THE URAINIAN CONNECTION

MONDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

  Peter was up early as he had to go for a blood test.  I get up after he returned just before 9.00am, and I then took Truffles for a walk in the park.  It was another truly gorgeous day weatherwise, and all was well with the world.

Even Truffles agrees!
  After returning home I left the dog behind and ventured out to the photographic shop and got new passport and ID card photos taken, at least here they know exactly how you need to pose for them.  Upon my return I was informed that Peter had arranged to meet his Ukrainian friend Ostap Stachiv at Blikle's in Nowy Swiat for lunch. He had driven up from Lwow, along with a Polish lady (whose name neither of us caught) from the States, whom Peter had put in contact with the lawyer Forystek regarding a claim for property she is making in Poland. All three of us (including Truffs) caught a cab and arrived at the rendezvous first.  I had cream of pea soup, a plate of assorted cheeses and meats with bread and butter culminating with a walnut torte and coffee, oh and I forgot, two large Tyskie! 

Our Polish lady wanted to visit her father's grave in Warsaw which was in the general direction of Peter's house, so he wangled us a lift home on the pretext that it was easier to give directions from his house than from the town centre.  On the way we learnt that the lady had lost her 22 year-old son in a car accident, and that Forystek had told her that her case would take 3 -5 years to resolve, which seemed to her inordinately long.  I cheered her up by telling her that our cases were ongoing for 7 years and still not resolved, next year being the earliest possible that something might come of them.  She asked Peter if he could keep the pressure up on the lawyer - a somewhat optimistic request.  The pair popped  into the house to look at the pictures of Swirz in Peter's possession, as they had both visited the place.  However time was pressing as the cemetry closes at sundown and it was approaching 5.00pm by this time.