6th March 2022

 When we returned to the UK in 2017, after 12 years in France, I thought that at last I could relax. With all its faults, England was a country I understood, so I looked forward to a future that would be peaceful and calm. But, no sooner had we reached Dover, the disaster rollercoaster was already running downhill fast. Brexit triggered a national meltdown, every FB post ridiculing the PM in cartoonish fashion. Then, just when the Brexit debacle reached its climax, along came the pandemic - costing the UK c.£250 billion! Pessimists like me, though, were reassured. As soon as the pandemic’s over, we’ll all be in a roaring-twenties mode to offset the years of misery.  I was just about to rummage in the attic for an age-old flapper dress, whilst Him indoors was relishing a return to prohibition-era spirits when, out of the blue, Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine. UK voters were now experiencing internal turmoil. No longer could they continue to parody the PM, ridiculously calling for his resignation for domestic faux-pas. We had a country to defend and our PM was standing strong on behalf of us all. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. We may have left the EU, but we can still learn what’s important in life from the French. Voila.