Wishing ...

There was some news from the BBC this morning about clashes between police and protesters in Ankara last night. It was a little distance away from the hotel where I am staying so I wasn't aware of it. However, given the police presence I witnessed yesterday after, the news didn't come as a surprise.

A day of preparation for workshops I am running on Monday & Tuesday. However, I did take some time off to revisit the protest camp nearby.

If anything, it seems to have grown in the past couple of days. There are certainly more tents all neatly pitched next to the paths. There is now a 'bookstore' where books are being donated; just take one away for a donation. The 'market' has grown and you can now buy T-shirts and the kindness continues with someone handing out rosettes to wear to show solidarity with the protest movement. And, of course, there were folk there who were just curious, including myself. And all generations were there.

Hanging from one tree are strands of string to which handwritten notes have been attached. It is a 'wish' tree for people to post their wishes for the future. I suspect many will not be complementary about the current government.

Images of Ataturk remain prominent - see yesterday's blip. One protestor was hanging a framed photograph on a tree near a collection of tents.

I decided on the wish tree shot for today's blip. In an age of twitter and facebook and live video feeds to the web, personal, handwritten wishes attached to string hanging on a tree carries great significance.