Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and a fabulous leafy city to wander around on a sunny day. Maidan Square, or Independence Square- is the city centre and also the focal point for collective identity in contemporary Ukraine. It was here that the 2014 ‘Revolution of Dignity’ that ousted former President Yanukovych began. Next to it, to our amusement, is the ‘Museum of Jellyfish’, which we, unfortunately, did not have time to visit. Khreshchatyk Street is the main street in Kiev, and it is quite  ...

I bought this fake Russian nesting doll on the streets of Prague in May 1998. It had a sweet face and the blue background had caught my eye. The folk-art flowers were very much in vogue back then. It was a gift for my Nanna, who was sitting in her little retirement home in South Australia perhaps wondering what on earth her ‘flippety gibberty’ granddaughter was up to next. I had come to Prague for the long weekend with J, when we were in our ‘courting’ phase. I had just finished a two-month  ...