Just finished my day job at 5 pm and I’m straight on to getting this post up because quite honestly I have so many things to do tonight if I left it until later it just wouldn’t get done!

I am reading so many negative things, some very distressing stories about the “Cost of Living Crisis”, about people not being able to put the heating on, or if they do, then it is costing so much more than earlier on in the year that families just simply do NOT have the budget for it.

As we head into our first cold spell my heart goes out to those who are struggling and will have to do without any heating or those who don’t even have a roof over their heads. I have read today that many cities are opening emergency accommodation for rough sleepers as the weather turns colder. I’ve also read that “the number of people either new to rough sleeping or living on the streets in London rose 24% between June and September compared to the same period last year, meaning more than 3,600 people slept on the capital’s streets.” You can read this BBC article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63881426

And then I got to thinking how many people must have been homeless during the Blitz. This is what I read and I feel quite sick...

“2¼ million people were made homeless and 45,000 civilians lost their lives including 8000 children. There were 250 000 people displaced [from their homes] in the first six weeks of the Blitz, from September 1940. This figure rose to 1.4 million by June 1941 in London alone. One in every six Londoners.”.. You can read the rest here: https://www.1900s.org.uk/ww2-blitz-damage.htm

And then I thought about the war in Ukraine and how not only have millions been displaced and thousands homeless but those who still have a home may not have electricity, heating and water right now…

There are currently more than 7.7 million Ukrainian refugees displaced across Europe, almost 5 million have fled the country since the outbreak of war with Russia in February 2022. And within the country itself, “Data analysed by The Times found that more than 2,000 families with children and 900 individuals are now officially homeless, up from 800 last month. There are 2,985 Ukrainian households who have presented themselves as homeless to councils, the figures showed.”

Tonight I’ll be turning my heating on for a couple of hours, it might be less than I would have done last year BUT I have a home, I have warm clothes, hot water bottles, I’m loved and I am safe and I am very, very, grateful.

Much love to all, stay warm, take care, C xxxxx

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I’m publishing a video and an original leaflet to download on my website every day leading up to Christmas. These are the original pages from the Ministry of Food No.6 Vegetable Cookery circa 1944 during WW2 and you will also find the original pamphlet as a PDF on the link below.

Ministry of Food No. 6 Vegetable Cookery: CLICK HERE

C xxx