Distraction

Celandine, violet, wood anemone, dog's mercury and  primrose have pleasanter associations than Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Kherson at the moment. Birds chirrup, the dog scurries off to check out the badger trails and  I observe spring doing its thing as always. 

One slightly cheering note: the young woman travel blogger who put my lost family manor on the internet replied to my email, thanking me for the contact and assuring me that she was 'safe for now'. and  'We all hope that this madness will stop soon.'
I couldn't agree more.