Friday 21 July 2017

Shaken not stirred


I could say 'this morning I am picking up the pieces after last night's 6.3  (or 6.8 depending which report you read) earthquake'. It wouldn't be a lie - a large iron candle stick fell over and broke this plate, so I do have some pieces to collect (and re-stick -because my mother gave it to me and I use it a lot) but I would be egging the pudding. Any earthquake measuring over 6 is of course bad news; It is very scary, especially types that try to pull the walls of your house apart and approach with a roar.  It took a while for my heartbeat to return to normal and I stayed outside counting the aftershocks.  After a few minutes, thanks to Facebook, I could relax in the knowledge that friends and family were unharmed but two people did lose their lives on the island of Kos. The change in sea level damaged plenty of boats, cars and property and a few mosques have fallen or have damaged minarets. I'm sure many people have more bits and pieces to pick up and mend than I do.  I hear from a friend that one can almost get drunk from the fumes wafting from the swanky alcohol shop on Bodrum's harbour front (order wider shelves now). The roads are jammed with folk heading back to the cities. Now this does confuse me - you flee a town which has just survived a major earthquake mainly due to its policy of building two storey structures, for a city with skyscrapers - also built on a fault line. Each to his own.  BUT the gist of this ramble is - everything is pretty much ok, which is why waking up to this headline makes me angry:

Screen shot from Daily Mail 22/7

Like my broken plate, it is not untrue but I find it totally disproportionate.  I was on Marmara Island in 1999 when an earthquake killed tens of thousands - That was a 'Killer Earthquake".  And just to be correct - it hit the Aegean not the Mediterranean. But I understand that they are both difficult words to spell, so in the middle of the night 'Med' was probably the easiest option.

We are still rumbling by the way.

34 comments:

  1. So true Annie - the UK press seem to have gone into 'shock and awe' mode ... a shame about your plate but I'm sure it will look fine when mended ... we all seem to get a few cracks with age ...

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    1. I need some of that gold glue to mend in the Japanese way

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  2. recommend the new pattex 'jelly' superglue. Less messy and easier to use

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  3. Martha K S Patrick21 July 2017 at 05:47

    Thanks, Annie. Appreciate your update. Had been thinking of getting a Kintsugi set while here in US and am happy to share my stash to mend your treasured plate.

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  4. I am glad that all is well with you...plate apart...but the misreporting in the British press is not going to hgelp the tourist trade at all.

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    1. I shouldn't even open the rag up on my computer but My mother reads it and the headline gave her a fright - even though I had messaged to say I was ok.

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  5. Always scary, even if they are only small ones like we get here sometimes. Glad you are unscathed and hope the aftershocks subside soon. Axxx

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    1. Earthquakes are something we put up with in order to live in a nice place

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  6. Geçmiş olsun! Glad you are OK.

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  7. Glad you only suffered a broken plate, albeit a treasured one. As for the flee-ers - madness really.

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  8. Glad you're safe, Annie, though sorry your plate needs some TLC. I wouldn't trust the Daily Mail to report accurately on a vicarage tea-party. They once wrote about the beach at Welshpool (local to us in Mid-Wales) which is a mere 50 miles from the coast.

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    1. In thıs artıcle they had Muğla ( very inland) by the sea

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  9. I read about the quake on the BBC. I'm glad that you're ok :) As for the Daily Wail, a sense of proportion has never been their strong point.

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    1. We are stıll shaking, but very blaze about a 4.5 rumble now

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  10. I'm also quşte angry about the Mail reporting, butit's what we've come to expect from this trashy excuse for a newspaper. I also find it quite disturbing to hear of people making themselves safe when they were hundreds of kilometers away from Bodrum and fast asleep. Some people just thrive on drama I guess xx

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    1. I think 'marking oneself safe' is tempting fate so I don't do it

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  11. Or maybe you can make a wonderful mosaic with all your broken pieces.

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    1. It would only be wonderful if you made it

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  12. Glad to hear you and Esi are ok. As for the Daily Fail it is the worst paper in the UK, not even worthy of being called a 'newspaper' x

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  13. I am pleased to learn that you and your home are safe but it is a shame about your pretty Portmerion plate especially as it came from your mother.
    Journalist always exaggerate everything - I couldn't understand why everyone was flocking to the airport to return home and cutting their holidays short.

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    1. I can't understand it either and wonder if it is even true.

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  14. So glad you're OK - I thought of you as soon as I heard about the 'quake. We've stayed in Gundogan once some years ago and visited Bodrum, and prior to that had several holidays on Kos (on the South-Western end, and loved it) and one on Samos, during which we had a day trip to Patmos and discovered when we got back that they'd had a earthquake while we were away - all we noticed was a bit of a rough sea for a short while, but nothing to write home about! Hope you don't get any serious aftershocks in the next few days. Don't the 'red top' rags always exaggerate news - particularly the 'Wail' and the 'Sun'!!
    All good wishes from mid-Wales. Helva (blog reader via Perpetua, a good friend)

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    1. Thanks for joining in Halva. Let me know if you holiday nearby again. We could meet for coffee and talk about blogs we follow.

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    2. What can one expect from the Daily Mail!

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  15. Merhaba dear Annie, so good to hear all is well - sorry to hear about the plate but knowing you, I know you'll do a grand job repairing it beautifully. Hats off to Bodrum and its solid construction and recovering so well, I am totally with you. I was in Istanbul at the 1999 earthquake that certainly was a very nasty one with incredible loses. Bodrum deserves to be applaud for recovering so well and for us, certainly the place to be. We so look forward to being back in early Aug and really, really look forward to seeing you, hope you will be in Bodrum? Let's touch base - cok sevgiler, cok gecmis olsun, Ozlem xoxo Ozlem

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  16. Years ago I lived through a big quake here in California, very frightening and many buildings downtown collapsed. I am glad you are ok. That is a pretty plate that broke, can it be repaired? Those headlines are meant to draw in readers!

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    1. I'm surprised how the buildings here stood up to the power of the quake.

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  17. B to B, So glad all is well and that you have the sense to stay put and glue your plate. Heaven knows, don't come this way! BTW, the Daily Mail does have a proper place as my go-to place when a scandal has broken out and I can't get the juicy details elsewhere.

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    1. Lets hope all the rebuilding in Istanbul will prove itself when a quake hits the city

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