ADJUSTING OUR FOCUS AGAIN!

We are back in Ireland almost a month.  Our first 4 days were spent with our daughter in Dublin and the following Friday we traveled by train from Heuston station to Cork.  We were pleasantly surprised with a full day of sunshine and the back garden still held some autumn colour.  

However, It took me about 2 weeks to adjust to the drop in temperatures.  We had prepared some firewood in the garage during the summer and this was a welcome sight on our return.  Mr. D. lit the new stove and we basked in the warmth. It didn't take long for the rain to return. I've become quite accurate in judging time between the showers and cycling to the supermarket.  So far, I've managed to get drenched on only two occasions.

 It didn't take long for our wood supply to burn out so the search was on for a firewood supplier.  I found several on the internet but to my surprise they were all extremely busy and none were local.  They couldn't guarantee a delivery for at least a week and some said I was too far away! I eventually found a young man in Mallow, north Cork who was happy to supply a trailer load. It took him one hour to drive to our house but he was kind enough to help unload the logs. He also agreed, at a price, to cut up some large logs which we had in the front garden since the summer.  They were far to big for our little hand saw. You can see them here beside my bicycle. They are great, very slow burning and give off great heat.

There is just about enough space for the three bicycles and the logs in the garage. It's a tight squeeze to get to the garage door!

Being back in Ireland means my focus has changed yet again, I'm acutely aware that the sea is far from me now and there is no roof terrace with magical sunsets.   I took full advantage of it in Turkey by swimming three times a week and walking by the sea on the other days. There is sunshine here in Ireland but it's intermittent!

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 When I look out my window here in Cork, there is no sea view.  It's mostly a grey sky which greets me.  I decided to bring the sea to my dining room!  I've hung some of my seascapes on the walls and they do manage to bring a certain cheerfulness to the room. I long to do some gardening but it's impossible most days because of the dampness and the cold.  I did however plant up two window boxes on my front window with some cyclamen and winter flowering pansies. They have already added a splash of colour. I also noticed daffodil bulbs are starting to shoot!  Spring is on the way?

THE PULLING POWER OF HOME

It wasn't a difficult decision to make.  We were missing our daughter and having been back in Ireland for the summer proved to us that we needed to be nearer to her. 
It was wonderful to have her with us in Turkey last Christmas but it takes so much time between buses, two flights, and two more buses. By the time she arrives and again on her return, she is tired and stressed from all the indirect travel. During the winter months there are no direct flights and inclement weather can often mean delays which cause stress.  
My sister is also under a lot of stress. Her husband had an accident at work and will not be able to go back due to his injury. She works full time and when we Skype, I can see the extra stress is having a serious effect on her.  With all of this in mind, we decided to return to Ireland for a year or so.  We will go back for holidays as we did in years gone by and review things again next year. 

We said our goodbyes to our house, neighbours and our three garden cats.  I've given a supply of food and money to one neighbour who has agreed to feed them.  I miss them so much already. Fingers crossed they will be ok. I worry about stray cats who will wander in and take the food.  Poor Chico Shishman is a gentle nervous creature and he will run and hide at the sight of the big un-neutered male cats who can be very aggressive...

 Chico Sishman in his usual spot on the mat outside the door. Felix is the tough guy in the foreground, not afraid of anything! He will survive. Pedro was of chasing crickets.

We had an early start.  Up as usual before the alarm. I'm always anxious that I will oversleep but I never do!  4.45 a.m. It was still dark.  I got out of bed and Mr. D was not long after. We had a light breakfast. I gave the cats one last meal just before our transfer company rang to say. " I'm  your driver, I'm at your gate, take your time".  Within minutes we had our small cases outside and the door locked. A quick goodbye to the cats and we were off to Bodrum airport for our  flight to Istanbul. 
 Our second flight was from Istanbul to London and then a wait of five hours until our third flight to Dublin. 
We arrived in Dublin and took a bus to the city center where it was cold and wet!  I shivered as we walked to the Luas tram line where we got our last  mode of transport which took us to our daughter's home.  I rang the door bell, 18 hours since we started our journey in Turkey.  It was wonderful to see her smiling face as she opened the door.

A TRIP INLAND TURKEY WITH FRIENDS MARY AND ALISON

Our dear friend Mary who loves Turkey as much as we do arrived back in Bodrum in early October.  She planned to stay for around six weeks meeting up with friends and traveling to various scenic and historical locations.  We were delighted when she asked Mr.D and I to join her and her friend Alison on the second week of their travels.  We packed our cases and were excited on that sunny Tuesday morning as we headed away from Bodrum heading inland towards Pamukkale ("cotton castle" in Turkish).  We've been there before but love to go back.  It is a natural site in Denizli. You can see it in the background of the photo below.

