his title against Hasim Rahman
More recently (19mar), he’s been out doing mayoral/military stuff – inspecting defensive trenches around Kyiv.
Personally, I think the posturing President is just putln’ on a brave face
It’s more likely though, (given his track record) that the small dick-tator would be happier to take on a ‘softer’ target.
Someone like … Peter Griffin (from Family Guy) perhaps. This match would be entertaining, if a little less one-sided. Although the Rhode-Island Rambo shouldn’t be underestimated.
With echoes of the Spanish Civil War over 80 years ago, an ‘international brigade’ of sorts has headed East to defend the democratic freedoms of Ukraine. Ex-military personnel from across the globe have joined the reservists, and regular army to hold-up and push-back the increasingly demoralised Russian conscripts.
Aid (military & humanitarian) has flooded in from across the globe. Staggering, eye-watering amounts of stuff, to help the defenders and the refugees. Even the Vatican has chipped in, sending a couple of cardinals (probably highly trained, laser guided ninjas) The cost of failure, would be higher though – with the increasing probability of further invasions, annexations, and the suppression of democracies and hard won freedoms.
The UK Prime Minister Boris – always good for a bizarre quote that he thinks we won’t remember come election time (remember Peppa Pig World., no lockdown rules broken, the £350m/wk for NHS Brexit bus, no to Indyref2, etc…?) well, he did actually come out with a nice analogy in a recent speech on the war in Ukraine suggesting that further Western supplies of military equipment would strengthen ‘the quills of the Ukrainian porcupine to make it indigestible to the Russian invaders.‘ Nice imagery, I like that. Pity there aren’t any actual wild porcupines in Ukraine. More porky pies, than porcupines eh, Boris?
And, to paraphrase a previous UK leader, Churchill – ‘an Ironic Curtain is falling across Europe again’
I thought of that after I saw a Facebook post about some genius reversing his truck into the Russian Embassy gates in Dublin. Apparently the Russian response couldn’t have been any more ironic unless Alanis Morisette had sung it. Have a look at this… WOW, touchy, talk about double standards!
Orwellian double-speak on Orwell Road – (although there are plans to rename it ‘Independent Ukraine Road’- just to irritate the Reds )
Step forward said genius, the hero-of-the-hour, Desmond Wisely, who’ll never have to put his hand in his pocket to buy a Guiness again…ever . ‘Na zdorov’ya Des!’
Moving on, a worrying musical thought. Maybe Putin is a closet Beatles fan and long-term he simply wants to get all the recently independent, former soviet republics … ‘Back in the USSR!!’
On the surface, this ludicrous scenario sounds a bit like Mel Brooks (1983 film remake of ‘To be or not to be’) with dictator Hitler stating,”… all I want is peace, … a little piece of Poland, a little piece of France…”.[link]
But if you substitute Putins expressed desire for ‘peace’ in the Donbas/Luhansk territories into the above song, then the picture looks bleak. Also, don’t forget, he’s had his tanks parked in Crimea since 2014 (see my previous scribblings on this topic).
I prefer to look at another Mel Brooks film, ‘The Producers’, where the groovy Hitler character of Lorenzo Saint-Dubois (aka LSD) provides a more hopeful soundtrack – ‘..if everyone had a flower instead of a gun there would be no war.
‘That’s cool, man, hold that thought’ 
– – – – –
Since the end of WW2, Russia has mounted ‘special operations’ every 12yrs (or so).- Hungary ’56, Czechoslovakia ’68, Afghanistan ’79. Through the 80’s, glasnost & perestroika prevailed until the old soviet empire fragmented into the multiple independent states that have enjoyed 30 years of democratic freedom and happiness until now.
Now, the Russian bear of old has woken up. Bad tempered, stubborn & belligerent. It seems to be suffering from a perestroika hangover, and looking for a brawl.
This bad news bear is giving the rest of us bears a bad name.
In the event that Option #1 (humour), fails to resolve the conflict then the more conventional alternative should be tried.
Option #2: Boots on Ground
I can understand the reluctance of NATO states to avoid direct conflict, and an escalation of the fighting. (the threat of chemical, biological, nuclear weapons)
But, why hasn’t the UN put peacekeepers into Ukraine? There must be enough non-NATO/non-western aligned countries who could provide troops – from Sth.America, Africa, Asia, maybe?
The failure of the world to react to the Russian invasion of Crimea has encouraged Putin to come back for another bit. While ‘the West’ tries to abide by the accepted rules of war, and tries not to start one. Putin has made up his own rules, and ‘the West’ needs to acknowledge the reality that the war has actually started.
Post-soviet collapse, in the 1990s, (as part of the global reduction program) the nuclear missiles on Ukrainian soil were removed, and Ukraine didn’t join NATO to avoid ‘annoying’ Russia. Consequently, as a non-member, it hasn’t been able to receive military support. As such, it made itself appear to be a softer military target and therefore easier to annexe.
