We had coffee at Adilet’s house from Sevdaluk this morning.
It wouldn’t be our anniversary without a mishap. About fifteen years ago, I nearly got us shot by a shooting party in the Buckinghamshire countryside. This year, our tour bus broke down halfway up a forested mountain somewhere near Çamlıhemşin. Then, a few hours later, we broke down again on our way down a different …
In Turkey, it seems, the hard farming jobs are done by women, while the men sit in cafés drinking tea and playing drafts. An exaggeration, I know, but it contains a grain of truth. Nobody works as hard as the women of this land. May God bless these women.
If only there was a way to the mosque without skirting the forest. It’s only a short stretch of the route, but it’s long enough to set your pulse racing. It didn’t help that when we arrived for the prayer, an old fellow arrived with his dog, which had a fresh wound clawed out of its …
I’m a daydreamer. Some dreams come to fruition. Some don’t. Just now, I’m dreaming up plans for our basement. Gone my plans to build my own hamam, injecting a sense of realism at last. Now and then, I entertain the notion of building a workshop like Kris Harbour has, but having none of his skills …
If the Most Merciful wills, this will be my second career: to welcome guests to these lands, treating them to the sweetest hospitality. That’s the dream, anyway.
Here we are, sitting amidst Turkish tea gardens, drinking Assam tea! Could be worse: at least it’s not Yorkshire Tea.
It’s a pleasant walk to our local cami (mosque). It takes about fifteen minutes. The only scary stretch is the road that skirts the forest, close to home. Fearsome for in the forest lurk bears and wild boar. No wonder that on my ascent, my tongue is alive with dua. In any case, we passed …
At the end of one long night travelling, we arrive. Now, time to sleep!
I have to remind myself why I bought a Dex phone… to travel light and dock when I arrive… let me just repack again.
My companions who get excited about my construction projects need reminding I am just a poor and lowly civil servant. I propose modest renovations. They respond with grand designs. I suggest simple and low-cost improvements. They say, “You can do better than that.” Yes, we paved our road ourselves because the municipality wouldn’t. But that …
