Why the Little White Donkey?
My husband's grandmother, before she departed to the Great Kafeneion Beyond (where, in a reversal of traditional roles, the women get to sit around all day gossiping and playing with worry beads while men do the daily work that matters), said to her grandson: "That land you have with frontage on the main road is a treasure... Set up a coffee-shop there and call it The Little White Donkey. It will become a magnet, and will do well as a business."
We registered the name in her honour, but the building remains unconstructed. Until we lay the foundations, this Virtual Coffee Shop is all that we have. Come in, sit down, order a brew, share a yarn... If you prefer, just flip your beads in the shadows.
Let me introduce the main characters: me, the forty-something main protagonist; and Best Beloved, my husband. We have four children: Alex (17), Sophia (16), Zenon (11), and Leo (9). Our three legged cat is called Stumpy and the somewhat neurotic foundling dog, Sputnik. BB's parents live next door: Mili (Mother-in-law), Phil (father-in-law). Just down the road is Bill (Brother in Law!) and his wife, (you guessed it...), Sil. Li'l Bro (BB's younger brother) lives in Vienna with his two sons, Phillipp and Timi, and is recently married to Bridie (who lives in Brussles). Other characters appear and disappear from time to time, with appropriate explanations.
Stories surround me up here. A web of them extends through and around my immediate family to the extended family and out into the wider community. Cyprus is experiencing such changes! People flood in from all over Europe -- all over the world. Society is changing, the landscape is changing, the climate is changing. The affects of change touch all of us, cause conflict and upheaval, forge new bonds, create new stories. The stories cry to be shared: they form a collective portrait of our lives today.
And Asproulla? The Cypriot dialect feminine diminutive for White... Besides, there's a ring to it that I like.
My husband's grandmother, before she departed to the Great Kafeneion Beyond (where, in a reversal of traditional roles, the women get to sit around all day gossiping and playing with worry beads while men do the daily work that matters), said to her grandson: "That land you have with frontage on the main road is a treasure... Set up a coffee-shop there and call it The Little White Donkey. It will become a magnet, and will do well as a business."
We registered the name in her honour, but the building remains unconstructed. Until we lay the foundations, this Virtual Coffee Shop is all that we have. Come in, sit down, order a brew, share a yarn... If you prefer, just flip your beads in the shadows.
Let me introduce the main characters: me, the forty-something main protagonist; and Best Beloved, my husband. We have four children: Alex (17), Sophia (16), Zenon (11), and Leo (9). Our three legged cat is called Stumpy and the somewhat neurotic foundling dog, Sputnik. BB's parents live next door: Mili (Mother-in-law), Phil (father-in-law). Just down the road is Bill (Brother in Law!) and his wife, (you guessed it...), Sil. Li'l Bro (BB's younger brother) lives in Vienna with his two sons, Phillipp and Timi, and is recently married to Bridie (who lives in Brussles). Other characters appear and disappear from time to time, with appropriate explanations.
Stories surround me up here. A web of them extends through and around my immediate family to the extended family and out into the wider community. Cyprus is experiencing such changes! People flood in from all over Europe -- all over the world. Society is changing, the landscape is changing, the climate is changing. The affects of change touch all of us, cause conflict and upheaval, forge new bonds, create new stories. The stories cry to be shared: they form a collective portrait of our lives today.
And Asproulla? The Cypriot dialect feminine diminutive for White... Besides, there's a ring to it that I like.
Hello Asproulla,
ReplyDeleteI am an Assistant Producer on the latest series of a BBC travel and property television series. In the programme, we show potential house buyers a line-up of “best fit” properties in their ideal European escape and we also showcase specific cultural or heritage highlights of the region we’re searching in.
Every programme features a 5 minute short film where we introduce the couple we are helping house hunt, to a pair of British expats who have already moved to their desired country!
I am currently planning an episode that will be based in Cyprus and would like to speak to British expats living on the island. I have seen your blog and you clearly have had some fantastic experiences since moving! It would be great to speak to you about what it is like living in Cyprus and any advice or guidance that you might have.
I would be really grateful to have the opportunity to speak to you about this further. If it sounds like something you would be happy discuss, please email me at Katie.harris@boundlessproductions.tv.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I hope to be able to speak to you soon.
Best wishes,
Katie