THE CRUELLEST MONTH

“The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.”― T.S. Eliot

Poets and Storytellers United has prompted us this week to give a poem related to the first line of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: “April is the cruellest month”.  Here is my offering. Remember I am in Australia and April here is the middle month of our Autumn.

Winter Harvest

Standing on the brink of April
Waiting for the signal
That will send me down its yawning depths;

Poised on the fork of Autumn,
Waiting for the pallid dawn of Winter solstice
That will send my heart a-roaming yet again;

Balanced on the cutting edge of crescent moon
Waiting unmoving, for a single word of yours
That will let the sickle slice cleanly through my soul.

A word can heal, a word can kill;
Your word can make my darkest Winter, warm Summer
And what you say can make my Spring, a frigid Fall;
Speak softly, say your word,
And I will harvest either a rich bounty – or else dry, poisoned chaff. 

TRAVEL TUESDAY 489 - ATHENS, GREECE

“The basis of a democratic state is liberty” - Aristotle

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.
Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

The prominent equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis, a key leader in the Greek War of Independence of 1821, is located in Athens, Greece. The statue is situated in front of the Old Parliament House (Constitution Square), a location that underscores its historical significance. The statue was sculpted by Lazaros Sochos.

The statue commemorates Theodoros Kolokotronis, a prominent leader in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. The statue was crafted in 1895 and installed with great ceremony on April 23, 1901. The costs for the erection of the statue and the celebration following its unveiling were raised through a pan-Hellenic fundraising campaign, which started in 1877. There are many other statues of Kolokotronis in Greece, including one in his birthplace Ramovouni, Messenia.

The celebration of the Greek Revolution of 1821 (Greek: Εορτασμός της Ελληνικής Επανάστασης του 1821, Eortasmós tis Ellinikís Epanástasis tou 1821), less commonly known as Independence Day, takes place in Greece, Cyprus and Greek diaspora centres on 25 March every year, coinciding with the Feast of the Annunciation. The day is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus.

Usually, celebrations include parades and other celebratory events on the same day or its eve. The largest event is the military parade in Athens on 25 March, while on the previous day, celebrations take place throughout the schools of the country. In other municipalities parades of military divisions, students, clubs, etc. are held, as well as church services.

More broadly, the holiday acknowledges the successful Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) was fought to liberate and decolonize Greece from four centuries of Ottoman occupation. After nine years of war, Greece was finally recognised as an independent state under the London Protocol of February 1830. Further negotiations in 1832 led to the London Conference of 1832 and the Treaty of Constantinople (1832); these defined the final borders of the new state and recognised the king, King Otto of Greece. The holiday was established in 1838 with a Royal Decree by King Otto's government.

A LOVE POEM

“I am hurt by love But how can love hurt? If my love is true I cannot be hurt.” - Anshul Gupta

Some years ago I read the poem “Love's Paradox” by Anshul Gupta (see here). It stayed with me, although forgotten, and it was only after I wrote my own poem below that I remembered Anshul Gupta’s poem again and re-read it. Different but similar? This poem is in response to the prompt by Poets and Storytellers United.

Love

I love you with the vehemence of sharp steel,

The blind insistence of a blade as it drives itself into yielding flesh.

My love for you, wild like the tigers of the Indian jungle,

All sharpened claws and piercing teeth.

I adore you blindly like the idol of a jealous god, gold-bedecked

Sitting on pagan altar on a forgotten isle.

I love you with the gentleness of falling rain,

The persistence of water as it soaks deep into earth.

My love for you, as tame as a newborn puppy,

Whimpering, blind and helpless.

I adore you as I would a precious icon that adorns my wall,

Reminding me to pray each moment for your well-being.

And as you come to me like a caravel laden with precious cargo,

Spices from the Indies, perfumes of Arabia, gold and jewels

And ebony from some exotic shore – 

I am diminished and yearn to yield myself to you,

To enchain me to your sovereignty for evermore.

