A perfect Ukrainian flag in the countryside

Yellow fields and blue sky. Back in Kyiv after a 500-km drive back from Ternopil – a reminder, if one were needed, that Ukraine is a large country (a bit bigger than France).  In five hours we see many horse-drawn carts and no tractors. But there's commercial farming too: vast fields of rape stretching to the horizon create a perfect Ukrainian flag of yellow fields and blue sky.

As so often with immersion training I feel I've learned as much about the country as about the language, from the fortified church in Rozsoki to the women hoeing the fields around Ternopil. I've experienced once more the immense hospitality and generosity of Ukrainian people.  And I've been reminded again that however much work there is to do behind your desk at the embassy, getting out and meeting people, and travelling beyond the capital, is a vital part of every diplomat's job.