Friday, December 23, 2022

Russia's terms for peace

 Russia has only one term for peace - capitulation. Otherwise they are quite prepared to keep letting their soldiers die on fields of battle that are already lost to them. They do not care about their own people - only Putin and his enablers have the right to life on their terms is how one would interpret the latest comments. Rise O Russia and rid yourselves of these leeches that suck out the riches of Russia for themselves and throw away the blood of her sons. The way forward for humankind is peace where everyone profits not the kind of peace that Russia dictates where they get everything that they want and desire which is basically Ukraine and does it end there? One wonders, where does it end? The world watched as the Soviet Union swallowed up Eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War. Why did we watch? The worst war in history had just been fought; millions lay dead and we were still fighting against Nazism but once it was quelled and the German people quickly realized that the Soviet Union was coming for them they surrendered in droves and the war ended. But the peace was crushed by an Iron Curtain that descended across Europe created by the Soviet Union. No one benefited from that - the Soviet Union became bankrupt and so we are where we are now - all the countries that freed themselves when the Soviet Union collapsed are in the firing line of Putin and his enablers. We must hold the line and prevent a breakout of Russia as they do not care about their own people; they are just cannon fodder to give Putin and his enablers as much as they can take. 

Yesterday I worked away on James Blake. He has intrigued me for a while partly because some people had him in Devon. I am not sure he was ever in Devon and he was too late to establish the Blake family there as there were Blake in Devon long before this James Blake was born. Sorting out these Blake families is truly an interesting task. Knowing one line (my father's) in Andover lets me separate out all the claims that were made about Blake families in that area and gradually one might be able to sort them all out (mostly by yDNA in truth) and build trees that truly link the various Blake families back to their ancient roots in the British Isles. Why do I do it? Curiosity I guess. My grandfather talked a lot about his Blake family - who they were but more often who they were not - his line was not related to Robert Blake, High Admiral of the British Fleet during the Commonwealth period. He did not believe his line was related to the Calne Blake family although he could have been mistaken on that in that I suspect that the wife of Richard Blake (Joane Blake) was a descendant of the Calne Blake family which would solve a mystery in the Andover family being related to the Calne Blake family but only on the female side. The Devon Blake family is a bit of a mystery not yet solved either although I have blogged a lot of their wills and those of the Blake family in Cornwall. I try not to make guesses as to how these lines might or might not be related. My suggestion that the Blake family of Cornwall was descendant of Blake members coming from Bretagne was not well received but the parish registers seem to indicate such a relationship. Only time will tell and I am hoping that someone else in the future finds the Blake lines equally interesting and pursues this study. One excellent happening is the marriage of Charles and Diana and their son William who will be King after his father. Diana was descendant of Thomas Blake of Andover and that line is fairly clear in the records and might generate more interest in Blake in the future. 

The storm rages about me today - the snow fell in the night and now it sounds like freezing rain and sleet. We are in for a tumultuous day for sure and the wind is just starting up. I shall watch all those large trees with a careful eye. The car is in the garage where it is semi-safe but there is a large fir tree that could take out the entire front of my house or be caught in the large tree in front if we are very lucky. Then of course there is my tree that could come down although the large branches which pointed towards the house have long ago been removed and it is heavy facing the street rather than the house. At the back the Black Walnut looms near and could do a job on the back of the house for sure. However, patience and good luck may prevail once again! We planted our maple tree way at the back and it is huge but the only damage it could do is to take out our fence - everyone is safe from that one!

My tea is so lovely in the morning and I am very nearly into the habit of drinking it every day; it takes a little while to build up a habit for sure. But on these cold winter days that hot green tea is very pleasant in the morning. 

The day before Christmas Eve day and we are ready for a quiet Christmas time. We do not need to go out at all before midweek next and so we will watch this storm from inside. The snow removal company will do its task and the city will clear the streets. God blesses us as always with our lives and our world. That peace may come once again to our world.

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