The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. 

It is a world heritage site. In order to preserve it and not to damage it one has to walk barefoot.  Mr. D hadn't walked through it on our last trip but this time I managed to convince him to try it.  

Some areas are very rough and sharp underfoot and Mr. D. had a few choice words to say when suddenly a very sharp rock cut his foot!  

There are many photo opportunities in this stunningly beautiful place and there are enterprising photographers eager to capture yet another shot for a holiday advertisement.

I especially love the hot thermal pool and I could just stay there all day. The water is wonderful for aching backs and joint pain.
As the day came to an end, we reluctantly climbed out of the thermal pool, got dressed just in time to capture the sunset.

Time to book into one of the local hotels,  get dressed up for dinner and head along the town to one of the small family run restaurants where we relaxed over yet another delicious meal.   

It was wonderful as we traveled along the miles of smooth motorway, chatting and stopping here and there to take photographs and stretch our feet.  

Mary had done all the research and always manages to find quaint, out of the way villages where we can wander and find such lovely places as Birgi. A town with a mixture of old and new.

 We spent a whole day wandering around the streets. We chatted to the shop owners and bought some copper pans and some delicious fruit from a lovely lady at the market who was happy to pose for a photo!

We stayed overnight in a beautiful hotel which had been recently restored and looked like we had stepped back in time. 

Breakfast here was also delicious. 

We didn't eat again until dinner that evening!  

 Next morning after a leisurely breakfast we were on the road again.  This time we headed for Ephesus.
 During the first few centuries AD, Ephesus was one of the most populated and most affluent cities on our planet, with periods of great flourish especially in the 2nd and 5th centuries.  This ancient Greek city was famous for its Temple of Artemis (near Selçuk), which was recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. ... In 123 AD, the Library of Celsus (third largest library in the ancient world, after Alexandria and Pergamon) was constructed at Ephesus.

Many years ago before I ever went to Turkey I worked on a painting of this library.  Months went by and I couldn't complete it.  I was stuck!  Every time I painted the columns I was not happy with the colour.  I wasn't sure from the little photo which I worked from, how close  I was or was not to the original.   Then we went to Turkey!  We went on a two day bus tour to Ephesus. I was so happy to walk all around this ancient city, to stand and touch these columns.  I now knew the colours.  I could go home and complete my painting. 

Ephesus terrace houses, show us how rich families lived during  the Roman period.

There are six residential units on three terraces at the lower end of the slope of the Bulbul Mountain. The oldest building dates back into the 1C BC and continued in use as residence until the 7C AD.
Ephesus terrace houses are covered with protective roofing which resembles Roman houses. Most striking is the breathtaking variety and beauty of the decorations embellishing many of the rooms. The mosaics on the floor and the frescos have been consolidated and two houses have recently been opened to the public as a museum. We were excited to finally see these and while we were there we could see the archeologists still working. 

HOT DAY IN SEPTEMBER

We flew back from Dublin to Dalaman Turkey with Ryanair on 2nd September. I was slightly nervous as we made our decent to Dalaman. Our pilot was excellent. He navigated our decent with perfect precision through large mountain ranges which looked uncomfortably close as I peered out the window.  I breathed a sigh of relief as we gently touched down on the runway. I'm not usually a nervous flyer but I've found as I get older I'm grateful when things go well.  There are so many planes in the sky at any one time and yet they land safely every minute of every day!  

 Once we arrived at the airport,  things didn't go as planned.  Our transfer  did not show up to take us to our hotel.  We ended up getting a taxi which worked out more expensive and he took quite a while to find the hotel in Dalyan, a 30 minute drive from the airport. Thankfully he had given us a set price before we started the trip.  Note to self:  It's not necessary to book in advance.  There are always hotel vacancies.

We spent one day and one night at a quaint little hotel.    Breakfast on the roof terrace was delicious, as big as a lunch!  The hotel is owned and run by a husband and wife team and they were so friendly and attentive to all the guests.

Tea which is served in glasses was served all day long.  We enjoyed a few when we arrived back that night. 

Across the river from town is the ancient ruined city of Kaunos, with Lycian rock tombs and the remains of a theater. We have always wanted to see this and were very lucky to be within walking distance, our hotel being just a minute from the river. 

