Connecting

A frozen canal

 When the temperature stubbornly stays below zero it is hard to imagine that it might be warm elsewhere. I get FB pictures of people in sunny places - lucky them! My friend Sophie has set off for Barbados in search of sun this week - lucky her! Meanwhile in my part of the UK, the weather promises to be warmer from today onwards but with Storm Isha hitting tonight with 80mph winds and potential floods AGAIN it seems like we are jumping out of the frying pan - except that is a hot metaphor.

Sammi has moved into a shared flat in Brighton this week too. As his guarantor, I had to jump through hoops to convince a chatbot that I could pay his rent if he defaulted - errr. He moved in on Monday in freezing weather; but amidst water and electrical problems,  the boiler was also kaput. When I last spoke to him, he was using Lucky - the dog - as his personal heater. 

The swimming pool has been wonderfully warm and while I have felt a wimp and not done tennis, I have been swimming. Sunday looked good for tennis but my heel has suddenly developed a lump and has told me not to chance it. This twinge is probably a small protest that my body wants to rest. The wimpier side of me is OK with not being cold so it is a win-win.

The weather hasn't deterred the thousands who go out to protest the genocide that Israel is perpetrating on Palestinians. I am proud that I live in a country where people can stand shoulder to shoulder in the streets for what they believe in. This war is a horror that I see no good end to. I just want to remind Israel that Hamas is not all Palestinians and there is no Hamas in the West Bank so what is the excuse for killing Palestinians there too.

Nataliia in Brackley

As you know, I have been looking after a couple of Ukranians since last March and this week, I popped to Luton Airport to pick up Nataliia's sister as she has now come to the UK. Nataliia is about to have a baby so she really wanted to have extra support. I asked Ira, Nataliia's sister, how dangerous it is in Odessa. She surprised me. She said it is normal. You get used to the bombs. I realise how I get used to hearing the  rising death tolls and mention of the many conflicts that don't affect me directly. 

We went over to Brackley to meet Nataliia and Nicholas in their emergency housing. They have turned it into a welcoming home. At least the world is a happier place for them. Brackley, by the way, is a lovely part of England to feel safe in.

A trip to Rugby

I also popped up to Rugby this week to meet up with friends from Singapore who I last saw in Damascus in 2009. Lynne and Johnny came back to the UK around the same time I did. We had talked about getting together and it took quite some months to get round to it. When we met, I think it was as if we had not had those intervening years. It was lovely making connections after all that time. Natalie, Lynne's daughter, was at UWC with Laura was also there with her beautiful little girl, Bella. How small our world is?

So across the world, chatting with Pat in The Bahamas, friends in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia and seeing people face to face; it really is a joy connecting. Close to home, my beautiful grand daughter has just turned 3. We share a bond and that too is full of love.