The powerful music and human rights project Daughters of Donbas – Songs of Stolen Children is set to tour Scotland this month. Highlights include performances at Celtic Connections on 28 January and St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh on 29 January.
The project is led by Ukrainian singer Marichka, winner of the Amnesty International Prize. She has been traveling back and forth between Canada and Ukraine, working on this music project that deals with the ~20,000 Ukrainian children that have been abducted from occupied regions in Eastern Ukraine and taken to Russia – and one of the few stolen Ukrainian children who managed to escape from Russia, a 19 year old named Liza will be part of the tour (she sings too).
Daughters of Donbas Scarboroug Folk Fest
Jan 28 Glasgow Celtic Connections Jan 29 Edinburgh St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral Jan 30 St Andrews University
and they’ll also be at WOMADelaide in Australia in March (Peter Gabriel’s famous music festival) and Jan 27 in London Theatreship
Lisa, who sings and plays flute, is now 19 (and was 16 when she was taken from Mariupol). She kept a diary of her time in Russian camps.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/people-enjoy-a-spring-day-on-mount-royal-in-montreal.jpg?id=56704863&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> Winter is on its last legs, and folks in Quebec are eager for the kind of spring that actually feels like spring.
</p><p> But while the new season officially kicks off on March 20, it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for the weather to catch up.
</p><p> According to the <a href="https://www.farmersalmanac.com/long-range-weather-forecast/nova-scotia-pei-new-brunswick-quebec" target="_blank">Farmers' Almanac's long-range weather forecast</a> for eastern Canada, April 2025 will bring a mix of warm, sunny days and classic <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-weather-spring-forecast" target="_blank">Quebec springtime chaos</a> — Think sudden cold snaps, rain, and even a few rogue snowflakes.
</p><p> The old saying warns, "April showers bring may flowers," but you might still want to keep that winter coat handy. Here's how the long-range forecast, based on astronomical events, solar activity, and tidal action, suggests the month will play out:
</p><ul>
<li><strong>April 1 - 3</strong>: Fair skies, unseasonably warm.</li>
<li><strong>April 4 - 7</strong>: Cold rain, sleet, and wet snow.</li>
<li><strong>April 8 - 11</strong>: Clearing and breezy.</li>
<li><strong>April 12 - 15</strong>: Fair skies.</li>
<li><strong>April 16 - 19</strong>: Thunderstorms, some with heavy rain, then turning fair and pleasant.</li>
<li><strong>April 20 - 23</strong>: Pleasant weather for Easter.</li>
<li><strong>April 24 - 27</strong>: Rainy in most sections, with heavy wet snow over the Laurentians.</li>
<li><strong>April 28 - 30</strong>: Turning stormy; unseasonably warm.</li>
</ul><div>
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<p> If you were hoping for an early taste of terrasse season in Montreal, the city's forecast for the coming week suggests we're still a long way off from sipping drinks in the sun. According to meteorologists at <a href="https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=45.529,-73.562" target="_blank">Environment Canada</a>, some mild days are on the way, but winter is holding on with a few surprises, including snow, frigid nights, and big temperature swings. </p>
<p> This week kicks off with lingering snow before skies clear and temperatures reach 4 C, though the morning wind chill will still make it feel like winter. After another chilly night, Tuesday should bring a temporary warm-up to 9 C, but don't get too comfortable — rain will move in by the afternoon, and temperatures will crash to -13 C overnight.</p>
<p> Midweek will feel more like winter than spring, with highs struggling to reach -3 C on Wednesday and just 1 C on Thursday under mostly cloudy skies. But by Friday, the sun returns, bringing a welcome high of 8 C. </p>
<p> Looking ahead to the weekend, temperatures will climb into the double digits, hitting 12 C on both Saturday and Sunday. But with those milder temperatures comes the trade-off of rain, with showers likely throughout the weekend and steady rainfall expected on Sunday.</p></div>
