T

his week on the Post: we could have gone with  the gentleness of flower paintings or seaside scenes but instead – four decent, honourable, admirable MPs or ex-MPs, just to remind us Little Englanders that they do indeed exist. Two men, two women, two Tories and two from the Labour party. First up Yvette Cooper (Labour). Those living abroad may not have heard of her, but she is an extremely good person and would make a wonderful prime minister. As of course would the other three.

Shall we ever see this? But now all our thoughts are with Eastern Ukraine. Do we never learn is the phrase echoing round all our heads. A friend in Australia is spending Easter reading The Deepening Stream (lucky, lucky her) and you might think that after a century with two world wars we might have discovered how to manage things better when a dictator gains power. But apparently not. Wishing every Persephone reader a Happy Easter. Next week, to celebrate the publication of the new books, the Post will have images from the new Biannually.

The Mariinskyi Palace is the President's official residence. It has had many incarnations over the years, burning down and being rebuilt, being abandoned and then restored. And now?

There is so much one could say about the imagery of churches and war but what is there to say? This is Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Could the religious please pray for its safely? The non-religious are simply hoping and hoping that it survives.

On the Post, some of Kyiv's most wonderful buildings, the places we would have made for immediately if we had ever had a weekend there. Of course we are all praying that these kind of buildings have survived and will survive. This is one of the famous streets where normal life happened until February 24th.

And those four incredible paintings of the war effort were painted by the amazing Anna Airy. Now who is going to write a book about her. Next week on the Post: historic buildings in Kyiv, we shall know soon what has been destroyed and what is still standing.

'The building of DH9 fighter aircraft at the Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Hendon. Anna Airy shows how the influence of industrialists such as Henry Ford had inspired the production of machines made for the war effort. The different trades coming together to create a final outcome, visible within the composition are a mixture of men and women intently occupied in their part in the overall process. Parts of the framework and fuselage are taking shape in the left of the picture, to the final fully painted aircraft seen on the right, ready for despatch' (here).