Enemy at the gates

Above: The Scream, Edvard Munch (1893) Saturday 15 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye My friends have a new hobby: Adam baiting. They know that I don’t follow the news, except as an afterthought for my calendar day blog posting. So, they will ask my opinions about world events. Above: The Thinker, August Rodin (1904) And what,… Continue reading Enemy at the gates

What’s love got to do with it?

Thursday 14 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye Where does one find love? Perhaps Rome? Above: Roma (Rome), Italia The Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a minor basilican church in Rome, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Located in the rione (neighborhood) of Ripa and constructed first in the 6th century as a diaconia (deaconry) in an area of the city populated by Greek immigrants,… Continue reading What’s love got to do with it?

Battle scars

Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 12 February 2025 We tell ourselves war ends when the treaties are signed, when the guns fall silent. But for those who bear its scars, war is never truly over. The fight continues — not on the battlefield, but in the struggle to heal, to be seen, to be whole again. And… Continue reading Battle scars

The Academy of Joy

Thursday 6 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The former head teacher, dismissed and disillusioned, lay in his restless bed, his limbs heavy with exhaustion, his thoughts a storm of injustice and regret. Losing your job can be a hideous blow, both to the pocket and to the ego. The best way to deal with it is… Continue reading The Academy of Joy

Family values

Soo-Lin Saeng Ho Winhu Apartment 101-ho Shinda-dong 400 bunji Ganjan-gu, Seoul SOUTH KOREA Above: Seoul, South Korea Harper Family 425 Morgan Boulevard Houston, Texas 77013 USA Above: Houston, Texas, USA To my host family, My name is Soo-Lin. I am delighted to learn that you will be acting as my new family during my time… Continue reading Family values

The invisible man

Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday (Çarşamba) 25 December (Aralık) 2024 “There is such a sameness in my life at present it is not worthwhile to keep a journal.“ Nicholas Cresswell, Monday 13 October 1777 Above: British diarist Nicholas Cresswell (1750 – 1804) Cresswell was the son of a landowner and sheep farmer in Crowden-le-Booth, Edale, Derbyshire. Above: Holy Trinity Parish… Continue reading The invisible man

A moment of silence

Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday (Perşembe) 12 December (Aralık) 2024 “To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven… A time to keep silence and a time to speak.“ Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7. “I don’t wanna be the girl that has to fill the silence….The quiet scares me, ’cause it screams… Continue reading A moment of silence

Songs without words

Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday (Çarşamba) 26 November (Kasim) 2024 Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensationDarkness stirs and wakes imaginationSilently the senses abandon their defenses Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendorGrasp it, sense it, tremulous and tenderTurn your face away from the garish light of dayTurn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling lightAnd listen to the music of… Continue reading Songs without words

Obituary (1): The little corner gathering

Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 11 September 2024 Writing about death shouldn’t be easy, especially when there is far more happening in the world – pondering the past, dreaming of destiny, existing in the experience of this moment. People die every day. Even when I am not writing about it, people will keep dying. Discussion of death… Continue reading Obituary (1): The little corner gathering

The recumbent lion

Above: The natural phenomenon of the karst erosion in El Torcal de Antequera, Andalusia, España “Throw the lumber over, man! Let your Boat of Life be light, packed with only what you need – a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a… Continue reading The recumbent lion