 Riverboats connect Dalyan with İztuzu Beach to the south, home to , protected loggerhead turtle nesting grounds.  Unfortunately, on this occasion, we didn't get to see them!!   Maybe next year......  Mr. D. wanted to sit and relax  for the afternoon. We were both finding the heat intense.  I hadn't the energy to argue.

  We spent one day and one night exploring Dalyan. We waited until the evening and strolled through the quaint streets and many shops.

 The next day we traveled by five different mini buses which eventually brought us to Turgutreis. It took us about 5 hours.  We were quite tired by the time we got back home. The garden had gone a bit wild, the fruit trees and bougainvillea were very overgrown, how on earth I thought would I be able to cut everything back in the sweltering heat?  but I smiled when I saw three cats who ran over to greet us!

A WORKING TRIP TO IRELAND

Dear diary!  This feels like a diary now. I still haven't advertised my blog so there are very few comments to date. So if you are reading this. I'd love to know how you found me and what you think of the blog.  I write and take photos mostly for my own record,  maybe one day my descendants may be curious to read what my life was like from my 60's onwards?
We are still living here in Turkey on the Bodrum peninsula. We travelled to Ireland at the end of May. My first cousin Diane who lives in Canada hadn't been to Ireland since the mid 70's. We were excited about the meet up in Dublin. She arrived with her husband Bill, son Andrew and daughter in law Heidi. Just as they arrived the weather really improved. The sun shone for the 2 weeks they spent touring Ireland. We had a wonderful time with them in Dublin and we were sad to see Diane and Bill leave for their flight to Canada. Andrew (their son) and Heidi (their daughter in law) have taken a year off work and they continued on to tour Europe. They spent a lot of the summer sailing. 
They are still travelling and having a wonderful time seeing so many places and making new friends.
When we returned to our own house in Cork there was a lot of work to be done. Everything seemed to be broken or need replacement. We had a lot to do before we returned to Turkey. We knew the water tank in the attic was there since the house was built and we started with that. We managed to get a plumber to replace it.  We are hoarders! There were some bags of clothes in the attic which I'd forgotten about, 2 big suitcases, 2 duvets. We gave these away for recycling.   Our daughters toys,  but I have left them there. Just couldn't part with them!

Our kitchen was also very old and we did have savings put aside for a new one plus new flooring.  Replacing the kitchen also meant replacing electrics and  this stretched our budget right to the limit.  
However the new kitchen is user-friendly, it's amazing and I love it.

  Every bit of space is usable.  There is plenty of storage and I have large drawers in the base units which is so much easier on our backs!  

No more kneeling down to pull pots out from the bottom shelves!
 The large oven is at waste level and I have a lovely ceramic hob on the worktop.  I am delighted with the new sink, its made from crushed eggshells!

There are lights in the cabinets with the glass doors and under those, there are lights which light up the worktop at night.  This will make the kitchen nice and bright during the long winter evenings.

I have looked at so many kitchens on the internet over the last year. There is such variety and style and some are huge.  Mine is quite small but yet big enough for two people.  Most of the time it's just one of us at a time in the kitchen. We eat breakfast at different times.  I usually am up early so my breakfast and lunch are early. I cook dinner around 5pm and then we eat between 5.30 and 6pm.
I love kitchen photos.  They show so much of our personality. My sister, my nephew and friends brought me plants so now my windowsill is full.
  What is your kitchen like? do you like dark wood or light colours? I'd love to see some photos. Please feel free to post some with your comments. 

LITTLE BUMPS ON THE ROAD OF LIFE

O my word!  doesn't time fly? I didn't write anything here for the last two months.   It being winter, the nights are long and the days so short,  l kept myself  busy doing my usual daily run of the mill stuff. 
 I started and eventually finished  a small sunset oil painting.

Sorry about the small font on this post but try as I might I cannot get it larger!  

I did quite a lot of baking, Mr. D. loves fruit cake and some friends came for afternoon tea.

                         

 However, this winter much of my time was spent working on two short stories which might yet be long stories .   I'm getting through my 'To do list'!   I've a lot more to write . I constantly edit and re write.  However,  reading is my favourite pastime.

  I love reading. I'm able to read in large print on my e-reader. What a wonderful invention!  I alternate between reading and writing. 

 So life was moving along nicely, no huge highs, no lows and then  suddenly I get what is often referred to as "one of those bumps on the road".  You know, when something happens so  quickly, your life is turned upside down for a while.  
No!  thankfully, nothing life threatening but just a lot of hassle and unnecessary stress.

