The torment of the Tarasca

Above: The Tarasca, Antequera, España ‘Twas brillig and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe;All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird and shunThe frumious Bandersnatch!” He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the manxome foe… Continue reading The torment of the Tarasca

Antequera: In transit

Eskişehir, Türkiye Saturday 10 August 2024 “No young person under 40 is ever to be allowed to travel abroad under any circumstances. Nor is anyone to be allowed to go for private reasons, but only on some public business, as a herald or ambassador or as an observer of one sort or another.“ Plato, The… Continue reading Antequera: In transit

A trick of the light

Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 17 July 2024 “When you have a cause, the best way to express yourself is artistically.“ Hani Abbas Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to intellect, sense or emotion. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression, including music and literature. The meaning of art is explored in a branch… Continue reading A trick of the light

An extraordinary woman

Monday 22 April 2024 Eskişehir, Türkiye The lemon-coloured MG skids across the road and the woman driver brings it to a somewhat uncertain halt. She gets out and finds her left front tire flat. Without wasting a moment she prepares to fix it. She looks towards the passing cars as if expecting someone. Recognizing this… Continue reading An extraordinary woman

The house of the rising sun

Eskişehir, Türkiye Sunday 21 April 2024 “The brevity of life, the failing of the senses, the numbness of indifference and unprofitable occupations allow us to know very little. And again and again swift oblivion, the thief of knowledge and the enemy of memory, makes a void of the mind, in the course of time, even… Continue reading The house of the rising sun

The barrister’s books

Eskişehir, Türkiye Sunday 21 April 2024 Above: Caricature of Leo McKern (1920 – 2002) as Horace Rumpole from the episode “Rumpole and the Younger Generation“ “Inspiration is something one possesses by the hard and bitter labour of every day.“ Salvador Dali Above: Spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989) All writers need inspiration. Ideas have to come… Continue reading The barrister’s books

Where all thinking stops

Eskişehir, Türkiye Sunday 21 April 2024 “Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea have given birth to many myths and legends of war and adventure. And these once-proud stones, these ruined and shattered temples bear witness to the civilization that flourished and then died here and to the demigods and heroes who inspired those… Continue reading Where all thinking stops

Driven

Eskişehir, Türkiye Friday 19 April 2024 “In the morning paper I come across two small events that together seem significant. The black singer Paul Robeson was supposed to give a recital in Peoria. At the last minute, the concert was cancelled on the pretext that Robeson is a Communist. The authorities insist that they didn’t… Continue reading Driven

The Woman in Room 101

Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday 18 April 2024 (continued) “At each stage of his imprisonment Winston had known or seemed to know whereabouts he was in the windowless building. Possibly there were slight differences in the air pressure. This place was many metres underground, as deep down as it was possible to go. “You asked me once… Continue reading The Woman in Room 101

Middleton and other musings

Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday 18 April 2024 “It will be difficult to please everyone in the audience because everyone has come for different reasons: some for the wit, some for the costumes, some for comedy, some for passion, and some to arrange a lascivious meeting. But, despite this, I am confident that, as long as everyone… Continue reading Middleton and other musings