And as you come to me naked and unadorned,

Redolent of sweet perfume that the flowers have borrowed from you,

With soft uncombed hair whose lightness is stolen by the breeze,

I seize you and enraptured I overcome resistances,

Ravishing, conquering, enchanting and in turn being bewitched.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 488 - MILOS, GREECE

“Venus de Milo. To a child she is ugly. When a mind adjusts to thinking of her as a completeness (even though, by physiologic standards, incomplete), she is beautiful.” - Charles Fort

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Milos or Melos (Modern Greek: Μήλος, romanized: Mílos, Ancient Greek: Μῆλος, romanized: Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwestern-most island in the Cyclades group. The Venus de Milo (now in the Louvre), the Poseidon of Melos (now in the NAMA) and the Asclepius of Milos (now in the British Museum) were all found on the island, as was an archaic Apollo now in Athens.

Milos is a popular tourist destination during the summer. The municipality of Milos also includes the uninhabited offshore islands of Antimilos and Akradies. The combined land area is 160.147 square kilometres and at the 2021 census the population was 5,193 inhabitants.

The position of Milos, between mainland Greece and Crete, and its possession of obsidian (a volcanic glass), made it an important centre of early Aegean civilisation. Milos lost its arms-making importance when bronze became the preferred material for the manufacture of weapons, instead of obsidian.

While Milos is a lesser-known island within the extremely popular Cyclades archipelago, it has grown in popularity as a vacation destination in the past several decades. With its traditional Greek architecture, slower pace compared to Santorini and Mykonos, and its various excellent beaches, it provides a relaxed, sun-drenched, family-friendly and hospitable holiday destination.

RENEWAL

"Words are the source of misunderstandings" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, ‘Le Petit Prince’

This poem of mine is part of the Poets and Storytellers United meme: “I do not think it means what you think it means”.

Renewal

Even if Winter’s cold will burn the blades of grass,

The roots beneath the soil abide their time,

Their sleeping juices waiting for the call of Spring.

Grief and black melancholy may overtake us,

But if the heart still beats strong, there’s hope

And life will ease the sorrow.

Even if flesh is cut and blood is lost,

The living force within the tissue swells,

It heals, it scars, regenerates the damaged parts.

The cheap betrayals, all the petty squabbles,

Will wash over a generous soul that still believes

In human goodness, kindness, love.

Even if leafless twigs look dead, covered in snow,

The swelling buds throng with green energy

And the promised flowers await the beckoning of longer days.

Separation, long silences, lost intimacies and misunderstandings

Will all evaporate, as the renewed bonds are forged,

Now stronger than before.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 487 - VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

“In a meadow full of flowers, you cannot walk through and breathe those smells and see all those colours and remain angry. We have to support the beauty, the poetry, of life.” - Jonas Mekas 

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
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Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Vilnius is the capital of and largest city in Lithuania and the most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population was 607,404, and the Vilnius urban area (which extends beyond the city limits) has an estimated population of 747,864. Vilnius is notable for the architecture of its Old Town, considered one of Europe's largest and best-preserved old towns. The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The architectural style known as Vilnian Baroque is named after the city, which is farthest to the east among Baroque cities and the largest such city north of the Alps.
The city was noted for its multicultural population during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with contemporary sources comparing it to Babylon. Before World War II and the Holocaust, Vilnius was one of Europe's most important Jewish centres. Its Jewish influence has led to its being called "the Jerusalem of Lithuania", and Napoleon called it "the Jerusalem of the North" when he passed through in 1812.

Vilnius was a 2009 European Capital of Culture with Linz in Austria. In 2021, the city was named one of fDi's 25 Global Cities of the Future. Vilnius is considered a global financial centre, ranked 76th globally and 29th in Europe on the Global Financial Centres Index. The city is an important centre for the global fintech industry. It hosted the 2023 NATO Summit. In 2025 Vilnius was the European Green Capital. Vilnius is a member of Eurocities and the Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).

Since its independence from USSR in 1991, Vilnius has become a modern European city. Its territory has been expanded with three acts since 1990, incorporating urban areas, villages, hamlets, and the city of Grigiškės. Most historic buildings have been renovated and a business and commercial area became the New City Centre, the main administrative and business district on the north side of the river Neris. The area includes modern residential and retail space, with the municipal building and the 148.3m Europa Tower one of its most prominent buildings.
 

TRAVEL TUESDAY 486 - TALINN, ESTONIA

“Small nations have no time for small goals - they have to think big in order to become contributors.” - Kersti Kaljulaid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kersti_Kaljulaid

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of about 461,000 (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju maakond (county). Tallinn is the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Estonia. It is located 187 km northwest of the country's second largest city, Tartu; however, only 80 km south of Helsinki, Finland, also 320 km west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, 300 km north of Riga, Latvia, and 380 km east of Stockholm, Sweden. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, Tallinn was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name Reval.