As part of the process in removing the nuclear weapons, Ukraine signed the ‘Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances’ on 5 December 1994 to provide security assurances relating to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The memorandum specifically prohibits the Russian Federation, the UK and the USofA from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus & Kazakhstan. As a result of this and other agreements, those 3 countries gave up their nuclear weapons..
At that time Ukraine had the world’s third-largest nuclear weapons stockpile, on its territory, but they were under Russian control. (Not unlike Scotland – with Trident subs based in Faslane, on the Clyde 400 miles from PM Boris’s big red launch button)
Russia, US and UK confirmed their recognition of Ukraine signing the NPT and that they agreed to the following:
• Respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignty in the existing borders.
• Refrain from the threat or the use of force against Ukraine.
• Refrain from using economic pressure on Ukraine to influence their politics.
• Seek immediate (UN) Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine if they “should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used”.
Forget about a coach and horses, the Russians have driven T72 tanks & a host of armoured vehicles straight through the treaty.
Surely, the breaching of the treaty conditions should allow the international community (ie. the UN) to intervene directly.
If not, it’s not worth the paper it was written on. If there are no consequences, what’s the point? as any/all international treaties/accords will be ignored.
I noted my thoughts at that time of the invasion ‘.. at what point would/could UN peacekeepers be sent in to patrol the ground, and keep the two sides apart?’
Two months on, and I still don’t understand why they’re not there. Surely, breaking the terms of the Budapest (NPT) treaty is reason enough.
Then there’s the Minsk Protocol – it sounds like a Jason Bourne movie, but reads more like John le Carré was involved in the drafting process. Again, this treaty was intended to secure peace in the disputed Donbas, between Ukraine & the (Russian backed) separatist states, but again breaches of the agreement, and external interference by Russia. Very complicated, very broken.
In addition, despite the Russian propaganda, the targeting (indiscriminately or deliberately) of civilians is a war crime and a reason to intervene or to attempt some form of peacekeeping. The Russians have bombed maternity hospitals, residential areas, even supposedly ‘safe’ humanitarian corridors.
Mention of indiscriminate (see above) shelling & missile attacks targeting civilian areas
– this guy had a lucky escape, as a tram explodes nearby
– the Tram was obviously a legitimate military target, threatening the security of the erm….ok, I give in, why target a tram*?
The problem has been that Russia opposes Ukraine joining NATO – which Ukraine hasn’t actually done. So where’s the problem there Vlad?
Putin has also warned other neighbours, Finland and Sweden that they will face ‘military and political consequences’ if they join NATO – this is the same threat used against Ukraine.
Caught between a bloc and a nut-case. If they don’t join, they’ll most likely follow Ukraine, be seen as ‘soft’, and be invaded. If they do join, Putin will get angry, and they’ll be invaded.
Current opinions suggest Russia’s recent aggressive actions have tipped the balance, and that both countries will sign-up in the next couple of months. Way to go Vlad, good result.
The press clampdown and state censorship of the news in Russia, and the duplicitous dialogue from the implacable Foreign Sec. Lavrov are straight out of George Orwells 1984 or Animal Farm – twisting facts/misinformation/and outright lies to the world., Lavrov could out stare Rishi Sunak in a blink-off contest, and without hesitation, would argue the world was flat.. and all the flat bits belonged to the heroically peace-loving Russians …to drive their tanks on. Doubleplusungood
I’ve mentioned the denial of rights and freedoms in previous blogs, like the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris back in 2015. In Russia today, freedom of speech in conversations relating to the war in Ukraine comes with a potential 15yr jail term – so those brave Russkis who’ve taken a stand to question Putins aggression deserve our support too.
That’s where Woytek comes in. (see image/share image) 
Invoking the spirit of Woytek , (the Syrian Bear enlisted into the Polish army during WW2, and who ended his days in Scotland)
– ‘Я Войтек’ (I’m Woytek) replaces ‘Je suis Charlie’ as the expression of solidarity, and the unifying slogan of free speech for the current crisis. The image has been adapted from the emblem of his regiment, the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish Army
– Bears are stubbornly resilient, relentless and ornery critters when provoked – ditto Ukraine
It has been great to see how ‘ordinary’ people around the world have responded. The unbelievable scale of compassionate humanity to help others is reassuring at a time when military options are still being exercised, and diplomatic efforts stall..
I mentioned that large numbers of civilians had left homes in the East. To date (3may) the number of refugees who have fled the country is 5,597,483 (source UNHCR).
Endless queues of refugees arrive at border crossings seeking sanctuary.
The awesome (& almost immediate) acceptance of millions of refugees by the neighbours on the other side of the country has just been immense. Poland in particular has taken in 2 million. ..no, wait…it’s now 3,056,826! (source UNHCR 1may22)
The UK government approach, in contrast appears designed to make life difficult, awkward and unnecessarily bureaucratic for those Ukranians trying to reach families and safety on this island.
