A Poem or Two

It seems my friend who died recently was a poet. I  found two of his poems on another blog and here they are.




'I saw an old lady on the way home today,

she dropped an umbrella. As I bent down to pick it up for her she

said "And I thought chivalry was dead", I replied "Nah,

it has just been subdued by revolving doors and other modern inventions".'



A word for the New Year

We can move forward through time

question each rhythm and rhyme,

query reason for the motion

that gave pain as it's notion.

We could try to contemplate

why there is so much hate.

Or we could choose this year

to fight against such fear.

Because I have a question

can you join my digression?

Steer away from our everyday

and mould this New Year like clay.



So I ask of you to join me

for this is a year to spread glee

and one more chance to be free.



-David K. Lord.

A Sad Day

Today I attended the funeral of one of my son's school friends, David K Lord. He was 23 years old and one of the nicest, kindest, smiliest people you could ever wish to meet. Tom has a knack of finding great friends and David was my favourite one. He had so much to live for and was due to read philosophy at university. He was a porter at St. Catherine's College Oxford and today they flew the flag at half mast for him. So many people loved him, such a likeable chap with a wicked sense of humour.

The service took place in a wild flower meadow with David placed in a wicker coffin. There were hundreds of people, the sun shone and the birds sang. The music was lovely and the whole thing was uplifting. I don't feel so sad now.

Rest in peace David, I am glad I knew you.

The Dolphins Are Free!

In a week where I have been very sad, there was good news. The dolphins are free.

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/marine/hisaronu-dolphins/

Sunny in UK

The sun was shining so we hopped into Matt's surf wagon and went to Weston - Super- Mare. Not quite as good as the Med, but he went windsurfing and I sat in the sun and read my book Honour by Elife Shafrak. I can't say I'm enjoying it, it is interesting but a bit depressing. It is however, the kind of book I can't put down.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/20/honour-elif-shafak-review 

 Here are some photos of Weston.

Where's the Sun?

We are home now and it's not here! Today I am wearing a fleece. I will post a few photos from my last trip and dream of the next one.

This is Mantar, an interesting yogurt and pasta dish it was cooked by a friend's mother. I can't pronounce her name so just call her Anne (Mother).

She agreed to let me take her photograph although she said it was sinful. However she was happy about it when I said I would use it in UK schools when teaching about Islam.

Matt was busy repairing his ancient windsurfer

.

 We had a toad invasion one evening. They were everywhere!

 A corner of the terrace

Moo

25 days and we'll be back!

Datca Harbour

For the last couple of months they have been working hard on the 'poshed up' harbour. Last year they tore down the ramshackle bars which we rather liked and we all wondered what would happen next. Well designers from Ankara were busy with their ideas and it looks as though it will be rather smart with terraces and travertine flooring costing 70 lira per sq.m. A lot of money has been poured into this project. The opening day will be 15th May and there is still a lot to do but there are loads of workers beavering away. I am looking forward to seeing the finished masterpiece next month.

The Only Way is Up

... and then down again! Today I climbed a mountain, well to be truthful it was a little one and I got three quarters of the way up. I was concerned that I might die if I went any further so Matt, Tony and Belinda left me on a rock while they climbed for the last fifteen minutes. Actually that half an hour sitting quietly near the top of the mountain was fantastic. I watched the wild life and enjoyed the smell of the herbs around me. I could see a long way over the Datca peninsula to both the Med and the Agean seas. It was hazy so the photos are not as clear as I would like.
This was the third walk of the week and the most challenging. I hope that I can soon do it again and then I will make it to the top. I will need to manage my blood sugar a little better as it went a little low and then of course I ran out of energy. I will leave my walking boots here ready for the next visit.

Thank you to our friends who led the walk

Breakfast on the Beach

A wonderful way to start the day, breakfast at Yesim's. This must be the best breakfast place in the whole of Turkey.

A Trip to Marmaris

We drove to Marmaris yesterday as Matt had not been. Well, it is nice enough for a day out in low season but I just can't comprehend why anyone would want two weeks there in August!
Anyway the sun was shining so off we went. We followed the example of a few Turks and parked on the pavement near the marina, it was still there later that day. First we tried to walk around the marina to look at the boats but were growled at by a lady security guard who I fear had not attended the Marmaris School of Charm. So then we scuttled into the Pineapple Restaurant for coffee and watched the world stroll by. Matt was in the mood for shopping and stopped to look at 900 pound watches and educate the young man in the shop on the ones that show the tides. He was clueless and had no idea about that type of watch. As a guesture of thanks he offered to knock a hundred pounds off the price so at that point I dragged Matt from the shop. We trolled round several Yacht chandlers and bought various items to repair Matt's windsurfer.
The nicest part of the day was lunch and we dined at The Panorama which is owned by a friend of Matt's (Brother of the Wind lol). The food cooked by his mother was delicious and the
 view was wonderful. His lovely Mum gave us some lace which she makes all through the winter. Then we headed off to a swimwear shop with a half price sale on and Matt bought 2 pairs of swimming shorts. Today I bought nothing but enjoyed our day out.

Matt and Ali (brother of the wind).

View from the Panorama restaurant

Visitors

Meet Bella, our new visitor. She joins Princess Beyaz of Ozbel, Squeaky and Bruiser who all visit us during the day. It is probably a good job I don't live here as we would soon have 20 cats on our terrace.

Princess Beyaz of Ozbel has been treated for fleas and ticks, so she is allowed in the house.

Squeaky makes a lot of noise and is a pretty little thing

Bruiser is a roughty toughty Tom cat who we suspect is the father of many of the area's kittens. Hil and I have decided we are going to put an end to his activities very soon and whisk him off to Ali the vet for the snip. We hope this will also make him less inclined to fight. He has many scars and is really quite ugly but Hil who has a soft spot for naughty boys wants to get him sorted!

Walking in the Sunshine

I know I have slothful tendancies so I decided to shake a tail feather and do some walking around the Datca peninsula. So with my walking boots, long cotton trousers, walking pole and a very bemused husband I set off this morning. It was 27C, so a tad hotter than I would have liked it but I managed it without too much moaning. A half way stop for water and a home made lemon drizzle cake helped a lot. As soon as we started our walk we were joined by a very thin looking dog who stayed with us most of the way.

Of course there was a cafe at the end of our walk!

A Sneaky Week

Matt and I fancied a week in a sunny place and considered Morocco, the Canary Islands and Egypt but Datca was calling too loudly to us and so we came - yesterday!
I've only been away for a few weeks but there are changes:
The building work in the harbour is moving on at a pace.
Our garden has blossomed.
New steps have been built to our complex.
Summer seems to have arrived, people are in the sea and today it is 27C.

Today I am mostly concerned by the flowers in the garden and we spent the morning cutting back the bougainvillea which has gone berzerk during the last few weeks.

Honeysuckle and roses from the garden, the perfume is superb.

Aloe  Vera

Not my garden I am afraid.