Almost expat

Dear Dad,  No words can ever express how much I love you, how grateful I am to you and how much you will be missed. I will love you forever, rest now, you deserve eternal peace. 

It's not always sunny in Turkey, especially in winter. It's been raining for 2 days now, along with some dramatic thunder to go with it. The rain has postponed the fitting of the chimney and it has also got into the electrics for the water heater. The tank has a solar panel, but for rainy days there is this lovely little switch I can flick up on the consumer unit. What the consumer unit lacks, is a mains switch, that is located at the meter in a metal cabinet on the other side of the site. This morning I flicked the water heater switch up and it tripped the electrics. The rain was hammering down, but like the hero he is, MHTTB donned a coat and walked over there and restored power, only I didn't connect the tripping of the electrics to the water heater did I? So I flicked it up again and clunk the electrics went off again. Off he went again, only this time he stayed by the meter so I could check. It definitely was the water heater. It'll be fine when the rain stops, but...

Today, I met up with a friend, Sue, and off we went to the animal aid Christmas fair. This is the first chance I have had to see a large group of other ex pats. It wasn’t a massive affair, but what was there was some very nice stalls selling jams and chutneys, cake, pork sausages and best of all these! Obviously I got myself a few packs, they were a rare enough find when I was in the UK, plus I know the slimming world syn value of these, and tomorrow, after weeks of faffing I intend to go back on plan. I also bought some other really nice bits, some wooden heart wall plaques, a handmade (from real pine) Christmas wreath, which is tied to the balcony, and a few jars of jam. I am on the hunt now for a Christmas tree, my decorations have arrived and I am going to see to it that they get used. Going to the Christmas fairs are a great way of getting to know other expats. I joined a few Facebook groups before I arrived, and they are a mine of information and are very willing to pass on r...

As in Greece, you cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet in Turkey. Unlike Greece, most toilets come with a little spout at the back of the pan, with a tap you can access to wash your bits after doing the necessary. It can lead to some embarrassing moments. Take the other day, for example, I was visiting my sister-in-law and used the toilet. After doing what I had to do, I reached down and turned the tap on. How was I to know that they had the water pressure of a fire hydrant? Water splashed over to the opposite side of the pan, over the top and straight into my knickers and leggings, soaking the bum part completely. I had to pull up soggy leggings and try to walk normally. The worst bit was when we decided to sit out on the balcony and she offered me a cloth chair to sit on. It was more comfortable you see, but I had a wet bum. Imagine if I had had to get up again? I would have left a big wet patch on the chair. As I am getting to know them all better, the incontinent look wasn...

When I bought the apartment, it came fully furnished. It wasn’t to my taste but it served me well until I could start adding my own touches. The one thing I decided to change was the sofa, I went to a local shop and purchased a sofa bed and 2 chairs. I decided on a turquoise colour and it looked very nice, but it was very uncomfortable. I found this out quite soon, it was hard and the seating area not very wide, so when I made the decision to try life here full time, I made enquiries about bring over 2 leather sofas that I had bought a year previously. They were expensive and the cost of transporting them outweighed the loss I would make if I sold them second hand. The 3 seater was big, and the guy that owned the company transporting my things came and looked. I have, in the apartment a turn in the stairs, if I am going up to the second floor this is not a problem as I have a high ceiling, but getting up from ground level to the 1st floor the ceiling height is greatly reduced. I voiced...

Turks are very hospitable people, they are not the richest people, in fact some of them are downright poor. Yesterday we went to visit a friend of MHTTB, he was at his girlfriends house. She didn't know us at all, but the hospitality was immediate, she invited us to join her for a barbeque. The food was simple fresh chicken and fish with salad. I used to hate people turning up unexpectedly at mealtimes, but she just took it all in her stride, most Turkish people do. They seem to be able to rustle up a delicious meal from nothing at the drop of a hat. She had a small, clean lovely house in the middle of nowhere at a place called Yaniklar. It is a village about a 15 minute drive away. My Turkish is very poor, but with the help of Google translate we managed to have a good chat and a laugh. Today a man came to quote for putting a chimney up for the wood burner, including the materials I am looking at a cost of 700tl, which is about £140 quid at todays rate. Considering I am on the f...

