Raspberry Choux

I woke up at 5 and put the radio on.  I knew what I was going to hear and I wasn't wrong, the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  It is truly awful and I lay listening to the World Service as it morphed to Radio4 on rolling news.  I was in an atmosphere of dread.

Got up as usual just after 7 and it was heavy snow.  It was dinging down as I drove up to the pool and lying thick on the main road.  The upside is that the pool is really empty on mornings like this and I was alone by the time I ended my swim at 8.15.  A weak sun was up and the snow was shifting but it was cold.

I had to speak to #1 son. At times like this you have to be in contact with family and of course he is the family military expert.  He was in Ukraine on exercises a good few years ago so knows the terrain and we discussed tactics before moving on to other things.  He sent me the link to the New Straits Times article, the Malaysian Cabinet (a membership of 70) has finalised the date for the opening of the borders but they haven't shared it. As #1 son said, a pre announcement of a pre announcement of an announcement.

I felt more centred when I came off the phone.  Just as well as I then had to deal with Mum's care issues and her dentist appointments.  that took a number of calls to and fro to J.  Outside the snow kept coming, either blowing off the trees or falling from the sky. 

L and I were going for our postponed Christmas lunch.  It was so cold, never really warmed up all day and it kept snowing off and on as we sat in Petit Paris.  Good food as usual and a La Barantine Raspberry choux that was very yummy.  There were French rugby fans around too, getting geared up for Saturday.

Didn't do much once I got home.  Made 'bottom of the fridge veggie soup with lots of ginger and some red chili in it. We'll see how that turns out. 

Attempted two tasks that couldn't be finished. First a call to the Hive customer service centre in S Africa and a woman who was frankly rude and wouldn't listen to me.  I stayed polite (for once) and at the end she decided to escalate my problem.  Again it was a communication issue.  She didn't understand what I meant by 'off'.  Next an attempt to complete my tax return which seemed to be timed out by a service that then became unavailable.  

I'd watched the early evening News and then a romcom for middle aged divorced people - 'It's Complicated' with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.  It made me laugh out loud at times and laughing out loud is something we all need in these dark times.

How can this be happening?  I think that perhaps I feel so affected because it brings back the dread and fear that I felt when #1 son was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  It's the knowing there is nothing that you can do personally that is the most difficult thing to cope with.

Yes, dark times.