Dear readers, I’m letting you know that after some soul searching, Life in a Cold climate is taking a week-long pause. It will be a very tough week at work and I’ll also be travelling most of the time, so writing and posting would be complicated. I could probably make it work if I really, really tried and didn’t sleep much (I managed to post through the Greek crisis, after all, so I know it can be done), but frankly, recent events in Beirut, Paris and elsewhere have left me with no enthusiasm for blogging. I’m sure it’ll return, but I don’t want to force myself to post.

I’m leaving you with something beautiful until I return: Bozar in Brussels has an exhibition about the history of Anatolia, a place I’ve always found fascinating. The exhibition is somewhat confusingly structured, but definitely worth seeing, if you have an interest in the past. Or in the present, for that matter. It is telling how all the cultures, all the religions that have inhabited this place, have kept returning to the same themes, same questions, same answers even, occasionally. But I don’t want to get too philosophical, I just want to show you these pretty Turkish ceramic bowls that I bought. They are handmade in traditional patterns, but more importantly, they are joyful and that’s what I need right now.

See you next Monday.