Tweet, tweet!
I joined Twitter the other day out of curiosity. I don't really understand the concept, why limit yourself to 140 characters while trying to have a conversation. But it's not really about talking, it's...
View ArticleDecisions, decisions...
I didn't plan my kids to match school timing so the Brown-eyed Girl and Little Boy Blue miss out. The Brown-eyed Girl misses starting primary school proper by being born in November. That's not a...
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Attention, please..
I had great plans to write a wonderful post today but after a night of interrupted sleep and a child with a rash to think about my mind is not fully focused. Instead I'll just get to the point!Photo...
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A scone, a goat and the Conor Pass
Food has memory. Each mouthful transfers those memories directly to the sense centres in the brain, allowing the entire body to engage with the taste. As an expat I started to build these memories of...
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Troy and Hittites
I decided to take the kids downtown to Cimenlik Kalesi yesterday. The castle is at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles and has a lovely park outside with various remnants from WWI dotted about the...
View ArticleA visitor
Having not heard footsteps the voice surprised me with it's closeness. 'Komşu?' Neighbour.When I appeared at the top of the steps the stooped old lady asked if I accepted visitors. She used her walking...
View ArticleThe whole truth
I took some photos recently and was criticised for it. An example: a man sits on a tree stump in front of a cobbled wall. Beside him on another tree stump is a glass of tea. He has grey hair, a...
View ArticleThat which we call a rose...
There’s a few things about living in Turkey that I don’t like; the habit of ‘turkifying’ names being one of them. So Catherine is sometimes changed to Kadriye, a completely different name. I don’t...
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Budding Artists
When I wrote a month or so ago about visiting the sculpture exhibition in Cimenlik Castle I really didn't imagine the next exhibition there would be my daughters! We got a phone call last week to...
View ArticleMaking Progress
I've been a little stuck for inspiration lately. Or maybe there's actually too much, and it's focus that I really lack. Or maybe it's just procrastination leading me to wander the web at the expense of...
View ArticleHousekeeping
This has been a momentous week; Little Boy Blue started in preschool! Day One was fine, very happy to be there, no tears at drop off or pick up. Day Two we had tears at drop off, and Day Three was the...
View ArticleA Break in Service...
It's been a while I know but life has been busy lately. I've been going to driving school in the mornings and have had several school meetings in the afternoons. We had Ramadan and the holiday at the...
View ArticleA Friend in Need...
A few months back we went on holidays and other than checking Facebook and Twitter occasionally I didn't keep up with any news at all. It was nice to be ignorant for a while. I did notice my friend...
View ArticleAnd Now the Good News!
Sharon and Hilda have been freed!Yesterday in the early hours of the morning they were finally released. They have been given medical attention, but are in good health, and Sharon will be flown home...
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Similar celebrations...
One of the things World Blog Surf Day does is show how cultures have lots of things in common holidays are no different. First there is the cooking and baking that must be done. Some things prepared in...
View ArticleOpportunity knocks
It is a time of opportunities. They peek out, shyly, then tap you on the shoulder and whisper in your ear. They make tremendous promises, paint a future of terrific brightness in your mind and leave...
View ArticleNew and Improved!!
Several years ago I wrote a piece that was published in the anthology'Tales from the Expat Harem-Foreign Women in Modern Turkey' edited by Anastasia M. Ashman and Jennifer Eaton Gökmen. The anthology...
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A Driving TEST!
Last week ten years after getting my first provisional licence I finally got my full driving licence. It's been a real learning experience.First there was a month of classes in the three topics covered...
View ArticleBeing Quiet...
It's very easy to be silent here. To sit behind a computer screen and watch the world go by. But it's not very satisfying in the long run.So there's going to be a few changes in the next few months....
View ArticleFalling in the Cracks
Living outside town brings many advantages; peace and quiet, a view of an olive grove, a garden of our own. There are some disadvantages though, none more confusing then the bureaucratic web...
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Snow Diary
Here's how we've spent the last week. It started snowing at lunchtime on Friday and by 3pm the garden it was starting to accumulate.By Saturday morning there were drifts of dry snow in the garden.On...
View ArticleInternational Politics
Sometimes I'm just stunned by how wonderful the internet is. It's terrific!Browsing Magicmum this morning with Tweetdeck running George Lee's name cropped up everywhere all at once. It attracted me as...
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Mapping My Worldview
Inspired by Rose Deniz' wonderful post about finding her path I've made a map of my own. This isn't a path though, just two snapshots placed side-by-side to show how my worldview has changed. The left...
View ArticleTalking Point
Last Sunday morning's Dialogue2010 discussion left me floating for the day. Apart from the wonder of talking across continents and timezones to nine other women, I felt very much like I'd talked to...
View ArticleSo long, farewell (well, I hope not!)
I've taken a big step in the last few months. I've set up a language-editing business, Skaian Gates English. It's a little scary but I'm hoping it will take off in the next while. Hence why my posting...
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