Ukrainian mother and daughter tell of 'fairytale' life in idyllic Stirlingshire - but admit they can't wait to return home one day

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The idyllic surroundings of the Lake of Menteith would seem for most to be a million miles away from the destruction of the Ukraine war.But for two of the newest residents of nearby Port of Menteith, they admit one day returning to their homeland is the dream that keeps them going.Mother and daughter Olena and Daria, who are 56 and 36, first arrived on Scottish shores on July 3 to be hosted in the home of Nigel Cole and his family in the rural Stirlingshire village - after a gruelling journey from their home city of Bakhmut in the Donbass region.The pair are now settling into life in the countryside and have been working at the Karma Lake of Menteith hotel as housekeepers since August 15.But even sitting on the shores of the tranquil lake, thoughts quickly revert back to the city they have left behind the events that forced them to flee.Daria told the Observer: “We had a good life before the war - a peaceful and calm life - and our city, while not the biggest, is very picturesque and very suitable for living.“It became clear on February 24 [the day of the Russian invasion] what the situation was; we were woken up at 5am by terrible sounds and we almost jumped in our beds.“During the first few days, it was just complete panic in the city and every day afterwards with the news and the situation in Kharkiv, which is less than 300 kilometres away.“It was all a very big hurry to leave and I just picked up one bag and left, it is an awful feeling to describe having to pick up a bag and run away from the city I had always lived in.“The situation in Makhmut now is just a complete nightmare, we still have friends and neighbours there but our own family have moved to a safer place.“There is only around ten per cent of the city’s