I ordered some magic tricks online from Alakazam in the UK and had the package sent to Kyiv. I got the box this week from the post office up the road, and I was so excited. For starters, you can get stuff sent to Kyiv and this is amazing to me. The war is not stopping the magic. Also, going to the post office this week was quite moving. The young guy there who I used to see at least once a month, from before the war, is still there, and he gave me such a big smile when he saw me enter the post office.

He looked excited to see me. Perhaps he thought he may never seen me again. Or anyone else for that matter. In the same week as I received this magic package many missiles struck different cities in Ukraine and there has been death and destruction again. The terrorism simply does not stop.

It is my birthday tomorrow so receiving this package from the UK this week was good timing. It was partly an experiment, to see if one can send stuff from abroad to Kyiv, and the answer is: yes you can. Yeah, life goes on here in Ukraine’s capital, but nothing is normal. How does one plan a future with so much uncertainty?

This week another member of our small film team, Jol, arrived in Kyiv from SA. It is his first time here and I am confident that he is having his imagination captured in a big way. Kyiv is a magical city.

This clip was taken at Respublika mall this week. It was good to see youngsters having some fun. It is very very hot again this week in Kyiv and being indoors at lunch time I guess is not the worst idea. All feels normal, and, well, good. Until the next air raid sirens go off …

Kyiv is very hot at the moment. I think most of Europe is boiling. But the heat in Ukraine is different. There is a war here, that Russia started, and while everything may seem normal nothing could be further from the truth.

We have been very busy this week, shooting footage in this magical city. Janine, from our small film team, captured this moment a few days ago. We have experienced a lot these past 7 days. Joy and pain, and sunshine and rain.

God bless Ukraine.

I am on a train again tomorrow from Wroclaw to Kyiv, via Przemysl. I am meeting our small film team there from SA who start to arrive from Sunday. We will be shooting in Kyiv for about 5 weeks for our documentary film project which is in very good shape. We are on track to finish the film by year end.

Here is a cool, new web site about Kyiv. Have a look : www.kyivandmore.com

Ukraine has a long and painful history and an inspired soul. Yes, Ukrainians love life and they are very proud of their identity and culture. This evil war brought on by Ukraine’s twisted neighour to the East is all about identity. Ukraine is not Russia. Ukraine has its own language, its own traditions and Ukrainians are all about progress and going forward. There is a desire to get closer to Europe and the West and the majority of the country believes in joining the EU.

I have been back at home now in Kyiv for the past three weeks and everything feels normal. The city is busy and buzzing and it is hard to believe that this evil war is still raging on. And it feels good, and, well, magical. Yes, there is something extraordinary going on here in Ukraine.

It is indeed like magic. It is not what anyone thought would ever happen. 

The media certainly got it all wrong. Everyone said that Kyiv would fall in three days, and then people went on about how Ukraine would freeze to death over the winter, and how there would be bandits and looting all over the place. Quite the opposite, actually.                                                                               

But of course, it is not normal at all. When the air raid sirens go off, then you know that nothing is the same. People are exhausted and traumatised and, yes, people are dying. Innocent people are being killed. The Russians bomb shopping malls, restaurants, residential buildings, hospitals, schools… It is pure evil.

I got back to Wroclaw yesterday. My time back home in Kyiv was good for the soul. Yes, of course, it’s not for everyone – there is a war that is raging on. But the spirit in Kyiv is intact and the city is packed. All feels “normal” and then drones and missiles attack and air raid sirens blare … and then nothing is normal. And the next day, life goes on, and the city continues to buzz.

The train ride from Kyiv to Wroclaw via the Polish border town of Przemyśl is intense. Not too uncomfortable, but very very long. And of course, being from South Africa I am always staying close to my luggage and never letting my laptop bag out of my site. Hard to try switch off and catch 40 winks when you are so wired. It is the South African way. We are well trained. And on this subject of crime, I heard an interesting story in Kyiv about the crime rate.

The crime rate in Ukraine is at all time low. Living in Kyiv I can’t say I was ever conscious about crime. In all my time in Kyiv I never heard of a robbery, mugging, hijacking, or anything bad. Coming from South Africa we know all about the crime rate, and we are very aware of our surroundings. So when I get told that Kyiv has never been safer I am thinking “Patriots ?”. Well, that too. But this was about criminal activity. With the war raging on the country is at a record low crime rate.

Of course, I was intrigued. And considering that the world’s commentators went on about how it would be like Mad Max in Ukraine with looting and riots … it’s actually quite the opposite. Everyone is kind in Ukraine and since the war, the kindness is greater than ever.

So why is the crime rate so low. The explanation I heard was funny but plausible. If someone steals my phone, say, and the cops catch the criminal, they just shoot them. No questions. No court date. No lawyers, No fines. Just, BAM – end of that criminal’s career. There is simply no time for crime. The police, for example, are worrying about a war, so if you do something wrong they just end you. Now I am sure this is not the case, but I think you get the message. If you do something wrong they throw the book at you. They are fighting a war – there is just no time for nonsense.

Next month I am on the lonnnnnnnnng train back to Kyiv. Meeting up with our small film team there for a film shoot. We are on the last stretch of our Ukraine film project. We are crafting an important story with purpose. All is good and on track. Something amazing is coming together. A story that will talk to people’s hearts and help drive a different conversation about Ukraine.