Swedish wedding

I first met Anna in November 2005 in Dhaka Bangladesh and to then be a guest at her wedding almost 10 years later was certainly a wonderful honour. Anna and I were not instant friends but within a few short months we were kindred spirits. We travelled all over Asia and Europe together and shared so many adventures while living in Bangladesh. When I think back over some of my toughest moments in Dhaka I always see Anna by my side getting me through. After leaving the desh we made a point of keeping in touch seeing each other a couple of times a year in Falun, Stockholm, Oslo, Carcassonne, Beijing and Dublin. Never did our friendship falter and never did distance cause us to run out of things to say or share.
I met Nikolas for the first time at Dara's wedding in Lebanon in 2012 and instantly liked him - I could not have imagined a more perfect partner for my dearest Anna and his love and attention to her was obvious to all. I visited them in their new home in December 2012 and was made so welcome despite the -16 degree temperatures outside! My excitement could not be contained when in April 2013 Anna and HC came to Dublin to visit me and Anna told us about the creation of the future Mr. Ellis Glover. Distance has increased as I moved my life over to the West Pacific coast and Vancouver and it is not always easy to Skype or keep in contact as much as we would like, but such a friendship will survive any distance.
The past 5 months have been the most challenging I have ever faced and as my broken heart slowly begins to heal I will reflect on this time with mixed emotions but the one event that will always shine as a beacon of joy and life will be the Glover-Gren wedding on the 9th of August. Dara, Tarek, Pete and I stayed in a wonderful apartment just around the corner from where I had first stayed in Stockholm in July 2007. We were treated to fabulous weather a gratifying change to the cold and rain of the Emerald Isle. The warmth of the weather was matched only by the warmth of everyone we met over the course of the three days. I had met most of Anna's close Swedish friends over the years but was touched by how they engaged with me as if we were old friends welcoming us all. The incredible happiness at being reunited with many Dhaka friends some of whom I had not seen in several years, and being able to introduce them to Pete and have him meet so many people I had talked about.
The day itself brought wonderful sunshine and warmth, perfect for the joyous ceremony outside on a hill overlooking the city and the water. My heart was bursting with joy for Anna as she stood with Nikolas and their adorable son Ellis close by. The festivities were an introduction to the culture of a Scandinavian wedding with toast masters and the amusing addition of speeches and dramas by all guests. All the ladies who knew Anna in Bangladesh put on a sketch of some of our prominent memories of the bride while living there. There were toasts and games from all matter of guests and from different times of both their lives. Dinner was delicious - a vegetarian feast with the starter cooked by Karin Anna's mum and dessert by Nikolas's mother and sister. I had the ultimate privilege of having my meal cooked by the bride and groom - definitely a new experience for me!! We danced the night away to an international array of music as the sun came up over the Stockholm trees.
Below is a short poem I wrote for my dear friend Anna. It was such a privilege to have been a part of your special day and to continue to have you as a part of my life.

My moral friend

An endearing shyness distant at first

A matter of moments and the warmest heart

No task too large for this astounding arranger

Always a smile and a warm embrace

Take heed

A lady of strong conviction

A fair society for all

No compromises

No concessions

A friend most dear

A mother most devoted

Now a wife most contented

The moment after the I Dos

Arrival at the venue

The four of us

Cute Ellis waiting for his mum and dad

Very cool African drums leading the ceremony

  

Performing our skit of Anna's highlights in Dhaka

The Dhaka crew

Traipsing through Bilad al-Sham – a visual poem

I was lucky enough to share several adventures with Jo over the past eight years or so. She was a joy to travel with as her curiosity and interest in everyone and everything made for quite a trip. In the summer of 2010 we spent 3 weeks in Syria. It was eight months before the beginning of the protests and then the civil war. I have written this poem in memory of that trip and for all the people in Syria who have and continue to endure such pain and suffering.

Under the shadow of the minaret we indulged in the finest cuisine

An oasis courtyard filled with children's laughter

The hushed exchange of women sharing a hookah pipe

A feast for the eyes a carnival for the mouth

The Ommayed mosque in Damascus

Sunlight creeps through the aged French bullet holes

The world's oldest covered souk

In a stall an array of coloured head scarfs

In the next a jolly man with a forbidden treasure of novelty women's underwear

Spices by the bucketful to tease even the most bland of pallets

The styles of headgear 

Novelty ladies panties

Wandering the streets of the old city

All the ancient religions colliding

Churches flanked in ancient Aramaic

Mosques decorated in calligraphic Islamic art

A calm corner housing a synagogue

A time when differences coexisted

Places lost in time in the womb of the old city

Traditional Syrian coffee

Spices

The original bike panniers

Saint Paul upon the hill drinking in the wonder of Damascus

We gazed upon it 2000 years later a dusty gem in the valley

Houses crawling up the valley walls a crescendoing city

An ancient crossroads excluded from the contemporary stage

A day excursion to a city of old

Built by men from a distant land

A wonder in a desert setting

Towering columns and intricate carvings

An amphitheatre the keeper of echoes of performances past

The symmetry of architectural wonder a connection to peoples long forgotten

Halls of Palmyra

Palmyra's amphitheatre

A stop on the silk route evident in the faces of the vendors

A freckled red head who claims descent from James Joyce

The covered market protected illuminating with it's timelessness

The Barron Hotel the resting place in Aleppo of Lawrence of Arabia and Agatha Christie

Rooms and pictures which have seen better days but exuberating images of brighter times

A whiskey on the terrace overlooking the street reflecting on a kaleidoscopic land

Citadel in Aleppo

UNESCO heritage site - Aleppo's souk

The Barron Hotel Aleppo

Onwards to the border to the land of the Turks

Leaving a land a people I hold now only in my memory

Ravaged by war enemies within and foreign born

Lives destroyed families shattered society melting

Memories I once shared with you I treasure in my minds-eye

Jo's love of books and good coffee