A Ukrainian Christmas

 'Tis the season to be reading and jolly and so on. First, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope Santa has been generous to you. He has been with me, often thanks to my wife's sudden urge to be excessive this year. Anyway, I found this book in the local bookshop and had decided to behave and not buy it. But I of course put it on my Christmas list. So I got it and it is tonight's read. The Ukrainian people has suffered a lot in recent (and not so recent) years, I know they contributed a good deal to our Christmas traditions, I am eager to learn more about it. Hopefully I will be able to tell you more about it next year. Until then, Merry Christmas again my dear readers.

Ukrainian Voices

Two days ago, I was walking to Wolfie's school to pick him up and I heard a woman and her daughter speaking to each other. I think they were Ukrainian, it sounded Eastern European in any case. If I am not mistaken, they were the same Ukrainians we saw back in June. Apparently, Wolfie's school has a few pupils who are Ukrainian refugees, but we haven't been interacting with the families as of yet. One day, their voices might become familiar to us and Wolfie might become friend with some of them. But right now, knowingwhy they are here, their presence still seems a bit surreal.

Ukrainian Sighting?

Last Friday, when we were doing to school run, my wife and I may have sighted for the first time Ukrainian refugees. We are not sure, but my gut feeling was that it was indeed the case. So we were walking to pick up Wolfie from school when we crossed a mother and what I assumed were her two daughters. They were all blonde and the girls were of school age, one must have been ten, the other a bit younger, but were not wearing school uniforms. They were speaking a foreign language that sounded Eastern European. It struck me of how similar they looked, yet so different in a way. It is difficult to explain why. I smiled, but did not say a word. Maybe I should have said hi or good afternoon or something. I think I should maybe have been more welcoming. But maybe they didn't want to be bothered. Anyway, not sure what to think of it, but it felt surreal.

Maya And Her Friends

Sometimes I go for the bookshop and just buy books for the heck of it. Because I hoard books as a general principle. Or adopt them, so to speak. But I do sometimes feel compelled to buy and read a book I see for ethical or moral reasons. This is what happened when I saw Maya And Her Friends on the local bookshop. I bought it right away. Read it the very next morning with Wolfie. As you can see from the cover, all publishers profits are donated to charities helping Ukrainian children. But it is a very touching book in its own right. In fact, my eyes were watery reading it.

Drinking beer for Ukraine

As you may know, I love the products of Rebellion Beer, the brewery from Marlow. Their products are sold everywhere down in the South East. Well, they have a beer of the month and they have rechristened their beer for May Solidarity. In honour of and, well, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. For every pint sold, 10p are given to charity to help them. So when you drink this beer, you are literally drink for Ukraine. Which I did a few times already.

Hey Hey Rise Up

Big news in the musical world: Pink Floyd,which is incidentally my favourite rock band, has reunited after 28 years to compose a song to support Ukraine. Sure, it will not change everything, in the great scheme of things. And sure, this is not The Dark Side of the Moon or Wish You Were Here. That said... Hell yes!

Ukrainian Bookmark

Today when we went to take Wolfie from school, there was a table selling cakes for charity, to help Ukraine. Cakes and also handmade bookmarks with the colours of Ukraine. I bought cakes for Wolfie and a bookmark for, well, for the family I guess. We never have enough bookmarks in this household, they tend to disappear. And I kind of officiously collect them.  It's an obsession I share with my son. Be that as it may, it's also for a good cause, and we cannot send enough to Ukraine at the moment. It also looks lovely.

Le prix d'une conscience

Bon je ne veux déprimer personne sur la guerre en Ukraine et sur l'agression russe, mais j'ai lu cet article d'opinion dans la grosse Presse, intitulé L'Occident doit intervenir militairement. Par Rémi Landry, lieutenant-colonel des Forces armées canadiennes à la retraite. Rien que ça. Sans dire qu'il a raison (je ne suis vraiment pas un expert), je trouve que ses arguments ont de la valeur. Et il y a une voix désagréable qui me dit qu'on ne va pas toujours en guerre quand on le veut, quand on est prêt, quand c'est le moment opportun. Parfois on doit le faire. Même si les conséquences peuvent être catastrophiques. Il suffit que l'alternative soit pire encore. Et c'est ça qui m'a agacé avec le texte: sans trouver ses arguments infaillibles, ils sont quand même très solides. Des fois, le prix d'une conscience peut être très élevé. Phoque.

War and a Prima Donna

In the turmoil surrounding the Russian invasionn of Ukraine, you might have not noticed this piece of news. It took me a while to comment on it, but I thought it was important that I do, being an opera afficionado. Anyway, so Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will not be performing for the Metropolitan Opera because of her refusal to condemn her country's actions. From what I understand, she will not be performing for the time being. And I don't know what you think of it, but I'm glad and I think the Met took the right decision. I know of Netrebko's status in the operatic world, but I have not been following her career and she is not my favourite soprano. In fact, she'd ranks fairly low on my list, if I had a list. Something about her voice. But whatever her skills as an artist, I never liked how in the past she showed no reservation about backing up Putin as if she was a friend of his regime. I know it is difficult for an artist to be the citizen of a country ran by a despot, I know Putin is not the kind of person you want to cross. But she could have been discreet in the past instead of showing support for his warmongering. She did not. Also, her post on Facebook regarding the whole affair, trying to dismiss it as personal political opinions that should remain private, was nothing short of disgusting. She came off very much like the prima donna she is. Arrogant, capricious, self-entitled and self-centered. She may be a great artist, but she proved to be a very small person.

Badass Baritone

I found this video online recently and I wished to share it. It is Ukranian opera singer Yuriy Yurchuk singing his country's national anthem. Nothing left to say, except that the Badass Baritone is not only a trope in fiction, it's a reality.

One word about Ukraine

So Putin and Russia are at war with Ukraine. I am not a specialist of international relations, war or geopolitics anywhere, let alone in that oart of the world. And I try to keep this blog cheerful and positive as much as I can. But yes, I try to follow the news, although it depresses me. And it can strike pretty close to home, in a way: one of my colleagues is Polish and now living in Poland and I know they are very worried that the conflict may end up touching them. As in: they might have to make a run for it. She already packed one suitcase of essentials. Absolutely chilling.