One Saturday morning l was pleased with my clear out of autumn clothes which I'd ironed and placed in a big bag for the local animal rescue fundraiser. I'd put the plastic bag carefully on the back seat  of my electric scooter.  It  took up most of the seat.
 Beside it, I managed to squeezed my rectangular picnic bag.  Inside the picnic bag, I had already tucked in my handbag and off I went. 

On reaching the town square I drove directly towards the fundraiser volunteers who were busily setting up their tables.  They were happy with my bag of winter clothes. The cake and bread table was in the process of being set up so I decided I would proceed to the vegetable market and return later for my supply of goodies.   My blue picnic bag was sitting on the seat of my scooter and I moved it slightly back into it's usual position. It always sits flatly on the seat due to its rectangular shape. It's ideal for shopping, you can fit everything into it.

I then continued on my way  to the Saturday fruit and vegetables market. It's only about 200 meters along the town.  I made all of my weekly purchases which l put in to the blue picnic bag.  
Then off I went again,  this time back to the animal fundraising stalls. By now the stalls were all set up and the delicious baked goods were on display.
I purchased some home baking and some spinach pies for lunch which  l planned on us enjoying later. 
 I remember putting the purchases and my handbag into the picnic bag at this point. I had one more purchase to make at the clothes market near the marina.I'd brought extra cash with me to buy birthday presents for a friend's two daughters whose birthday's  were the next day.

 I made my way slowly along the key towards the marina,  passing by people who sat outside the restaurants. I moved slowly because there were pedestrians sauntering along.  It still only took me about four  to five  minutes to reach the edge of the market. I parked the scooter and looked to my back seat expecting as usual to see my blue picnic bag.  Then it happened! 

Shock, horror! Nothing on the seat!  I started in disbelief! "O my God! Where could it be, it must have fallen off. "I thought frantically to myself.

I jumped back on and literally raced back retracing my path, checking the grass verges as I went back to the fundraiser stalls. I asked the stall holders if anyone had seen it or if it might have been handed in. No one had seen it.   l again drove back along my route.  There was no sign if it.

 I tried all the restaurants..... they hadn't seen it. Then I went back the route again before eventually going to the council lost property office. Someone suggested l make a statement at the police office. I did so. This took time because of my basic Turkish and their lack of English. They were very concerned for me and said if it was handed in, they would return it.
 By now, l had been out over 3 hours and decided l would have to return home and tell Mr D.
Mr. D.'s reaction was as l expected.  What was in your handbag? He asked frantically. I replied. "Our residency cards, copies of our passports. debit and credit cards, my phone which contained approx. 50tl credit and about 270tl in cash. Translates to over a weeks living expenses plus my purchases!!

At this stage, l still held the vague hope that someone picked it off the ground and would soon return it to me. My address was also in it.
I picked up Mr. D's phone and dallied my number. There was no ringing sound. Straight away the cold truth dawned on me ... My phone had been turned off  by a thief... who  had seen an opportunity and grabbed it.

All that evening I beat myself up. I was so annoyed for not securing the strap of the picnic bag to the seat as was my usual habit before leaving  the house. But in my defence, this time was different. I couldn't do so because of the large bag of clothes.
 l didn't venture  out again to replace the food purchases decided instead to punish myself by not having  the nice treats l had purchased for lunch.
I dreaded having to make the phone calls to cancel the cards, holding on the phone line, waiting,  all the security questions  and the meetings at the bank to remove my phone numbers from bank accounts ,  such hassle, and it's not done in just one meeting, something always needs to be signed again.... and  even worse l would have to go through the residency applications once again.....

The following morning l walked downtown and bought presents for the birthday girls. After reassurance from friends, l decided l would try not to dwell  on it.  Meeting friends and watching the children play at the party did wonders to cheer me up. 

On our return from the party I got a message via email. A friend had been ringing me all afternoon. She had good news!  
"Come over straight away! it read. Seemingly a  purse was handed in to a small grocery shop on the other side of town by the bin man who found it beside the garbage bin.

 I was so  relieved on walking into the shop to see my little blue purse. The bank cards were still inside,  as were our copy passports and our Residency cards.  The cash was gone!  But we expected that!
The next day I searched all along by the bins but as I expected there was no sign of the handbag, phone or picnic bag. 

 Next  job  was go to the bank and apply for new cards. I had already cancelled them over the phone. I bought a new phone and registered a new SIM card. It took four visits to the bank before they finally had a new phone number on our accounts. I couldn't use my old number because it was registered  to the shop owner where I purchased the phone first day!

Needless to say, l no longer bring a handbag or phone with me when I go shopping. I use another big bag for the shopping which is secured to the seat of the scooter before I leave and every time since, I double and treble check!