An initiative for Famagusta

A few Famagustians and my sister Anna Marangou, Art Historian and Archaeologist have launched an initiative called Famagusta for the whole of Cyprus. This is a beautiful sea side town on the south side of the island from which its citizens fled in 1974. The city was then closed off and left abandoned and it continues to be so, until a recent attempt by the Turkish Cypriot administration to open up parts of it, particularly the attractive beach front. The properties there belong to the people who left fearing for their lives. The Government has been slow if not downright silent in promoting the return of the city within a general agreement for the reunification of the island and it has been too long now. There are no more excuses and not much to commend this government which is mired in allegations of corruption and reluctance to re unify the island. 

So some concerned citizens have started this initiative called "Famagusta for the whole of Cyprus" to push for the reunification of the island and for the return of the city to its rightful owners. Pie in the sky? Perhaps but from little things big things grow. Sometimes the voice of one person is all that is needed and in this case she is speaking out because she sees this as a need and indeed a duty. 

She is the middle sister of three - her elder sister, sadly no longer with us, was softly spoken, an intellect and not at all political. I am the baby of the family, a bit of an accident, rendering her the middle child and that speaks volumes. You need to speak loudly to be heard in that position. She always had a rebellious streak in her, which manifested itself early. She ran away from home once because she was disgruntled and ended up taking refuge in my mother's chicken coop. She was daring and dastardly to the point that my parents gave her a nickname Jimmy for being a real tomboy. Growing up she became even more strong willed and married several times but never quite found what she was looking for in a man. Perhaps it is because she is complete within herself and does not need complementing. She raised children, worked at the Nicosia Municipality, built a beautiful holiday home, wrote countless books and worked on many projects of archaeological and artistic merit. When the GFC came along and she found herself practically without an income, she formed Historic Cyprus and took people on cultural tours of the island, both in the north and south of the island introducing hundreds of people to the island's rich and diverse history. She has won awards for her collaboration with Turkish Cypriots but never turns her back on her history or her culture and now she is determined to raise the issue of Famagusta as a cry for action in an island which is too small to be divided, too rich to deny its history, too committed to turn away from the implications of its loss. 

She is not a politician, far from it. We laugh about it because she takes after our father who also attempted to enter politics. He was not known for his diplomacy though he was the kindest, most caring surgeon on the island. Politics was not his forte and I have a sneaking suspicion it may not be hers either, but she is outspoken and blunt, well informed and creative in an effort to get people to understand the necessity to act where action is needed. To raise their voices so that they are heard. If they don't heed this, it may well be too late for the island. 

If you are interested in voting for this initiative which is far from political scheming and shenanigans or even if you want to help in other ways go to : https://www.facebook.com/FamagustaforCYPRUS/

The Parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 2021. 

Discoveries with Dougall 29 with a hot Brush Turkey in pursuit.

And we are back - yes Discoveries with Dougall is starting up again but let me first set the scene. The children are now back in school for the beginning of a new academic year. Its still hard for me to get my head around this start date even after some years. The families are no longer in the parks and the bikers have either arrived at their destination or have stopped for a cool drink. It's the middle of the day and though only 31C it is still quite hot and the only people out here are mad dogs (read Dougall) and Cypriot women (read me). It feels liberating. After a weekend with Gordon, the adorable Labradoodle I looked after, it was as if Dougall was conscious he needed to get into my good books again. He was perfect, did not pull or drool or knock me over. I can only be grateful and exhale in appreciation. The paths were wonderfully empty and so were the streets. We ruled the roost and loved it. We came across weird wild fungi - yellow butterflies, hot pink gum tree flowers and a mad brush turkey which would not stop following us. We think it was looking for a mate, but Dougall was a swipe left. 

Australia Day 2021

Waking up to a cloudless sky in Brisbane and about 31C- the wishes are coming in and the insta stories. BBQs and beach parties all in celebration of Australia Day today. A continent I barely knew, nor planned to visit and yet here I am. Australia has taken me in and I have found my happy place. Its not so much Happy Australia Day as Happy in Australia Day. It ticks all my boxes and continues to do so. It keeps me keen, challenged, relaxed and happy and you can see why when they choose an Kangaroo and an Emu for their national emblem. Nothing too serious, fun and nature loving. All of a sudden I walk past them in the neighbourhood and I stand in awe. 

A work of love for sure and one which would have been a visual treat for us all had it not been for the parked cars on the road. I visited at different times of the day and those damned cars were always parked there. Perhaps they were the owners cars so I could have knocked on the door and asked him to move them but instead I just took angles of the kangaroo and the emu which were perfect in their topiary and I shall be back to capture that moment another time because guess what, I am not going anywhere. Australia is where I want to be.

The 20th of January 2021

For all its dark moments, and there have been a few in the new year, there are also moments of hope and aspiration, moments of simple joys and jubilations. I thought long and hard about today and even grappled about what I could possibly say. I have looked forward to this day for months. Why, when it involves a continent so far away and a nation who frankly at some moments I fail to feel any affinity or warmth towards. But I quickly decided that it was too important a day not to be noted, and so I listen to a humble Joe Biden talking about the significance of his home state of Delaware to which he used to return to on the train every night, the emotion in his voice as he referred to Beau, his son, who died of cancer at such a young age and his family who have been his support and strength in hard times and I know that this is a significant moment in our global history and one which we have to remember, like Kennedy, the first man on the moon, and Diana's death to name a few of the events which impact the world. 

So this evening on the other side of the UTH - and this spelling is significant in my history - I thank the forces that formed the Lincoln Project and which were strong enough to call out the Trump presidency for its lies and deceit and the millions of voters who understood the importance of casting their vote.

