Adrift in England...

It's been a week since we left Odesa. Bob has a feeling of being a boat without an anchor and, for both of us, England feels like an alien country. I think a piece of our hearts remains in Ukraine.
It's been really nice, however, to catch up with the little family living in our house: mother and 13-year-old son, from a village near Kharkiv. They went home over the school summer holidays to see if it felt safe enough to return, but it didn't. Their home is only 50 km from the frontline. So they returned to the peace and quiet (and the rain!) of Trawden.

We will continue to post at least a weekly blog, whilst we're having a rest and deciding on future plans. With the focus of the world's media now being on the terrible slaughter of civilians in Gaza and Israel, it seems even more important for us to keep a focus on the awful, ongoing conflict in Ukraine, in which civilians are also targeted and killed, daily.

It was nice to see, on a trip to Liverpool, these remnants of a march in support of Ukraine.

We have asked our friends in Kherson to give us updates of their situation. One says, "Hello. I'm fine. It's a bit warmer outside, but it's going to get chilly soon. I am waiting for the start of the heating season with binary feelings. On the one hand, it will be warmer, on the other hand, it will be expensive.
The shelling of the city continues, today [yesterday] it was hit by a ballistic missile. It seems to have caused no casualties, but time may tell...."

And another writes, "we are alive. It's very loud in the town and we hardly leave the house. It happens that we don’t go outside for 2-3 days." (Because of shelling)

But, in the midst of this darkness, the UNICEF centres in Kherson continue to prepare for Halloween. Inside, of course. We look forward to photos.

We've also been sent photos from the volunteer we have supported, who looks after abandoned dogs and cats in Kherson.

We are here, but we don't forget the adults and children who, every day, continue to suffer the shelling from the Russian invaders. May they be safe.

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