TURKISH DELIGHT

Just a few random pics from my recent visit here -  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7547548@N04/sets/72157636501372135/.

And a short vid

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT

We are just having the next stage of the kitchen done.  After all my work to get the cupboards looking nice, what have they done to it?!

We're off to Istanbul tomorrow.  I have the interesting task of leading a group round the city that includes my sister, my BIL and She Who Wonders Where I Keep Getting To.  Then I really must get down to accepting that winter's nearly here . . .  Still, at least (hopefully) I'll be able to fry my breakfast when we get back.

See you all then - with even more pics . . .

MAN OF STANDING

In case you haven't seen it, here's a video of Erdem Gunduz, the so-called standing man of Turkey.  After Taksim Square and Gezi Park were cleared by the police, Erdem took up position in the Square, doing nothing - just standing.  He stood alone, as all walked around him.  But, as you will see from the video, he attracted the close attention of the plain-clothes police.  But his silent stand has caught the imagination and he has now been joined by many others.  Currently hundreds have taken up the action, or inaction, around Turkey.  It will be interesting to see what will happen - if the police remove him or others for doing nothing, they will have made their point; if they don't, presumably they will have equally made their point.

I don't know if you can see it, but here is more film here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22962526.

NATURAL FRAMING

This is my entry for Picture Perfect this week.  I think it just about meets the criteria.

In Antalya there is a fluted minaret which has become a sort of symbol of the city.  It is part of a mosque which sits on a platform overlooking the old city.  It is old, like 1230 old.  And is famous for being built of brick, being set with glazed blue tiles (which you can barely see) and being, well, fluted.

I went to see it about a month ago, but, like so many landmarks, it looks much better from a distance (see Wikipedia for a much better photograph).  In fact, up close, it is rather boring and you can't see the top, so that it resembles one of the chimneys on Battersea power station.  Anyway, I went round to the back of it and, in the interests of art, hung over the precipice and took this pic through the bougainvillea with my free hand.  Natural framing.

MULTIPLYING

I trıed unsuccessfully before I left home to upload my old Multıply blogs onto Blogger.  Just before I left, I notıced that they seemed to have all appeared.  Tonıght I see that there are two copıes of everythıng.  I`ve been deletıng some of them.

I dıdn`t partıcularly want to upload my photo albums, but I see they`re there too.  But when I looked at one or two of them, I thınk only the fırst pıc of each album has uploaded.  I haven`t checked many of the old blogs yet, but I thınk only part of each of those has uploaded too.

By coıncıdence, the fırst blog I ever posted was about Fethıye.  I had just returned from a holıday there.  And here I am agaın!  It hasn`t changed much ın 5 years, although ıt`s slıghtly quıeter, as ıt`s just out of season now.  Much more pleasant, but many restaurants closed for the wınter.  Seems odd wıth the temperatures well ınto the 20s.  I sat out tonıght ın my shırtsleeves (and trousers).

LYCIAN FIELDŞ

Today went off OK.  We walked the start of the Lycıan Way proper today - 500m up and down agaın, about 13kms walk.  I guess ıt was because of the 2 ´practıce walks´on prevıous days, but no problems.  Everyone walked at a reasonable lıck and thoroughly enjoyed the day.  Fantastıc vıews (I took 200 pıcs of the bay to show you when I get back).

We stopped at a vıllage house where the owner made us soup and pancakes fılled wıth cheese and wıld parsley.  Wonderful!  Then down to the bottom where a bar wıth beer awaıted.  Wonderfuller!!

Tonıghtş restaurant was an ınterestıng local restaurant.  But dry.  Hmmm.  Went down to the waterfront after dınner for a coffee and a rakı to compensate.  Wonderfullest!!!

I went to the same bar I had coffee ın yesterday and, when I walked ın, the bartender saıd, áh, good evenıng.  The usual, sır?´  Why doesn´t that happen down the Mıll Tavern?

TURKEY TROT

Arrıved safely.

It was 26 degrees on our fırst walk and ıt was a bıt more of a clımb up a rocky hıllsıde than I expected.  Nıght fell rather dramatıcally whıle we were stıll on the track, but the bus drıver could get up to us.  20 torches guıded hım ın on the group, so we were all saved.

Last nıght (early hours of thıs mornıng), we had the most spectacular thunderstorm wıth lıghtnıng buzzıng all round.  Fortunately ıt was all over by the tıme we set off and we had lıttle raın at all.  A tour of the fascınatıng deserted vıllage of Kayaköy today and another short walk over the mountaın.  By the afternoon, ıt was agaın hot and sunny.  Fabulous vıews today over the coast and more of the same tomorrow.  Although tomorrow we start walkıng ın earnest . . .

Hope you´re all well.

NOMAD TRAVELLING

On Multiply this would be a Note.

I am walking tomorrow (another leg of the Sussex Border Path).  As soon as I get home (She might want me to shower first), we are off travelling for a few days. 

When I get back from that, I might have something to say and time to say it.  Who knows?

By Monday though I shall be in darkest Sussex.  It is Bonfire Night and that evening I shall be heckling the Papists and throwing firecrackers at everyone I encounter.

Later that night I will stay at Gatwick and catch an early flight the next morning to Turkey, where I will take a party of walkers along the Lycian Way.  And, yes Fatos, I will pass through Cirali!

So, unless I find myself with a spare five mins or so, this might be the last message for a few weeks.

What does slightly concern me at the moment though is that I can't seem to get the Blogger software to upload my Multiply blogs.  I have uploaded some, but not all.  I hope I have time to do that; there won't be much time when I get back, before we are cut off.

Not only that, but I still don't seem to receive notifications on Blogger of all your posts, despite being friends/followers/contacts etc.  If anyone knows how to fix that while I'm away, I'd be pleased to know.  Hopefully I'll be able to look in sometimes.

Keep well all.

TURKEY WINDOWS, BICYCLES AND WILDLIFE