Nose and ears

Right now I am staying in the House of Krank. My parents went on a tour of Cambodia and Vietnam just before I got to Australia ( regard the fine shot of my mother scaling a tree) and my dad hid a flu/ cough about his person. He then kindly passed it onto my mother who in turn gave it to me. I think I am onto my fifth lousy day now...so far I think I have seen more of the bedroom ceiling than the blue sky outside. Actually, that is not entirely true. The three of us did manage to drag our festering bodies to an advanced screening of The Intouchables on Friday. Finally I have been able to see this film. I have been wanting to see it for months ( after rave reviews from my students)  but I was waiting for English subtitles.Well, it was  worth the wait. What a wonderful film...and I have a new cinema boyfriend out of it too. Sergeant Brody ( aka Damien Lewis) may be my television boyfriend but Francois Cluzet is for sure my new celluloid lover. My goodness I would so nibble his ears.

Saviour of  a sickening laydee

food for thought

Well, I've been back a week now in Australia and have largely spent it sleeping and spending time with my parents/ family. I have also been swimming down at the local pool a few times. It's strange to swim in the open air after the Rialto in Basel. I pretty much have the pool to myself and there's no freezing feeling when I get out of the pool. I spend most of my time fantasizing about food while I swim. Bad Food that is.  Food I can't have when I'm overseas. Minties, BBQ shapes, twisties, cheerios, burger rings, coon cheese, redskins, peppermint patties, peppermint crisps, mint slice, white knights, cadbury chocolate, picnics, crunchies, kingston biscuits, freddo frogs, caramello koalas... It's all here in the supermarket but I have to restrain myself or I'll need 2 return tickets to fit into the seats.

When not swimming I go for walks around the roads near my parent's house. I know these roads intimately. I grew up around here. I remember a time when it was all paddocks and trees not houses and footpaths. Some of the area  has remained untouched ( thankfully)so it's nice to go exploring the places I used to run freely as a child. Perhaps I will feel those tiny Russian dolls' hands in my hand - the ones that pre-date what troubles me now - and I won't feel so alone..or afraid.

Not that  I was feeling lonely last Sunday night when I caught up with (QB). My four besties from high school.

What a night! What a hangover!

In brief...

I have been a bit neglectful of my blog recently so I am going to try and give a postage stamp summary of the latest thrills and spills.

First, I finally managed to leave Greece after spending a lovely evening on an Athenian beach with my  friend Souzanna

And visiting the Acropolis of course.

Poor Athens looked like she was suffering. Dark streets, hunched over people, boarded up shops and houses. It felt a little grim and sad...but you could still see the people sitting and eating together as families and communities which was heartening.
I can't say I got the answers I hoped for while in Greece. Hara was definitely the highlight for me and when I look back on my time there I feel that perhaps the sole purpose of my visit had been to home Hara. It wasn't to home me or heal me or find me peace. Of course it would have been foolish to think it would. I mean wherever I go there I am. You can't leave parts of yourself or others behind in a box like books or photographs.

***

Since Greece I have met up with my adorable student monsters in Basel, visited Istanbul again, acquired  a rather spectacular new handbag (I know I know I do not neeeeed it), decided to keep my Swiss C permit for now, watched in despair as the old Aleppo souk burns, met some very nice cats, mused about writing again ( I really need to start), panicked about my future, cried about my past ..and present, eaten way too many choc mints with D... and taken the arduous 12 000 mile journey back to Australia to visit my parents ( and eat pink donuts.)

You had me at ...hello...( another bag affair)

I know. I know. It's not like I needed another bag but sometimes when one crosses you path you have to home it...... Right?
This little lovely is from Istanbul, just near Taksim Square. ( Thanks Chaz) It even makes a dialing sound when you whirl the numbers. I am hoping that tomato and ark bag will accept it into the fold. There are no favorites in my bag family - well not out loud anyway.

Adios

So it is time to leave Skyros... The stones have been sold, the yoga circles badly painted and the dog has a home. My work here is done. 

It wasn't the holiday I imagined it would be for me this year. I never quite found my swing....But 

I will miss getting up to this beautiful view.

enjoying the wonderful company of Ferogia bar.

 

And lovely Magazia beach - so many happy walks I took with doggie there.

I didn't take many photos overall though this year and hardly any with me. But here's one of me enjoying a drink with a  new friend. 

And doggie of course...my raison d'etre!

Some stones along the way

Happy Sylvester!!!

No. It's not new year ...not yet anyway...just the name of a cat I finally got to meet.
Last year when I was on Skyros I met a very lovely woman called Souzanna who asked me to do a stone portrait of her cat Sylvester which you can see here. Anyway Souzanna and I reconnected this year back on the island and I finally got to meet her gorgeous boy. Isn't he wonderful? He's very talkative but never raises an angry paw. Sorry, did someone say that I need a pet urgently?

Musical peace

Yesterday was Alex's Nameday (Alex owns Ferogia, the bar where I am staying) so he invited some of his pals around for a traditional songfest. I have to say there's nothing like a gang of swarthy, hairy Greek men turning up with their lutes to sing a few old favourites under a moonlit night. Sublime really and I felt very honoured to have been invited to their intimate soiree.

                                                ***

It began around nine o'clock when suddenly out of the dark came all these local Greeks bearing plates of  food: octopus spaghetti, eggplant surprise, olives, grilled feta, oven fresh bread, onion dips... There was the man who ran the local supermarket, a fisherman, the local backgammon champion, all descending onto Alex's bar to sing lilting songs about love and the moon. I adored it and  was grateful for it too.I had been feeling a bit dislocated from the people after the whole experience with Hara and  seeing their gentle, joyful side was reassuring for me. I met an Athenian couple who told me they would have loved to have had Hara but they thought she was mine (although the man did righly point out he wondered why I let her sleep on the road sometimes.) I told them her story and they were glad she was home.  It was nice to meet them though and to know there were other options out there for her.

***

One a side note someone pointed out to me the other day that my eyelashes have turned blonde from the sun. I think it is definitely time to leave the island.