Six a.m.
A dawn chorus drifts over the Nam Ou river from the steep banks on the other side. In the village behind us, several cockerels compete to rouse the neighbourhood. A thick mist shrouds the surrounding mountains and a couple of fishermen cast their nets into the still, green waters.
Occasional rumbles of thunder carry a sense of foreboding. And then it is upon us: the skies grow dark again, the wind whips up waves on the serene water, and the skies open. A tropical storm with all its fury.
In Ukraine, the rumble of Russian thunder may have moved away from Kyiv. But it has left a trail of horrific destruction. And the skies there haven’t cleared; the storm just moving East for a further onslaught.
