Many years ago I was trying to sort out my relationship with my father.  I was angry and resentful over the bullying and control I’d experienced as a child plus more manipulation by him when I was an adult. I was also trying to cope with his descent into alcoholism and feeling the bitterness of … More ART AND FORGIVENESS

I’ve been absent for a few weeks due to a rather malevolent stomach bug which knocked me around something shocking.  I’m back in the real world now and taking it easy as my husband had the same bug at the New Year, not as badly as I had, but since it took him a long … More MORE DIGITAL ART

In my last post, I quoted a person who’d been in Gezi Park in Istanbul during the recent protests.  This is what she said: “….The solidarity was incredible.  Never in my life have I seen such caring and supportive gestures among complete strangers.  This gives [me] hope that another world is possible”. I’ve reprinted it … More THE FUTURE NOW

I had the rather surprising encounter with press censorship here in North Cyprus recently. We get two newspapers, The Cyprus Star, with headquarters in Turkey, and Cyprus Today which is published on this island. When the protests erupted across Turkey recently, reading The Cyprus Star was like reading a press release from Turkish Prime Minister … More “RESPECT EXISTENCE OR EXPECT RESISTANCE” – Protest banner in Instanbul, Turkey

I woke this morning on the north coast of North Cyprus, close to the port of Kyrenia, where I live, and looked across the Mediterranean towards the coast of Turkey on the horizon.  Most times you can’t see Turkey at all, but in the right atmospheric conditions the coastline suddenly appears like a mirage and … More TURKEY – That old saying: “Absolute Power Corrupts”