We stayed with Michael and Sue on their farm in Cornwall. They kindly put us up overnight as we were playing at their local folk club. Also staying were three visitors from Herne Bay and we had a lovely chat over breakfast – we had music and art in common, and, of course, Herne Bay as we had been there a few weeks back playing at Herne Bay Folk Festival. Then Sue and Michael joined us for a chat after we’d all finished eating. We got onto the subject of Ukraine as Michael’s father was Ukrainian. Like many other young men in his country, he had been trained by Germans to fight Russians. Consequently he was seen as an enemy when he came to the UK and put to work on the land. Michael brought out a beautiful old photograph of his Dad (his spitting image) with another man, both in waistcoats, jackets and ties working on the land, digging and shovelling what looked like turnips or swedes maybe, into a horse and cart. He met his wife in the UK and stayed here, working as an engineer. Michael is also an engineer, proud of the Ukraine people’s stance against Russian aggression and he was keen to show us the Ukraine crest etched into the window of the door of the croft that we stayed in.
Recently Sue tried to contact their relatives in Ukraine but could not find any record of family there with the same name – she later realised this was because she was searching in the English alphabet rather than Cyrillic. But some did turn up in Argentina and through them she managed to get in touch with Michael’s cousin in the Ukraine. They went over to visit, stayed with them and met other family members. None spoke English and they didn’t speak Ukrainian but they managed to communicate sufficiently. They are in the Western part of the country, have internet and mobile ‘phones but it’s a different way of life in many ways. Instead of cars, they use horse and cart for regular visits to the grave yards to clean and decorate the gravestones. Just part of their regular routine. They are well away from the areas of fighting at the moment but even so, drones have been seen over the village.
