Phil finally managed to get through to our web hosting company and got them to alter the settings on the site so we could upload again. I have a huge backlog of photos which there is now no point in posting, so here are some pics I took last week.
The project is liveable now and we have hot water (hurray!) and the studio is comfortably furnished and looking lovely. The decorating in the main house is nearly finished and we are only waiting on the stairs which are being hand made and are delayed by a week. Once the stairs are in we are pretty much done.
We managed to find a wonderful mature, potted grapevine last week. Already over four years old it will produce around 15lbs of grapes this summer. It was pricey getting it delivered to Kirazli but worth it. We have placed it by the side of the pool and will be encouraging it to scramble around the wrought iron railings as soon as they are fitted.
The wrought iron railings for the wall and studio terrace have been ordered and are being fitted tomorrow so the whole look of the place will change again. The brick paving for the courtyard (all 10 tonnes of it!!!) arrived on Monday and is starting to be laid today. The men are complaining about the heat and so we have told them to take the afternoons off to rest and work in the evenings. “Rest” is currently taking the form of trying to drown each other in the pool and I can hear them happily splashing around down there as I write this!
In other news, Sezai went to check on his cherry orchard one morning and found that the entire crop had been stolen. The culprit turned out to be his nephew. Sezai was seen foaming at the mouth and brandishing a large knife whilst chasing said nephew down the village main street. He turned up at the project later that day smuggly waving a senet (a promisory note) from the nephew who wisely decided that paying up would ensure a slightly longer life!
We went to a birthday party at Be-Bop down at the Marina in Kusadasi last Saturday (my absolutely favourite restaurant). It was a lovely evening, the setting was beautiful, right beside the gorgeous yachts filling the marina, the food was excellent and everything was perfectly orchestrated by the Birthday Boy Ken (70 years young) and our dear friend David. A wonderful evening and I wish I had remembered our camera.
The village is settling into the drowsy days of summer. May was a month of really freaky weather, we had rain turned to mud by sand in the clouds, we had days of cloud and cold winds and unseasonal rainy days. Most bizarre.
June has seen the weather settle down and the heat increases daily. By day the farmers and wholesalers can be seen bargaining by the tea shop for the best prices for cherries and peaches. The nights are warm and fragrant of spice and fruit and the starry skies are a mesmerising wonder.
More soon, and some interior pictures of the project just as soon as I can drag myself away from what is the fun bit for me – dressing the house and garden.
posted 14-06-2007