I must admit I expected all kinds of objections when I resumed my relationship with MHTTB and made the decision to purchase a property here. Generally my family and friends have been very encouraging and supportive. I am not silly, my radar is primed, MHTTB was an ex for a reason, but 20 years have passed and he, along with I,  have changed a great deal. I did get dire warnings from one person who herself had been involved with a Turkish man, I think her words to me were: you are a 100% mug, but then she was telling me her story, not mine. MHTTB is very good around the house. Yesterday I wanted to have a lay in bed. When I eventually got out of my pit, the house had been cleaned to perfection. He does things like that. He tells me I don't need to climb ladders to get the curtains down, I am not to worry about getting things fixed as he knows people that do everything. In that respect I am lucky. But before resuming my romance, I spent most of that time single. If somethin...

I spent today at Özlems. Özlem is my ‘sister in law’, she is a lovely cook. Today I watched as she cooked courgette with tomato and garlic, then potato with chilli smothered in yoghurt. I figured, if I am going to live here, then I might as well get a few Turkish recipes under my belt. Tonight we had a feast, and there wasn’t one piece of meat in sight. Cold food seems to be the norm, the potato’s were fried, but then left to go cold. Sounds nasty, I know, but they were delicious, along with salad and the afore mentioned courgettes with tomato and bread, lots of bread. The other reason for being there, was MHTTB had to install the soba for winter. Watching just reinforced my belief that a log burner left all year round was a good decision. The pipes were connected and then taped together with tape, thick silver tape. If I can, I am determined to get her a carbon monoxide detector. I noticed when the old tape was removed it was covered in soot, which just goes to prove, that even th...

The one thing you cannot complain about here in Turkey, is customer service. When I first purchased the apartment, I needed Wi-fi access, because at that time I did not (and still don’t) have a residents permit MHTTB had to have it put in his name. We went to turk telecom at 5pm on a Tuesday evening, ordered it and at 10am the following morning we received a call from the telephone engineer saying he was outside and could he come in to install it! He came, with the modem, fiddled about a bit,plugged the modem in and voila! We had Wi-fi. None of this farting about that BT provide. Send a  modem in the post and then they tell you to wait up to 5 working days to connect it at the exchange. The same with the curtains I ordered. I went in gave them the measurements, chose the material and by 4pm the next day they were made, complete with the clips sewn in and ready to hang. Everything electrical that I purchase comes with an automatic 2 year guarantee. Go to the bank and say see this bi...

Yesterday was quite busy. I spent the afternoon re-acquainting myself with the Turkish family and buying carpets. As winter is coming in, the tiled floor can be quite chilly on the feet. Despite it being 24 degrees yesterday, inside was quite cool. Outside was warm and muggy. MHTTB looked at the sky in the early evening and predicted rain. At about 8pm I was sitting on the balcony as the wind picked up. In the distance, towards the sea, I could see lightening. I do love thunderstorms. I find there is something that makes me feel quite cosy. But obviously, only if I am inside. Fairly soon the wind started whipping in, the pool was making waves, and slowly slowly the rain started. The lightening was magnificent, lighting up the backdrop mountains. There are numerous street cats that get fed by MHTTB, and one, who he has named Papilon, was mewing at the door, so he went downstairs to allow him in.  Earlier in the day, I had been shopping looking for electric ceramic hobs, and M...

So I woke to glorious sunshine............actually I didn’t, but I did see the sun rise up over the mountain, which then turned into glorious sunshine. We took a little trip to the Sunday market today in Çalış. I love the markets, all fresh produce, I bought 3 huge bunches of herbs, a kilo of potatoes, a kilo of tomatoes, a kilo,of onions, cucumbers, lettuce, cauliflower and a massive cabbage, along with garlic and chilli’s, plus grapes and that lot cost me the equivalent of about 5 quid! Beats Morrisons, that’s for sure. I have also got a bread pudding on the go. The bread here is gorgeous, but it is meant to last a day, as most Turks eat bread with everything, here is doesn’t get used and when I looked in the bread bin, there were 2 full loaves going  either to the local dog population, or the nearest communal bin, so while I was at the market, I bought sultanas, raisins and currents and got him to mix me some spices, the smell currently wafting from the oven is mouth watering....

