Shopping

An inevitable consequence of the arrival of Mrs. S. is my realization of how incompetent I am at organising a household, even if I am the only inhabitant of same. Thus the weekend saw several swoops on the Kyiv TSUM ('Central Universal Store') as a consequence of which I now know the Ukrainian for 'clingfilm','adhesive hooks', 'cushion covers', etc. A lot of money went into the pockets of the ladies running stalls in the amazing Bessarabsky Market, who obviously treble their prices as soon as they see anyone from Western Europe approaching. But the smoked fish, raisin cheesecake, aubergine salad and sheep's cheese were all absolutely top quality, albeit a British Tradings Standards Officer might quail to see the conditions in which they are sold.

The stallholders of Kyiv are by the way up in arms against the City Mayor, who, in an attempt to get control of all the city's kiosks, has torn up existing lease agreements and attempted to raise rents tenfold. The excuse - one of the weakest I have ever heard from a politician (and I have heard many) - is that he wants the town cleaned up before the Football Championships of 2012. The reality is probably that this is a desperate attempt to beef up the City budget. Following stormy demonstrations, he appears to have backed down for the present.