Pull Up a Chair!

A sunny day down an old market in the Monastiraki district of Athens a couple of weeks ago provided a real tonic for the soul and the spirit.

There's something about that city that manages to energise me every time I go for a visit.

The chaos, the bustle and fuss invigorates.

The freedom to roam round for hours on end and still never be more than a foot or two away from whatever it is you need liberates the mind and stirs the whistle in my throat.

I reckon too that this eternal city is one of the last remaining towns in Europe whose centre hasn't been gentrified to within an inch of its life and such outrageous and unsightly things as entire streets lined with scruffy old shops and market stalls selling any old junk you can think off haven't yet been flattened in favour of the usual global behemoths, soulless coffee shops, lifeless bars and fake 'street food' kiosks.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time until it goes the way of all the others but until that time, I'll certainly be going back for ...

More soon ...

No, not one of my gigs!

Sandcastles

So we head into the final quarter of the year, the blue days and the black nights. I've never been a fan of the departure of the light but it came earlier than I expected last night, this on account of being away for the previous two weeks, and knocked me for six. The darkness creeps up to a point and then it pounces.

A person's sensitivity (i.e. mine!) to the passing of time is most strongly felt when on holiday. When you are enjoying yourself against the clock, the feeling of transience is heightened and that same feeling demands instant reflection, a visceral reaction, when it strikes. Time flies. Butterflies.

No matter who you are, I'd wager that it's impossible to be a constant bundle of delight - even in the glorious sunlight.

But I'd still rather be blue and in the sun than black and out of it!

A picture I took last week has since transformed into a metaphor for time and ...

More soon ...

 I'll leave the caption to you!