Eskişehir, Türkiye Monday 25 August 2024 Tolkien fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, especially of the Middle Earth legendarium, which includes The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. The concept of Tolkien fandom as a specific type of fan subculture sprang up in the United States in… Continue reading In the beginning was the Word
The magic of serendipity
Eskişehir, Türkiye Sunday 24 March 2024 “We are now at the 24th of March 1856 and from this point of time, my journal, let us renew our daily intercourse without looking back. Looking back was not intended by nature, evidently, from the fact that our eyes are in our faces and not in our hind… Continue reading The magic of serendipity
The Donkey Trail 2: Hey You
Eskişehir, Türkiye Saturday 23 March 2024 In his solitary bed in his solitary room Tom wakes to the sound of singing from the radio station SWR 3 (ess vay r drei) from the radio alarm beside his head. Pink Floyd, “Hey You“, from the soundtrack of The Wall: “Hey you, out there in the coldGetting… Continue reading The Donkey Trail 2: Hey You
Dear Diary
Eskişehir, Türkiye Saturday 23 March 2024 “Inspiration does exist, but it has to find you working.“ (Pablo Picasso) Above: Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) “I had a poem in my head last night, flashing as only those unformed midnight poems can. It was all made up of unexpected burning words. I knew even… Continue reading Dear Diary
Complete Works
Eskişehir, Türkiye Friday 22 March 2024 “Advice is like snow. The softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” (“Confessions of an Inquirer“, Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Perhaps Allah is reading my blogposts? I mentioned abandoning my winter coat for sweaters of spring, but this morning has proven… Continue reading Complete Works
Egghead
Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday 21 March 2024 “You are an incomparable genius.” (Russian Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna to Peter Carl Fabergé, on receiving her annual egg, 1914) There is a long history of decorated eggs in Russia and pre-Fabergé porcelain eggs had been popular for many years. The first Fabergé egg was made for Tsar Alexander… Continue reading Egghead
The Donkey Trail 1: Dream
He draws breath and pauses on the path with deliberate precision. The ground is dry leaves with patches of deep snow beneath the boughs of mighty oaks. The forest is a maze of shadows. Branches reach out like spikes to stab the unwary. Cold wind whips through the trees, cutting and slicing into his face.… Continue reading The Donkey Trail 1: Dream
The coldest night of the year
Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday 21 March 2024 An emotional evening yesterday. A student, proficient in his Encounter (the name of my school’s oral examination of a Unit), checks his messages on his phone as I search for a time slot wherein I can schedule the engineer’s next appointment.. He begins to cry as he learns that… Continue reading The coldest night of the year
Daily legacy
Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 20 March 2024 But what is to become of all my diaries and online posts? If I died, what would people make of them? Would they be inclined to simply burn the paper and delete the electronic? Could they merit publication? Make a book as the body of work is destroyed? If… Continue reading Daily legacy
A new start
Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Türkiye Tuesday 19 March 2024 The itch from which I have suffered for years (but with interruptions) has recently become unbearable and for the last few months, has kept me from having any peace of mind, until I have begun once again recording my thoughts and feelings. Nothing appears on the outside.… Continue reading A new start