Connection? Don't underestimate it! Meaningful connection is the most enriching part of our lives and a lack of it is cause for much distress and quite likely the root cause of the predicament we face. When we look at the motivations, desires and priorities of humankind it is apparent that we are neurobiologically wired to be connected. It is with this knowledge that I have started hosting Connected Conversations Events here in Istanbul. There are so many of us in this amazin

How can young kids have fun without all the plastic? Here's a simple starting point for a Conscious Living Halloween. We don't do Halloween. Well, at least not until this year after the pressure of certain expectations from our 5 year old. She has been brainwashed by the American style and though we face this kind of thing head on and don't allow traditions, customs or cultural norms to prompt us into anything that sets us up for the consumerism trap or goes against our consc

A movement of multiple acts of cleaning to prompt NOT LITTERING in the first place and to instigate that as consumers we avoid single use plastic. On May the 5th we had a Clean up on the local beaches of Şile, for those who missed my post about the event this is a brief synopsis of why we bother, what we gained from trying and how we plan to take it from here. So far Turkey has been slow to pick up on the international improvement regarding littering and recycling. Some munic

The CCCC: Community Crockery and Cutlery Collection. Many of us dread having to use plastic plates and cutlery, I have made a real effort to create 'zero waste' at recent home gatherings (see my post about this) and have accumulated a fair amount of crockery and cutlery, but I am able to borrow too (and audacious enough to ask). With this in mind and in aid of facilitating the birth of a Sharing Community within Istanbul I am attempting to create a CCCC. The CCCC is a large c

The story of nature and nurture continues like an undercurrent....the irrevocable connection that makes us a part of the evolving story of this planet. Spring feels like the start of something. It tricks us with intermittent flurries of snow and days of grey, but gives rise to the yearning for summer’s nonchalant arrival. Spring is taut anticipation of the emergence of new from the old and warmth from the cold. Many of us identify the seasonal changes with transition in our l

Make Valentine's day special without the trash and the crass! OMG, it's Valentine's day tomorrow, I almost missed it! In our house we do 'romantic' everyday so Valentine's is redundant ... well... ok.. so maybe it's not exactly romance that we do, but it works for us, having said that there are never too many days of the year that we can show off our hearts to our beloved. So here are a few odd ideas that might mean you are less of a pollutant and hazard to the future of huma

Some of our most fundamental daily habits need changing is we want the world to be able to sustain us.. Those who know me can testify that there's not much that can get between me and my tea. It's a 5 mugs a day addiction, I won't leave the house before having one and NO! I won't give up on having milk in it! Having lived almost 30 years here in Turkey (1) and still managing to maintain this quintessential British idiosyncrasy I feel I have proven my stance on this one. Howev

A Zero Waste progress report. So if you read my post* about my planned party held last month you may have wondered just how possible it is to hold a party for 65 and how close to Zero Waste I could get. So hear is a break down of what I used and how successful I was... or was not. I personally have learnt a lot from this and am now even more intent to do better during the year, my next party will be a few steps closer to setting a good example, but for now I'd like you to tak

A year has passed since I wrote this and though my party plans for the season are less ambitious in terms of number of guests, my enthusiasm and dedication for living in a zero waste world are unremitting. So for those of you who missed this the first time around, here is my take on a festive season and party preparation that is in alignment to Conscious Living and that doesn't leave a flood of trash in its wake. Transitioning towards a zero waste home is an up hill, but sati

If you have a problem with something; litter on your street, a pile of debris from the neighbour's tree cuttings, broken street lamp, around here it might be a pile of cow dung* at your gate, or whatever it is, don't just moan about it. Deal with it! First of all become aware of your surroundings and see if there are things that annoy you, don't let subliminal irritations eat at you. Then figure out what you can do about it. Near our house we have a few major problems, the fi

My breakfast. So it's happened. I'm blogging about my breakfast. I knew this was a slippery slope but had no idea I'd go down hill so fast, but in my defence there are some exonerating factors: Have I mentioned my garden? It's south facing, not huge but fertile (loads of organic manure saw to that) and since we planted it in the spring it's been chucking tomatoes and aubergines and peppers at us. Our cucumbers and courgettes were a fail, we live and learn. The lady I bo

Kas Local market. What abundance and what fun! Local produce and the bustle of people both shopping and enjoying the chance meetings that the pazar provides. I bumped into some very dear, old friends, memories sweet and bitter mingled with the smells of olives, cheese and honey. Spices displayed open air and the tang of fruits and vegetables freshly picked or uprooted and put out on display half shaded from the sun. If you haven't been to a local market in Turkey