Non Bank Holiday

Another fine mild day for a bank holiday. Not that we can go anywhere. Clare's back pain hasn't abated so she needs to rest a lot in between gentle walks, and avoid lifting and physical exertion. At her request, I mowed the lawn, a chore she usually enjoys. Then I finished this week's Morning Prayer video upload and prepared tomorrow's funeral service before cooking lunch, 

The park was relatively quiet when I went out for a walk afterwards, except for four volleyball games side by side on the grass overlooking Penhill Road. Many families will have headed to a beach today. In the past week there's been a surge of bluebells in patches all around the unkempt periphery of the park and in the woodland patches. I also saw the first patches of wild garlic emerge in the undergrowth along the Taff. Spring is well established now, a little earlier than usual, I think. When I returned from my walk, I slept for an hour and a half yet again. I seem to be sleeping excessively, but at least I find the siesta refreshing, if time squandering.

The Russian military states that it launched three hundred missile attacks on critical infrastructure and Ukrainian cities today, a prelude to its offensive on the Donbass region. Five million Ukrainians are now said to have left the country, fleeing indiscriminate attacks on civilians in cities all over the country. As a result of economic sanctions, tens of thousands of people in Moscow have lost their jobs and it's possible that number could rise to two hundred thousand. How will Putin explain this away when impoverishment of the middle class elites generates unrest above and beyond what state security can cope with? In the meanwhile the genocidal assault on Ukraine will cost many thousands of lives before unrest in Moscow has any impact on current policy and strategy. It's heart-breaking.

I watched the last episode of NCIS season 18 tonight, with some tantalising indicators of changes in the storyline and personnel to come in season 19. I don't suppose this will appear on UK TV until the autumn, if not next year.