We left Istanbul at sunset and arrived in London at sunset. In fact, it was sunset all the way. The closest any of us will come to time travel.
Autumn blows in.
I don’t know how anyone here can afford a car. Any new car costs double the price we’d pay in the UK, primarily due to the high tax rate. But even old bangers are completely out of reach. A battered 1998 Renault 12 will still set you back nearly £8K. In the UK, you could …
The kids now declare, “You can go, we’re staying.” Erm, it’s the other way around. We have to return for the sake of your education. Otherwise we’d gladly make this migration. They mumble something about their studies not being that important. Of course we have to be the bearers of bad news. Yes, departure at …
My last week here is traditionally set aside for DIY. Painting, repairs, remediation. Last year repairing and rejuvenating the furniture that has provided extra comfort during our stay this time around. This year, repairing cracks in our walls and, if I find the courage to spend a day in the loft, closing the eaves of …
Farming is not for the faint hearted. If we do follow our hearts and settle here once the children have finished their studies, we will have our work cut out. We don’t have extensive lands, but sufficient to keep us occupied. Tea bushes growing on the hillside, at an angle of 45 degrees. Hazelnuts on …
After a heavy night’s rain, today’s trek to the local mosque was even more challenging than last week. Though thankfully we didn’t get soaked through this time, we nevertheless had to contend with roads mostly turned to rivers. If we hoped the council might repair the road outside our house, this journey provided some context. …
Nice tea bazaar on the sea front in the centre of Rize.
We travelled half a day up a mountain to pray in this mosque at its summit.
This lunchtime, father and son decided to risk walking to the village mosque across the valley for Friday prayer. Fortunately we encountered no wild beasts en route, as we had feared. The only dog, the docile creature coiled up on the doorstep of the mosque, more interested in catching forty winks than challenging unfamiliar guests. …
How we keep our tea fields weed free.
One amazing thing here: there is a dog which accompanies any car we arrive home in if it’s after dark. It runs ahead of us, as if it is our guard of honour, then waits in front of the house until we’re safely inside. I’ve encountered a dog like this before, during the great flood …
A slightly scary evening, home alone, just me and my mother-in-law. I hear the snapping of a branch outside. Glancing over the balcony, I make out the shape of a bear decimating a bean pole beneath our house. By the time I’ve grabbed my phone, hoping to take a photo, it has scarpered down through …
Unless you’re involved in farming in some way, you tend not to make the connection between climate impacts and rising food prices. While the Irish side of our family is heavily invested in farming, I had no direct experience until we bought a small plot of land in Turkey about fifteen years ago. While I …
