Erkin!

I spent many hours in the company of this young man - teaching English, visiting his parents (for some great food) and getting him to act as my unpaid driver when I wanted to visit different parts of North Cyprus and couldn't get Lutz to take me.

He wanted to be an architect - did he ever make it I wonder?

I came across the photo yesterday as Cris delivered a pile of old diskettes: Goodness knows what else will pop up.

I loved North Cyprus - but am too much of an English Rosebud to take the heat.

Winter and Foul Weather

There is distinctly a touch of Spring in the air - so much so that some of the flowers are starting to open and students have started sitting on the benches by the Bega and kissing.

The "fuck-bugs" are also conjoined - a red and black mass on the trunks of trees.

I cannot help thinking it might be a false hope - the waves of repeating wind and storm passing over the Atlantic coast still seem to be there - and although there is a 'high' protecting us, how strongly lodged is it?

I fear for my plums.

Three year's ago we had a great crop - enough to make 30 bottles of tuica (no namby-pamby stuff this - great for flambe - and not even double distilled: Still got one bottle left).

For the last couple of years, no plums - the spring has frosted the flowers and that was the end of it. It even got the Walnuts one year and reduced considerably the crop last year.

Now I am back in the country I hope to produce a significant amount of my food this summer from the land - but let's see what the weather has in mind!