I thought today I’d talk a bit about one of my prevailing images of Kephrath – the women’s plants beside the doors of their households. Back in September last year I dwelt on the matrilineal nature of the society there – inheritance of the house passes down the line of daughters rather than sons.

Today I want to remember one of the major sources of inspiration for the household plants – a trip we took around the Greek Cyclades Islands several years ago now. The streets in most of these islands are extremely striking – bright white walls, pale stone… and vividly coloured plants growing up the walls and stretching overhead. Now, I don’t think they carry the same symbolic value as the household plants do in Kephrath, but they are certainly a spectacular sight that has stayed with me. So when I was looking for something that would neatly represent the beauty and fertility of a household, these Greek island plants came to mind.

Other news this week – I finally got around to writing up my review of Iain M Banks’ The Hydrogen Sonata, which can be found on Amazon and Goodreads now. I actually read this over the Easter holiday but the sad news of his terminal illness broke just after I had finished it, and it seemed appropriate to hold off for a while. The review manages to get a quick mention of a Star Trek TNG episode (Night Terrors, for keen and curious fans) as well as a few other bits and pieces…