The joy… my free time this holiday, in between entertaining guests, has been taken up repairing and cleaning furniture from our old tiny house next door. All this effort based on the adage, “If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself.”

Don’t ask.

This morning, a gentle walk around the top of the valley to introduce my parents to our neighbourhood, and a few of our neighbours. An enjoyable saunter.

Took my parents to a neighbouring town for Turkish breakfast by the sea this morning. A good time, stomachs filled.

View from our neighbour’s house, just up the lane, who’ve invited my parents for tea and treats. And, below, their view of our house back down the hill.

The kids are up the hill, harvesting hazelnuts with our neighbours. My parents are sitting on the balcony sipping Turkish coffee. My beloved is enjoying a well-deserved rest. And me: I must head back next door to continue repairing and rejuvenating our old furniture. All this amidst this landscape. Living the good life for a …

And sometimes the town, mountains and sea simply disappear into the abyss.

And then there was one. To his credit, after several days ignoring us, demonstrating his new-found independence and indicating that he had no more need for us, our lad did skip back to me as the others piled into the car. “I’ll miss you,” he said, throwing his arms around me. They’ll only be gone …

Noise. I cannot abide it. I realise I was made a quiet man for a reason. The guests have the television on at full volume. Some opposition political commentary. Because the television is so loud, everyone is speaking even louder to make themselves heard. And here I am, trying to do maghrib, turning a bright …

Just before I began work at 9.30 this morning — 7.30am UK time — guests arrived unexpectedly. Guests upon guests, for the house was already abuzz. They came for brunch, apparently, causing everyone inside to scramble around in a mad rush to get dressed and tidy up makeshift beds in the living room.

The kids have their young cousins to stay for a few days, so now go roaming down the lanes showing the adults who’s boss. Their happy cries are audible far away. This is the freedom they dreamed of. The joys of the rural village life, hanging out and having fun.

These weeks, our kids are enjoying the life I dreamed of when I was young, with no shame at all. Daily, they go racing up the lane to our neighbours to actively participate in the rural life here. They are learning new responsibilities. A couple of weeks ago, they’d be seen following our neighbour around …

So another week passes by just like that. I decided to walk down to the mosque in town for jummah prayer today, and all I can say is this: it killed me.

Caring responsibilities have somewhat dampened this year’s summer holidays. My wife keeps feeling compelled to apologise. She’s finding looking after her elderly mother trying, to say the least.

The day began with our lad begging me to take him to town. But then our neighbour appeared, and they both spent the day helping her instead, starting with making hay, through to clearing beneath the hazel trees, and finally looking after the cows, rewarded along the way with garden produce. Me: I had the …