So today is Pancake Tuesday, the start of Lent, carnival in some parts of the world. Thirteen years ago I discovered that this meant burying the sardine in Vigo. That was possibly the warmest carnival I saw in that fair city. In other years it was a lot rainier and colder. 

Here’s a link to an article and some pictures of people’s favourite carnivals around the world.

Pancakes always seemed to me a much better idea than the strange confections sold in Spanish shops at this time of year: orejas, so called because they look like large ears, Roald Dahl’s BJG type ears, made from a sort of fried batter and sprinkled with sugar. No, pancakes, French style crèpes, are much better, better also than Yorkshire puddings, which are made from basically the same batter. For a short time, when my now 18 and 16 year-old grandchildren were still small enough to need taking to school, on days when their mother started work early they came and had breakfast at my house: pancakes! Followed by a game of tig around my kitchen table before going out to catch the bus. Happy days!

I doubt there are many happy days going on for families trying to flee Ukraine at the moment. Our government is still expressing great concern for such families but really not doing much to give them a place of actual safety. According to a group called Scientists for EU this is the current acceptance of Ukrainians by the UK situation:

“So the government’s definition of "family members” it is willing to save from war in Ukraine EXCLUDES:

- Adult children 

- Parents of adults

- Brothers and sisters,

- Grandparents

- Aunts and uncles

- Nieces and nephews”

Apparently  Priti Patel insists on strict rules and vetting and for Ukrainians coming to UK with the justification that Russians might sneak in pretending to be Ukrainians. Really? Is there truly a secret spy network trying to infiltrate our country via the refugee network?

It’s not even as if these are people who want to come here to stay forever. They really want to stay in there own place. Many have been “displaced”, as the BBC radio news has just put it, but remain in Ukraine. 

And now Ukraine is taking steps to apply for membership of the EU. Will we follow suit and try to rejoin?

But we’re all doing our bit. I hear that the animated meerkat characters, Alexandr Orlov and his sidekick Sergei, are no longer to be used in adverts, for the time being anyway, because they are Russian! There you go!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!