– ‘Sorry Mrs.Mikhailova, but if you could just nip home, then come back with your passport, and your last 3-months council tax/utility bills, you can apply for an appointment to discuss your application’
There’s nothing pretty about the UK Foreign Sec, like one of her predecessors (Theresa May) she demonstrates the grudgingly lukewarm (un)welcoming face of this government.
In the first few weeks of the war, it’s been harder to pinpoint the UK VISA application centre than a column of T90 tanks
By un-helpfully moving the VISA application centres from Brussels to Calais to Paris, the system seems designed to dissuade any amateur (or casual) refugee applying. This approach must have been devised to ensure that the UK only gets the ‘right’ kind of refugees. Ones with determination, correct paperwork, map-reading skills and enough fuel to try and keep up with this moving target. I believe the current location (at the time of writing) is now in Arras (Northern France). – my great uncle was there in 1917. (still is actually)
Disappointing to think that, in 100 years, the world hasn’t really learned much, or moved on from conflict.
Since (14mar) though, with visas finally being issued, people in Scotland (& UK) are now able to offer space in their homes to accommodate refugees (@22mar – 120K had registered to do so.)
Latest (12may) figures show that, of 132,900 Ukraine Scheme applications, 102,300 visas had been issued and 46,100 refugees with visas had entered the UK.
In Scotland, people have rallied to show solidarity with Ukrainians 
– demo/vigil in Edinburgh
– collecting food, money, clothing, blankets, medicine.
– volunteers have headed East into the danger zone to help in whatever capacity.
Locally, here in Perthshire, it’s the same story. On GMTV (8am,15mar) a report featured a kilted bunch from Perthshire, who took a pizza oven to the Polish/Ukraine border at Medyka and were handing out 1000 meals a day.
Also in Perthshire, Tayside & Strathearn Help for Ukraine is working with a number of organisations/charities (Polish Scouts Assoc., Siobhan’s Trust) to co-ordinate/organise practical support for affected Ukrainians. In a large warehouse in Errol (courtesy of Morris Leslie) volunteers collect, sort, pack donations and load trucks bound for Poland & Ukraine. To date (5may), they’ve sent 13 lorries with 220 tonnes of supplies.
– & Knockhill Racing Circuit donated an ambulance.
Last month (20apr) a Concert for Ukraine took place in the Concert Hall with Scottish (& Ukrainian) musicians supporting the cause and raising awareness and funds on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
– I have to include a wee story I saw on the Dundee Courier website concerning an older lady who went to Tesco last Thursday to buy food.
She filled a trolley and then asked for a discount at the checkout – as it was for Ukraine.
They didn’t give her a discount, ….they gave her it for free.
And…, the supervisor even drove to Errol, and delivered it with her.
Well done chaps and chap-esses!
We gathered some clothing to donate, but the collection point is currently closed (too much stuff apparently). Maybe in 2 weeks time.
This all reminds me of the surge of kindness and niceosity that abounded at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The generosity of folks to help maintain the spirits & well-being of their neighbours. Humanity at its best.
Like many places across the world, Perth shows its solidarity with Ukraine with the national colours, blue and yellow evident
While the majority of us can’t drop everything and drive off to help at the front line, we applaud those who can.
For any number of reasons (health, space, facilities) we may not all be able to offer shelter to the refugees that get through the UK immigration red-tape and actually reach this country.
The ‘I’m-alright-Jack’ Brexiteers, (see prev blogs) who wanted to pull up the gangways to this island, should recognise and appreciate that we have a moral duty to help our neighbours in their time of need.
They don’t want to stay permanently and put down roots, but for the moment, they need somewhere safe to shelter from the rain of terror back home. A no-fly-zone umbrella would be nice
We need to absorb some of the exodus and take some of the burden from Poland – which is bursting at the seams, and others.
Anyway, coming back to where we came in… ‘Neighbours’ and TV
On UK-raining TV tonight, at 5.45pm the weather forecast – (this seems to have gone Ukrainian)
‘.. a miserable cold front is moving in from the North & East..’ 
At 6pm we have our daily visit to Вулиця Рамзі (Ramsay Street) to see what those pesky Russian neighbours are up to today.,
… and later tonight at 8pm, we have the Russian satire Соседи из ада (Neighbours from Hell) to see what those pesky Russkis next door are up to today.
..finally, on a more uplifting (& musical) note.
If you haven’t already seen this, you’ll be in tears.
If you have seen this already, you’ll still cry.
This is beautiful – pure and simple
This is why Putin and the Russian aggression can’t win (and can’t be allowed to win)
This is Amelia Anisovych.
For the record, my own neighbours are nice old ladies, & I try to do my bit by maintaining our shared borders. Besides, as I said earlier, Babushkas can be troublesome if you cross them.
14may22: BREAKING NEWS ++++ BREAKING NEWS ++++ UKRAINE WINS EUROVISION 2022
Kalush Orchestra win with song ‘Stefania’
Paul R Bear 