History and how it comes to claim us

 The 20th of February 2021 saw a big development in Cyprus - a demonstration was held, thousands of young people came. There were no national flags, no party political flags or emblems - this was a strong showing that the youth in particular has had enough - It was called "Ως δαμε". No further. 

They want an end to corruption and bad governance, an end to nepotism and backhanders. They want jobs, transparency, meritocracy and democracy as well as the reunification of the island - 

It was heartening to see this. 

I am currently reading Andrekos Varnava's book entitled " Assassination in Colonial Cyprus in 1934 and the Origins of EOKA. It is his attempt to read archives against the grain and extrapolate from historical sources what he thinks was the story behind the assassination of a prominent Cypriot lawyer - Antonis Triantafyllides. His account is well worth reading.In it he refers to many historical archives.

It is this passage below which struck me - 

He quotes Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs from his own writings CO67/251/3 Stubbs memorandum 16 October 1933 

"I know of no community which is so utterly unfit to take any responsible part in the Government of the native country as is that of Cyprus ( ....) and public spirit is a thing not only unknown but practically inconceivable."He claimed that in the other colonies where he had served Hong Kong and Jamaica many locals served the public good but in Cyprus men only entered public life to profit themselves and their extended family and friends."

Ouch.

2021 and this is the same cry going up from the population. It hurts to read the history and swallow it whole and you may say this is the account of one man but sadly I see many grains of truth in what he says. Is there hope for change ? The youth of Cyprus might have it in hand. 

Discoveries with Dougall 32 - Rainy days

The week has been overcast and rainy - sharp strong showers followed by rays of hot humid sunlight. And repeated many times over the course of the day. In the interregnums a quick getaway for some exercise with Dougall and discoveries in the neighbourhood. A new addition to the crochet collection. 

This everyone is Jacob's Coat plant.Acalypha Wilkesiana. I wonder what the name says about the plant. 

There is a Joseph's Coat as well which makes it even more intriguing. 

A jumble of berries 

The beauty of these aloes in the earthen pot 

The straight lines of a Queenslander even on a sloping street. 

And the Sacred Ibis taking over the park looking for grubs after the rains 

Its all about the eyes and what they can catch in that fleeting moment, theirs and ours.  

Borders, Fences and what gets through- Walking with Dougall 31.

This past week has seen the drama of the Australian Open going from matches with fans and such excitement, to matches with no fans, which are eerily quiet except for the thwack of the balls. The City of Melbourne is in lockdown once again as there have been cases of Covid - 19 which seem to have escaped from the quarantine hotels. There is much speculation about the cause. Talk of air conditioning systems and nebulisers, trays that are touched and protective gear not worn properly. Its an ongoing battle and the new year is proving to be challenging in keeping the virus contained even in Australia and New Zealand, countries that have been relatively successful in keeping it under control. 

It occurred to me walking with Dougall this week that nature is really no different. Nooks and crannies. cracks and posts will often reveal a creeper, a flower and a bud or two that have escaped the strict confines of their original seeding but in this case it makes for something quite lovely and which I will happily share with you - Here are the escapees. No serious symptoms are foreseen when viewed. 

Niκη- σαμε

We woke up relatively early,well late by Brisbane standards, and I packed a picnic and in our usual state of under preparedness, no ponchos, or sunscreen but two hats and some water and we set off with Niki in our hearts to conquer TableTop Mountain – No, we are not in Cape Town, this is,the shorter, smaller version just near Toowoomba. We sailed down the Warego Highway with Classical FM. Our eyes turned up to a sky full of clouds, nimbos, cumulus, sirrus metamorphosing, bursting across the sky like puffs from a steam engine.Others bunched together in great three dimensional bulbous forms with their shadows casting dark patches on the hills while the sun shone piercingly behind them. The notice said an unmaintained Class 5 track up the first hillock and then down before ascending steeply to Table Top.

I wanted to escape the heat of the day – it was going to be 32C today in Brisbane – so we drove up the escarpment in the hope it would be cooler. Well not when you arrive at noon and you have a proverbial mountain to climb. 32C here too for Pete's sake. There were three types of paths, An occasional and short dusty flat one with grass as high as me on either side and trapping heat like a sauna, a steep as hell rocky one and a jumble of loose scree path on which to twist your ankle.

Both of us had to use all fours to clamber up. We perspired profusely,sweat dripped off our noses, ran into our eyes and trickled down every nook and cranny on our bodies.There were sheer drops on one side and beautiful views on the other. We slipped and slid,kicked up clouds of dust,landed on our bottoms and touched rocks like Obelix's menhirs, which were boiling hot. But we got to the top and it was magical. There was no one else there and we found one solitary tree under which to have our picnic and to enjoy the panoramic views.

Just that little bit closer to heavenwards today.

Remembering Niki

Almost as soon as we had arrived in Australia we lost my elder sister Niki in a car accident. Just the other day I wrote in this blog about completing eight happy years in Oz but eight years without her. Poorer in mind and heart with her physical absence but richer in thought and care for all she stood for. So the first flower of my tibouchina tree is hers and hers alone.

Discoveries with Dougall 30 - heritage and pride

Heading out today we left the usual paths and parks and walked through the suburb into the next ones. Ashgrove and Paddington. Old and established suburbs in Brisbane and my focus today is a mixture of houses and gardens. I mark this blog to coincide with news from Cyprus that the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church bulldozed, yes razed to the ground, some heritage houses which he had a legal duty to preserve under cover of darkness to make room for a car park. To say this is outrageous and unacceptable is an understatement. We wait to see whether the authorities will have the guts to order him to rebuild them brick by brick. Sadly a lot of the mud wattle original method of building has probably been lost for ever. 

On the 31st of January 2021 we celebrated 8 happy years on this great continent. Aboriginal people inhabited the continent for thousands of years before the Brits arrived. The year was 1770. So from that day at least, some 250 years ago, towns have been built, lives have been lived and the Australia we know today has taken shape and in this short time they have developed their landmark buildings and their heritage houses and my goodness what pride of place accompanies these accomplishments. 

In Queensland which is our state, there is an architectural style which developed to maximise the benefits of living in this sunny state. Houses built of wood - the material most available at the time- on stilts to remove the danger of termites, louvered windows to shade the balconies and to allow the air flow through the houses. I walk the streets and stop and look at their beauty and their functionality and know that they will be cared for preserved and protected. That is how it should be in any self respecting jurisdiction with pride in the heritage and volunteers in their thousands, to sing its praises to anyone who cares to inquire about it. I have always been so impressed at how in those short 250 years they are constantly searching their history and their ancestry and look to Europe to find out more. And Cyprus with thousands of years of rich history chooses to put up skyscrapers and cement in abundance. Its a crying shame. 

No cars parked on pavements here, no lawns left unkempt, there is respect for what is personal but also what is communal and it leads to a life that everyone can take joy in. 

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.