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.