Monday 25th August, returned from the Greenbelt Festival. Will fill you in on this v.soon. with photos.

Thursday 14th August
No Rain in Spain
Rerurned from three weeks in Spain staying near Gibraltar – house swap with friends. The pool was great – swam practically every day. A notable visit was to Ronda in the mountains – a beautiful spot with stunning scenery. Temperatures at melting point - 37degrees.


Wednesday 18th July
The Odessa File
Returned from 2 Weeks in Odessa in the Ukraine with BBC World Service Trust. Stations under the thumb of corrupt politicians – stations closed, journalists intimidated and even assassinated. BBC there to lend training and legal support to emerging independent stations. The funding for stations low. $30 will buy you a prime-time spot on TV. Accommodation often poor. TV Ushni run out of a 4 bedroom flat where 40 people work. Another behind a pharmacy store and most bizarrely TV and Radio Glas – a leading station in Odessa - operates out of a roof space between the top floor and the bit that keeps the rain out.

The only guide book I could find reads, “The Ukraine is not for the meek” and then goes into the dark alleys of corruption followed by an account of the Chernobyl fiasco A telling line from the national anthem goes “Ukraine is not yet dead”

The people are great and very witty and on the whole an enjoyable experience.