I was recently emailing a friend who's on her way to live here. I described Pointe-Noire as a 'grey, flat shabby town'. I stopped to ask myself if I was being ungenerous. Well, no. Sometimes it seems like half the sites in town are either in the process of being built (a very positive thing)… Continue reading Getting Out Of Town
Author: Catriona
I’m in the wrong country today…
...because it's Shakespeare's birthday, and the 400th anniversary of his death. This year all sorts of events are taking place across the UK, not just in Stratford-upon-Avon or in London, where President Obama was welcomed today at the Globe Theatre. And not even just in the UK - tonight, in cinemas in Europe and other… Continue reading I’m in the wrong country today…
Am I Actually A Writer?
I had to answer this question a few days ago. I was on my way out of a creative writing workshop I'd opportunistically attended, one of a series that formed part of the 'Aye Write' book festival in Glasgow (there can be no better name for a Glasgow-based literary festival). Despite my usual resolution before… Continue reading Am I Actually A Writer?
Congo Sketch – Departure Lounge
Barely an African-looking face amongst them, cheeks bump in constant cheery bisous. Every couple of minutes another healthily glowing French family emerges at the top of the stairs, smiling in anticipation, and so begins the procession of politesse as they saluer each family they know. They fan out in formation to greet colleagues and fellow school-gate… Continue reading Congo Sketch – Departure Lounge
My Northern Soul
This morning's rainy-season school run was under overcast skies, and the big drops started falling just in time for clambering out of the car. But I was having a happy moment. The heavy daylight gloom made it easy to see into lit shops, offices and apartments. The usual bright skies mean that interiors become dark… Continue reading My Northern Soul
Nested: All The Lego, Part 1
Every time I think our home has reached peak Lego, it manages to multiply some more. You would think, living here, that it would be easy to keep new toy purchases to a minimum, and even MT (proud owner of a Lego Death Star) said a couple of months back that we could bypass it this… Continue reading Nested: All The Lego, Part 1
Two Nights in Ethiopia
Last Autumn I took myself to the Ethiopian Airlines office and bought tickets for our family holiday - we were spending Christmas in the Seychelles. The most direct route from here is with Ethiopian, via Addis Ababa, with an overnight stopover each way. I briefly registered the beautiful Ethiopian language on the ticket wallets, then… Continue reading Two Nights in Ethiopia
Recreating Missé – Part Two
It's a mere 5 months since I wrote Recreating Missé - Part One, and I'm sure both of you who read it have been on tenterhooks...or more likely you dismissed me as a two-post wonder and moved on. When I wrote that post, full of inspiration and plans, I knew nevertheless that it was about to… Continue reading Recreating Missé – Part Two
How I’m Forging Ahead while Trailing
Turning 40 triggered the thought process. I couldn't escape the idea that my best decade was behind me, and that I'd spent most of it having babies and trailing Mr Nester. (Leaving aside for the moment that it was an irrational idea, and that the most important achievement of my 30s was meeting Mr Nester in… Continue reading How I’m Forging Ahead while Trailing
Congo Sketch – Waiting Room
The clinic's always busy on a Monday morning, the maladies of the weekend being called to order as the doors open. Patients sit, patiently, on long wooden benches set in schoolroom rows. Like the GP waiting room I remember from my childhood, where eyes were all raised expectantly to the number display. (I remember that waiting… Continue reading Congo Sketch – Waiting Room
Catriona Turner Books & Blog 