Escape to the Country(side): The War in Ukraine

Recently I thought I’d slipped into a sort of alternative reality. You see my local magazine – the one produced by inhabitants of my home village, for consumption by whomever wants to peer inside it’s shiny pages – slipped into my ‘in’ tray (the one attached to the door to stop the dogs from attacking whatever pops through the letterbox, that is). When I unfurled it, I was confronted by this image…

“You what?” I was heard to whine. And, upon opening the magazine at random, my confusion increased…

Then, having looked through the remainder of the pages, it dawned upon me: the Ukrainian flags that flutter throughout the village weren’t there merely to show support for that war-torn land: they’ve been hung there to make the families that have been invited to share our village feel at home. It made me feel good to see that women and children of Ukraine walk among us. Sadly their menfolk could not join them though: they are too busy fighting the Russians.

So, until the aforementioned enemy of the free world start flinging their nukes in our direction, welcome to our rural haven.