Investigative delight

I was awake at first light again and listening to the ever disturbing news from Ukraine. There's been no let up in the fighting, except for a few respites for civilians to leave cities in conflict zones. Mariupol is still besieged, much of the city razed to the ground. A maternity hospital was shelled causing many deaths of both adults and children, as happened previously with the Russian intervention in Syria on behalf of the Assad regime. Why Putin was not challenged more vigorously over its conduct at that time amazes me. Sure the Russians were fighting against the Islamic state like everyone else, but with their own agenda.

On the economic sanctions front line, Macdonalds has shut down its eight hundred fast food outlets in Russia following the lead taken by other western branded retailer. In Russia, two eminent musical conductors quit their jobs in protest at the war. Outside Russia, some musicians and sportsmen are finding themselves boycotted whether or not they've disassociated themselves from Putin's regime. Nothing encouraging to wake up to, a fortnight after this awful war began.

Ruth called for Clare after breakfast and they went swimming together in town. I went to the Eucharist at St Catherine's, taking the week's foodbank offering with me, as Clare had already done this week's grocery shopping. There were a dozen of us present, and most stayed for coffee afterwards. I fetched the veggie bag, and by the time I returned, Clare was home and finishing cooking lunch, which I'd started preparing before going out. Yet again I fell asleep for nearly two hours after lunch, making up for waking early. One way or another I need eight hours sleep in twenty four, and fortunately it's not too much of a disruption to get it whenever I can. When I was fully awake again, I went out for a few items of grocery we were still lacking, and then did a short circuit of the park.

I watched the last episode of Swedish crimmie 'Truth will out' after supper, then a wonderful interview given by the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu, and another edition the archaeology magazine programme of 'Digging for Britain'. All sorts of investigative programmes I find fascinating. Last night there was one in the 'Britain's Lost Masterpieces series with art historians Bendor Grosvenor and Emma Dabiri finding pictures of interest in obscure galleries or country houses about which little or nothing is known, and then doing the detective work to identify their origin. It certainly makes a change from crime scene investigations!