It was all going rather swimmingly until half an hour ago when a gas man tried to rip me off for the cost of connecting the gas hob in the kitchen!

It is sometimes rather draining to have to constantly prove you are not a clueless tourist and you won’t be ripped off.  Anyway the bill was more than halved following a tantrum and all moves on as it should.

Everything else is going rather well.  The metal workers turned up on time and installed the railings to the terrace and exterior wall and very nice they look too.  Metin took the following pics by perching precariously on a ladder in the lane.

The Studio is proving to be a good base for us, its comfortable, bright and cool and I can lurk on the terrace and survey works below.  Its also a nice retreat from the heat of the day and is certainly spacious enough for us to not feel on top of each other.

The garden has now all been marked out into its different levels and the block paving is being laid.

It is getting seriously hot here now, yesterday hit 38 degrees in the middle of the afternoon and we expect the same today.  Here’s a pic of Phil and Metin and Fehmi’s team looking suitably hot and sweaty and squinting in a manly way into the morning sun.

The bulk of the paving should be done today, finished off tomorrow and then we are just waiting for the stairs which are, inshallah, promised for Wednesday.

In other news we heard last night that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing the grand arena at Ephesus on the evening of 22nd June, playing a selection from Brahms and Beethoven.  I’m trying to get tickets (highest price are 100ytl each).  It would be a magical setting in which to watch the Royal Philharmonic, a warm evening in June, an atmospheric ancient anphitheatre – worth the drive over to the Ephesus museum to get tickets!

NB Pool temperature is 26 degrees – very nice!
posted 16-06-2007