healingwords: poetry for the soul

On 1 st February the European Parliament held a hearing into citizen’s rights after Brexit where representatives of the 3 million EU citizens living in UK and the million UK residents of European member states gave evidence along with many others involved in the debate including MEPs and Commission representatives.  I was sorry not to be able to attend this hearing and am grateful to all who spoke of the disenfranchisement of UK citizens living in Europe (and beyond) who lose their vote after 15 years and thus had no vote in the referendum or the General Election. Despite years of promises neither the Government or opposition have put forward any new proposals to remedy this situation which is now even more urgent as the calls for a referendum on the final Brexit deal or the possibility of another General Election grow every day. In a situation where we are facing being stripped of our rights as European citizens it is even more unjust that we were given no say in ...

My last ten years in Spain have been dominated by politics both local and national. In 2007 I was elected as a Councillor  with the CDP in Parcent.  (Democratic coalition of Parcent). We gained control of the Town Hall just before the crisis, when the building boom in Spain was at its height. This had an impact in the building plans for the village which I have written about on this blog (Sierra de Carrascal) but speculative building projects were going ahead all over Spain. People were being encouraged to buy hugely overpriced properties on the promise it was an unfailing investment, lent money they could ill afford, put savings into unsecured share schemes that went bust with the banks. The Town Halls and Regional Governments were spending income they didn’t have, encouraging the building boom and profiting from it (both legally and illicitly) and building up massive levels of unsustainable debt. In 2007 we could see this happening, immediately acted to reduce our Town Hal...

Whilst coming to terms with my own stormy personality I find solace in the changing moods and seasons of nature. I empathise with the sadness of a cloudy, grey day and feel brightened by the bright, blue light of a Spanish sky. Wind moves me, both agitating and invigorating.  Rain refreshes, nurtures the baked ground and washes away my tears as it cleanses the dusty air.  Whilst we wait for the storms of winter to pass I retain the hope of longer days, flowering blooms, the coming of the light and lightening of mood. All things must pass, as in Seasons, life.  AFTER THE STORM The brooding sky darkens as  hostile clouds shroud the hills, snuffing out summer sun's last dance.  Wrathful winds howl their ire, in mournful seduction as field mice sneak through forgotten cracks seeking shelter in warm kitchens, a quiet refuge to while out the rage. As cleansing rains nurture the parched earth for winter's sleep we weather the storm,  ...