I celebrate a new era and a new President and I am hopeful and happy that this humble and caring man, with two brilliant women by his side can start his presidency with dignity and determination - the agenda is huge. Commemorating the many lives lost to Covid is an early sign that this President will give the importance due to dealing with the pandemic, and his team will lose no time in doing what is humanly possible to stop the terrible loss of life. 

On a closer plane - promotions to dear ones are front and foremost and we drink to their continued success and happy lives. 

Crunch and Crochet

There may come a time when we will be eating reconstituted lookalikes in our futuristic post pandemic world. So as a mark of a minor legacy for what was achieved in this corner of Redhill I attach the Head Gardener's harvest of cherry tomatoes from the vine.

Yes exquisite in every sense, colour, crunchiness, juiciness and taste. All gone into the small salad with fresh avocado a simple dressing of olive oil and lime and rock salt and pepper. 

 On my walk today - one I do so very often some new additions to the trees. 

With a little tag from the talented crochet maker Tayia !

The colours carefully considered to blend in with the leaves and the trunks. Giving light where needed on the pattern just as light filters through the leaves. 

Such a little pocket of loveliness and quiet. 

How is your hood today ?

A Masked Brisbane.

On Friday the 8th of January 2021 Brisbane was put into lockdown. The reason, a cleaner was positive for the UK variant of Covid - 19. One Case. But Queensland Health and the Premier acted immediately, locked down the City and made masks mandatory. Yesterday, possibly for the second time ever, I went out wearing my mask. Goodness I hear you ask ? Where have you been all year? The reality however is that Queensland was very successful in keeping the virus out so masks were never commonplace. Now however they are mandated in all public places. 

I headed out on a hot but overcast day. Wearing the mask is a little claustrophobic and hot and sweaty and my heart goes out to all health workers who have to wear them for hours and hours every day. Along the walk I found I tended to look down, which is not necessarily a bad thing when the ground looks like this. 

There was an eerie silence to all the walkers. No mindless prattle and the hubby would have been happy.

I did however overhear one conversation between a couple out walking with their dog. 

Man stops at map and looks at it. 

Woman turns to man and says: "Why do you have to be such a control freak?" 

Man : "Why am I a control freak when all I want to know is where I am?" 

Woman: "Why cant you just go with the flow?"

Man : "Because if you were murdered I would want to know the murder spot to tell the police!" 

hahahaha 

The world was out there. I guess we have no choice of where else to be. Families, dogs and bikers. It was busy but it felt different. There was a sense of purpose to it all. Not your Sunday stroll or an amble in the park. No, this felt like a needs- must event and had to be executed prompt- haste. 

My other thought  was how do you smile with your eyes, acknowledge the other person, or their actions? This is where my four years in India immediately came into good use. Nods of the head in various directions worked a treat as I signalled to others to go ahead, wait or stop along the path. 

Now we wait with baited breath to see whether we will be released today or kept in lockdown. 

We have been released but mask wearing is recommended. 

Dougall is on holiday with his family of hoomans. 

Normality - the new and old.

This week marks a return to some form of normality. Which one I hear you ask ? Is this the one before Covid hit or the one subsequent to it? To be honest I am not sure what the answer is. We were all rushing to the end of the year and for good reason, almost as if it was the year that was to blame and once that was gone so would all the problems. It has been hard. But its end sadly does not miraculously solve the issues it has thrown up and at the moment the early days of 2021 seems frighteningly like 2020, and in some parts of the world worse then ever. So learning to adapt will be a major lesson of 2021. Seems like the new year will be a mix, there will be the comfort of the old with the challenge of the new. So today I was off to the radio for the first time since before Xmas and this is what I saw out of the window. A bush with a smiley face and dandelions so tall following the rains. It was lovely to see colleagues and to read the news - my favourite article today was reading out how clever octopuses are. 

Did you know they had nine brains ?

https://adelaideonlinenews.com.au/octopuses-are-amazing-survivors-here-are-some-of-the-tricks-they-use-to-help-them-stay-alive-abc-news/

I got home to this little bijoux flower arrangement courtesy of my hubby. Not just a sourdough baker, a honey maker but a home decorator - I knew he was a keeper! Its just taken a while for all the alternative talents to surface and now, I suspect, they are here to stay. 

1st January 2021

It is nearly the end of the first day. The meteorological low which painted the skies and our hearts grey from the day the kids left is now shifting, and I awake with a burst of energy which tidied rooms, cleaned bathrooms and put order in the house. I was left wanting more which weeding and swimming did not dissipate and so I venture out. 

It occurs to me that for weeks now my forays have been strictly from home to the supermarket, the fishmonger, butcher, baker and if there was a candlestick maker ... So it was with a sense of renewal and yet familiarity that I took a long walk today. 

This time without Dougall as he is too demanding of my attention. This is the time to take stock, stroll leisurely and think back on the year and forward to the next.  Next week awaits that joy with him.

 As I walk the sun is dipping in and out of the clouds and rainbows come and go in the sky. I see three. The parks are full of families and kids playing cricket. 

I walk along a familiar route but which yields the blushing colours of undressing gums and the lusciousness of layered greens in the sub tropics after the rain. The atmosphere was clear and each leaf caught the fading light and painted such vistas and backdrops that I knew that it was absolutely the right way to spend the remaining hours of this first day. 

I walk along and see kookaburras with bats, new leaves which blind you with their intensity, poinciana flowers, delicate fruit on trees that looked bronzed and golden, which bird could resist them ?  New shoots on hoop pines contrasting with the old spines that had fallen which are such helter skelter of helix formations.

The year has been full of covid and we have all been shaken by its reach, but nature is the one place where you will not find it. So this will be my haven for 2021 in my effort to get closer to it and preserve it as best I can. Greta and her messages should not be far from our thoughts this New Year's Day.