While this office is nowhere near as nice as my last one, and the dirty old socialist windows are impossible to clean, and it’s freezing in winter, it does have a nice view of the forested hills surrounding the small Ruthenian town of Svidnik. And the Greek Catholic (Byzantine) church.

I’m also extremely pleased to be wearing my new Polish army mountain boots as I’ve spent months looking for a decent pair of boots which I can afford and which can survive the rigours of bushcraft in the forest during a harsh winter. Time will tell if these Frankensteinesque beauties will do the job but I’ve got a good feeling about them, and they’re currently too warm to wear.

They are mahoosive.