Life in the kitchen was just as frustrating. I could not use a knife (my left hand wasn’t sufficiently dexterous) so it was impossible to chop vegetables, spread butter or even cut a piece of cheese. Attempts to make an omelette ended in chaos, tearing plastic was hellish so I resorted to my teeth and trying to open a bag of vacuum-packed coffee reduced me to tears…
I awoke, three hours later, incredibly groggy and horribly nauseous; I could see that my wrist was re-plastered and tied to a metal pole next to my bed (it needed to be kept strictly vertical, apparently). The pain was sickening…I moaned out for water, then began babbling incoherently. Steve, a veteran friend, later described the scene as having stumbled on a crack-addict in her drug den…
“Yep - it’s a bad break” said the ER doctor, 15 minutes later as he ushered in a nurse to my cubicle. In her hand she held a syringe of morphine. Well, at least that was something. She shot the sweet liquid into my mouth and within a few seconds I felt my body relax. Dazed and giddy, I vaguely heard the doctor begin speaking…
Even so, it doesn’t take long for me to find my groove and, soon, a small group has gathered around me. I switch from Gershwin to Scott Joplin, then Chopin and onto Beethoven. Then a couple of pop classics, followed by some classic Elton John. I’m completely engrossed in the music, caught up in the thrill of sitting at a piano again and delighting at what my fingers can do at the keys.
I could spend weeks in Trastevere with my camera - every street is a joy, with ochre coloured walls and shutters, flower boxes, coffee shops, grafitti and blue skies at every turn. It’s a photographer’s dream, that much I know. Here are a few of my favourites, taken in the winter and spring of 2019…
As an editor and writer, and a woman who is constantly travelling, I have come to appreciate the joy of email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Wikipedia and how it keeps me close to those I love, in whatever far flung part of the globe they reside. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t have regular pangs of nostalgia, for landlines, libraries and - most of all - letter-writing…
According to archaeologists, it is not that easy to date the Treasury precisely since there are few inscriptions or ceramic evidence left but their best working assumption is that because of its important location (the foot of the Siq) it was a tomb for the Nabatean King Aretas IV (who reigned from 9B CE to 40 CE…
Petra’s ‘Siq’ is a gorge which stretches for over a kilometre, and consists of extraordinary rock formations that soar high and turn the sandstone all kinds of colours, according to the time of the day At certain points the gorge is so narrow, almost no light can come in. At other points, the warm sun turns the rocks rrange, red, brown and rose-coloured. Astonishing.