Due to the strategic location by the sea, its medieval port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries, when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. Tallinn Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, Tallinn had the highest number of startup companies per person among all capitals and larger cities in Europe. Tallinn is the birthplace of many international high-technology companies, including Skype and Wise. The city is home to the headquarters of the European Union's IT agency, and to the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. In 2007, Tallinn was listed among the top-10 digital cities in the world, and in 2022, Tallinn was listed among the top-10 "medium-sized European cities of the future”.

MY NEW NOVEL

My new novel "The Nursing Home" has been published and is available on Amazon. I've been told by several people that it's a good read :-)

TRAVEL TUESDAY 485 - RIGA, LATVIA

“If you can’t see, follow your nose.” - Latvian Proverb

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Riga is the capital, the primate, and the largest city of Latvia. Home to 605,273 inhabitants, the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 860,142 (as of 2023). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers 307.17 km2 and lies 1–10 m above sea level on a flat and sandy plain.

Riga was founded in 1201, and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship, and the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in 2006, 2021, and 2023. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named as the European Region of Gastronomy.

Riga has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau buildings in the world, with at least 800 buildings. This is due to the fact that at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when Art Nouveau was at the height of its popularity, Riga experienced an unprecedented financial and demographic boom. In the period from 1857 its population grew from 282,000 (256,200 in Riga itself and another 26,200 inhabitants beyond the city limits in the patrimonial district and military town of Ust-Dvinsk) to 472,100 in 1913. The middle class of Riga used their acquired wealth to build imposing apartment blocks outside the former city walls. Local architects, mostly graduates of Riga Technical University, adopted current European movements and in particular Art Nouveau. Between 1910 and 1913, between 300 and 500 new buildings were built each year in Riga, many of them in Art Nouveau style and most of them outside the old town.

In 2019, Riga received over 1.4 million foreign visitors. The city is served by Riga International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the Baltic States. Riga is a member of Eurocities, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).

TRAVEL TUESDAY 484 - PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS

“Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius.” - Mark Twain

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

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Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos shoals). The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis (see photo). The country spans 2,040 square kilometres and has an exclusive economic zone covering 2,300,000 square kilometres.

Given its geographic location and colonial past, the people of Mauritius are diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and faith. It is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the most practised religion. Indo-Mauritians make up the bulk of the population with significant Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian minorities. The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system with Mauritius highly ranked for economic and political freedom. The Economist Democracy Index ranks Mauritius as the only country in Africa with full democracy.

Mauritius ranks 72nd (high) in the Human Development Index and the World Bank classifies it as a high-income economy. It is amongst the most competitive and most developed economies in the African region. The country is a welfare state. The government provides free universal health care, free education up through the tertiary level, and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled. Mauritius is consistently ranked as the most peaceful country in Africa.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 483 - ANNABA, ALGERIA

“It is true, as Sartre once wrote, referring to French Army atrocities in Algeria, that the real tragedy in our time is that any of us can be, interchangeably, victim or torturer.” - Gore Vidal

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

The St Augustin Basilica (Arabic: بازيليكا القديس أوغسطينوس; French: Basilique de Saint-Augustin) is a Catholic basilica and pro-cathedral located in Annaba, Algeria. It is dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo. Construction of the basilica began in 1881 and finished on March 29, 1900, led by Abbe Pougnet. The church was dedicated April 24, 1914 and dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo.

It was built not far from the remains of the Basilica Pacis built by Saint Augustine, where he died while the city was besieged by Vandals. The statue of St. Augustine in the basilica contains one of his arm bones. It is under the circumscription of the Diocese of Constantine.

The Basilica was built with Stones imported from France. Its Carrara marble, breathtaking stained glass and massive arches depict Roman, Byzantine and Moorish architecture style influences.

