Turkish Market

I love the Monday Market in Hisaronu! It's a riot of colour and copies! None of the branded towels you see above are actually genuine; well they may be but they're seconds - very good seconds though and every year we buy a new colour combination for our bathroom. They are cheap and this year's choice is pink! The stall holders are very friendly and this one threw in the hand towel for free!

It Has To Be Said!

Sometimes you think things and never get round to saying them. For example, I know that I want to say such a lot about what a fabulous holiday we are having and will want to say it when we are leaving and saying goodbye. I also know that I won't be able to say anything because I'll be crying too much! It always happens; six years on the trot and I don't expect this year to be any different.
So, while we still have over 3 days to go before our wonderful holiday is over I thought I'd write a blog dedicated to my sister (as she cooks the tea! Curry tonight! Yum! She's a good cooker is our Chris!)
She's 62 and looks younger than me and she and Phil have been and are being very courageous with their lives. Living in Turkey has enough challenges if you live in the little English enclave near the village but pioneering out here in Turkey Proper (where they slaughter goats!) is another thing entirely. Phil designed this beautiful house and Chris has made it a home. She wanted all the best fittings but as they were badly treated by their builder they have had to make do with the "economy range" and she has made do and with a cheerful face on it!
They are popular and gregarious people and consequently they have a lot of friends who want to visit. I think the wall to wall sunshine and the sparkling pool may have something to do with it too, but the point is, they have A LOT of visitors from June through to the end of October. Visitors mean work and cleaning in this heat is not a barrel of laughs but as we found the place spotless, I am sure all their visitors do too.
So I'm saying it now. I'm saluting you now our Chris and Phil. Well done and thank you. We're proud of you and we love being here. So instead of the blubbing,the deep intakes of breath and the sighs which will come on Wednesday night, I've for once articulated, a little bit, how I feel!


PS Shame about the windows!

Here's Something You Don't See Every Day!

So, picture the scene...Duncan and I in the shade on the terrace beside the pool having our early morning quiet time. Lovely!
I am about to go and make a cup of coffee when Duncan says:"Can I read you something?"
So I sat down again and noticed, on the opposite hillside, a man, a woman and a goat. I was drawn by the bright pink of the woman's dress. As Duncan began to read I was transfixed by the scene before my eyes...they led the goat beneath the tree and they slaughtered it as I looked on, unable to believe what I was seeing.
Duncan read on and eventually I stopped him, not having heard a word and said:"I think I've just seen a woman slaughter a goat!"
Unusually it seemed to be the woman who went in for the kill. We are guessing that she is the head of the family, husband deceased.
The photo shows the said goat being skinned and as I write it is most probably sizzling on a grill.
I know, I eat meat and meat doesn't originate in the sterile pre-packed, cling-filmed, 'polystyrened' packages in Sainsburys but even so...quite an experience, and all before breakfast.
Chris and Phil wanted to live in "Turkey Proper!" I think they are!

Duncan Diving!

Phil taught us to dive on our second trip over here and we can still do it. Well, I would be able to if this silly left arm and shoulder would allow me to swim underwater! The year we learnt we had "The Grand Diving Competition" on our last day and Christine was the judge. (Biased!)
We had the best of 3 dives each and the main criteria for perfection was how little we splashed Chris on her sun bed beside the pool! It was a close thing but in the end Duncan won (Fix!) and I was runner up! We both got posh, personalised certificates though, of which we were (and are) inordinately proud!

Chris My Sis

Well we don't look very alike do we? I'm white and large and Chris is brown and small - well the bits you can see here are! We are so like our parents although not a mixture - Chris is all our mother, Mag and I am all our dad, Frank; a bit of a mixture in the old genetic pool would have had us a bit more evenly distributed!
This picture was taken on a trip to Hisoranu to Desire the jewellers. I lost a little sapphire from a ring Duncan bought me several years ago and he is replacing it for me - at a VERY reasonable price; I think we would be paying 3 times as much in the UK.I love this jewelers and Chris and Phil know the owner quite well so we get "Good price!"
We then went for pizza at our favourite Pepinos before returning to the freshness of the pool and a cool down!

Cheers!

Everyone here was commenting on the fact that I don't appear on any of the photos! So, here I am, cooling off in the pool with my sister and a long, cool drink! Bliss!

Everybody Having Fun??

Oh yes!
A selection of activities on view here, some more obvious than others! Duncan in the pool and just his contented self;
Chris and Phil on the lap top looking at Kindles (More later on this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!);
Chris feeding and patting (?! don't ask!) her pets and Phil getting a gadget to work!