• The ‘Two Ukraines’

    If you walk down the long boulevard of Chernivetska Street from the grand Lviv Railway Station, you reach a chaotic roundabout. Avoiding the trams, cars, buses and motorbikes which duel at this intersection, a left turn will bring you onto busy Horodotska Street. If you head down the hill and follow this main thoroughfare far…

  • Yellow and Blue, Green and Gold

    At the Paris Olympic Games, four athletes stood side by side on the high jump mat. Their faces beaming, they held the flags of Ukraine and Australia in their outstretched hands.

  • ‘Would You Like Gloves With That?’, Ukraine

    ‘Would You Like Gloves With That?’, Ukraine

    Ukraine is a place where I experienced many things for the first time, including having my meal served with a pair of gloves.

  • For a Hard Earned Thirst, Ukraine

    For a Hard Earned Thirst, Ukraine

    When in Ukraine, a hard earned thirst needs a big, cold….kvass

  • One At a Time, Ukraine

    One At a Time, Ukraine

    Ukraine is now considered the most heavily mined nation on earth. Every day, teams of volunteer sappers go into the paddocks of Ukraine’s farmland to clear what the Russians left behind.

  • The kindness of strangers V, Ukraine

    The kindness of strangers V, Ukraine

    No matter how much the Ukrainians have lost, they still have the generosity to give.

  • Deadly harvest, Ukraine

    Deadly harvest, Ukraine

    Unlike the relatively safe and comfortable work of preparing, planting and harvesting in Australia, using a tractor in Ukraine is now a potentially lethal occupation

  • Mud and Memories, Ukraine

    Mud and Memories, Ukraine

    A household of older Ukrainians gave us a first-hand insight into the consequences of Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

  • Making Borsch, Ukraine

    Making Borsch, Ukraine

    What better way to get to know my new Ukrainian colleague than to prepare a traditional borsch together?

  • Memories, Hopes and Changes, Ukraine

    Memories, Hopes and Changes, Ukraine

    The city certainly had changed in the three months since I had last visited. There was still a big military presence, and explosions still rumbled, but It felt like the town was coming back to life. The Russians had beaten down the city, but had been unable to destroy its spirit.

Midlife Crisis Odyssey