Krakow to Odesa...

...over 3 days. Yesterday I flew from Spain to Krakow, and collected the Audi I'm driving to Odesa, thanks to our American friends. 'She' is called Adriana and is quite old - even has a tape deck - but drives very nicely. Tomasz and I almost filled Adriana with some good quality women's and children's coats, plus some candles, toys and cans of diesel. I stayed the night with other good friends, outside Krakow, and set off at 6am to get to the border before there was much of a queue.
The large car in front of me, in the border queue, had UK number plates and was clearly carrying aid. So, during the wait, I went over to talk to the driver and we exchanged experiences. In his spare time, he and his work colleague have been transporting trucks and SUV-type vehicles to the frontline, since the beginning of the full invasion. It's always amazing who you meet on the road.

It was a long drive, with heavy traffic from Lviv onwards. I arrived in Ternopil at 4:30pm. Yaroslav and I managed to cram some more aid into Adriana.  Thanks to Liudmila for organising it and to the Penparcau Hub, Aberystwyth, Wales, for children's craft activities, soft toys, hand-knitted baby hats, blankets, etc.


When I arrived at Yaroslav's house he was in the thick (literally !) of making tomato juice - a lot of it! Because tomatoes, now, are the equivalent of 13p per kg. He also adds sweet peppers, chilli peppers, apples and garlic.

This is the result, so far...

...until the mixing machine broke down! Yaroslav has been out and about, eventually managing to borrow one.
I asked, "Why are the jars upside down?" It's so that you can tell if any of the jars are leaking, and therefore not good for keeping over the winter - ingenious, really.
It's now 9pm, and he's still juicing and boiling - it looks as though he could be at it until midnight!

There have been some changes in the 4 - 5 weeks since I left Ukraine. The southern part of the country seems to be getting more dangerous - relentless, brutal shelling of Kherson and the region; last night another missile attack on Odesa, damaging grain stores and city infrastructure, and injuring one. Bob said that the apartment was shaken by one of the blasts and debris hit the building.

There will also be changes in my relationship with Bob, which we need to discuss  when I'm back in Odesa.

It's quite a daunting trip for me, driving on my own over the border, then across Ukraine, and I'm proud to have got so far. It's good to be back in Ukraine, despite the ongoing conflict and other difficulties. There is still summery sunshine, although autumn is not far off. The sunflowers have withered on their stalks and the fields are brown - still very beautiful...


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