Augustine of Hippo (Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. His many important works include “The City of God”, “On Christian Doctrine”, and “Confessions”.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 482 - SIDI BOU SAID, TUNISIA

“I think Tunisia has a specific place in the Arab world and in Africa because it is a tiny Muslim country, but it's very open minded. It's the first country to start the Arab Spring, for example.” - Kenza Fourati

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.
Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Sidi Bou Said (Arabic: سيدي بو سعيد) is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km northeast from the capital, Tunis. Named after a religious figure who lived there, Abu Said al-Baji, it was previously called Jbel el-Menar. The town itself is a tourist attraction and is known for its extensive use of blue and white. It can be reached by a TGM train, which runs from Tunis to La Marsa.

In the 12th century/13th century AD Abu Said Ibn Khalaf Yahya al-Tamimi al-Beji arrived in the village of Jabal el-Menar and established a sanctuary. After his death in 1231, he was buried there. In the 18th century wealthy citizens of Tunis built residences in Sidi Bou Said. During the 1920s, Rodolphe d'Erlanger introduced the blue-white theme to the town. His home, Ennejma Ezzahra, is now a museum that has a collection of musical instruments, and organises concerts of classical and Arabic music.

Sidi Bou Said has a reputation as a town of artists. Artists who have lived in or visited Sidi Bou Said include famous occultist Aleister Crowley, Paul Klee, Gustave-Henri Jossot, August Macke and Louis Moillet. Tunisian artists in Sidi Bou Said are members of École de Tunis (painting school of Tunis), such as Yahia Turki, Brahim Dhahak and Ammar Farhat. French philosopher Michel Foucault lived there for a number of years while teaching at the University of Tunis. French author Andre Gide also had a house in the town. French singer Patrick Bruel sang about Sidi Bou Said, specifically about Café des Délices, in his song Au Café des Délices in his 1999 album Juste Avant.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 481 - AJANTA CAVES, INDIA

“Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.” - The Buddha

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

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The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in India. Ajanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Universally regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, the caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form.

The caves were built in two phases, the first starting around the second century BCE and the second occurring from 400 to 650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480 CE according to later scholarship. The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries (Viharas) and worship-halls (Chaityas) of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre wall of rock.

The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura's Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities. Textual records suggest that these caves served as a monsoon retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. While vivid colours and mural wall paintings were abundant in Indian history as evidenced by historical records, Caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 of Ajanta form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-paintings.

Shown in the photo above is the interior of Ajanta chaitya hall, in Cave 26. The inscriptions include a vision statement and the aim to make: “A memorial on the mountain that will endure for as long as the moon and the sun continue to shine.” The sculptures in Cave 26 are elaborate and more intricate than those in other caves. It is among the last caves excavated, and an inscription suggests it was built in the late 5th or early 6th century.

The Ajanta Caves are threatened by a number of factors, including water damage, biological effects, and human activity. These factors have caused significant deterioration to the cave paintings and sculptures, and have compromised structural integrity of the caves.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 480 - SON DOONG CAVE, VIETNAM

"I'd rather live in a cave with a view of a palace than live in a palace with a view of a cave."  Karl Pilkington

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

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Sơn Đoòng cave (Vietnamese: hang Sơn Đoòng), in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam, is the world's largest natural cave. Located near the Laos–Vietnam border, Hang Sơn Đoòng has an internal, fast-flowing subterranean river and the largest cross-section of any cave, worldwide, believed to be twice that of the next-largest passage. It is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume.

Its name, Hang Sơn Đoòng, is variously translated from Vietnamese as "cave of the mountain river" or "cave of mountains behind Đoòng village”. As a solutional cave, it was formed in soluble limestone and is believed to be between 2 and 5 million years old.

The cave contains some of the tallest known stalagmites in the world, which are up to 80 m tall Behind the ‘Great Wall of Vietnam’ were found cave pearls the size of baseballs, an abnormally large size. The cave's interior is so large that it could fit an entire New York block inside, including skyscrapers, or could have a Boeing 747 fly through it without its wings touching either side.

The entrance to Hang Sơn Đoòng was found in 1991 by a local man named Hồ Khanh, while searching for agarwood, a valuable timber. Although he initially went to investigate further, he was discouraged upon approach by the sound of rushing water and the strong wind issuing from the entrance. Not thinking it to be of any great importance, by the time he returned to his home, he had forgotten the exact location of the entrance. Later, he mentioned his discovery in passing to two members of the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), who were exploring in the local area. They asked him to attempt to rediscover the entrance, which he eventually managed to do in 2008, and in 2009, he led an expedition from the BCRA to the entrance.