I’ve arrived! The flight was great, I had all 3 seats to myself, which was probably just as well. As we took off, I welled up and big fat tears slid down my cheeks. For the weeks leading up to this moment, I have been convinced something would stop me from going. I convinced myself, I’d have an accident or get ill. Anyway, none of that happened. The drive to the airport was uneventful, although my friend Paul brought me, and he is anything but uneventful. My 52 kilos of luggage didn’t fall on me and break my neck, the plane stayed in the air, the drive from the airport was safe and got me to the apartment in one piece. MHTTB was very understanding, he didn’t press me to talk on the journey to the apartment, he could see I was sad. It all still seems a bit surreal at the moment, but I have had some very encouraging and positive messages from friends and family and even strangers. So, I am no longer almost expat, I am officially expat. At the moment. So what are my plans? I will take...

Yesterday, my dad moved into his care home. It’s a lovely care home, come out and turn right and it overlooks Goodrington beach, come out and turn left and it over looks Paignton beach. He was a little confused when he got there, he has been moved around a lot lately, but he was sitting happily with the other residents, playing chair bowls. When he finished I sat beside him and asked if he was o.k. He asked how long he would be staying there. That was it, I tried very bravely to stop the tears falling. I didn’t want him to see me crying, but in the end I had to walk out. Mark, the owner took pity on me and got me a cup of tea while I calmed myself down and went back in again. He looks so much better, he has colour in his face and his delirium seems to have gone. I still feel sad about leaving him there. Just before I left I gave him a great big hug and then he looked at me and he looked so sad as he said to me: I’m losing you aren’t I? That was it! I left him with my sister and went ...

Yesterday I travelled to Devon. My car was packed full with the rest of dads things, my things and the cat. Now I love my cat, but just before the A1 services (luckily, as it happens) the cat almost got us killed. I have no idea how, but he managed to escape from his cat box. I have had a cat do this before, but Chuck is a very different cat. He got onto the dashboard, he was very stressed and was hissing and spitting at all the passing traffic. I tried to get him off but found myself wandering across the lanes. I quickly made the decision to pull into the services, hoping I wouldn’t encounter a police car before I got there. Once I was safely in the car park I then had the problem of getting a very stressed, angry and snarling cat back into his carrier. I just took the bull by the horns, or in this case, the cat by the scruff of his neck, and somehow managed to get him back in and secure the carrier once more. I then dumped a blanket over the box so he couldn’t see what was going on a...

Some photos. I went out last night and drunk more alcohol than I would normally. Today words fail me. Look at pictures instead. 🤢

Yesterday was very emotional for me. I went to see one of my oldest friends. To be honest, I have been so busy cancelling things, clearing out the house and looking after my father until a few weeks ago, I have not really had time to think about the saying goodbye bits. When I left her house last night, we were both crying. Yes she can pick up the phone, yes she can come and visit or I can come back, but it’s just not the same as being able to randomly jump in the car and pay her a visit. Don’t even get me started on my family. My grandson is in a residential school, I am not going to be able to go and see him before I go. I telephoned him, and in typical teenage fashion, I got one word replies. He can get quite stressed, so as I felt myself filling up, I bade him a fond farewell. I am meeting a big group of friends this evening, I know I am going to cry. I hate crying in public, but I know it’s going to happen. On Sunday, I am going to drive to Devon, where I will be saying goodbye ...

I suppose everyone has a problem with their doctor right? Mine drives me crazy, for just a general chit chat I sometimes have to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. I need my medication for my initial 6 months stay, but before I get it I need a review. The only review appointment I can get is the day before I leave, which is a Friday, and that won’t leave me time to get a blood test, so what I was told to do is ask the doctor for a telephone consultation, which takes up an emergency appointment. I hate taking up emergency appointments. Also my doctors are not the easiest of people to get medication from, they will only give me 3 months worth. So one of the first things I will need to do is try an find the same medication in Turkey. I have no idea if I can buy it over the counter, or what the costs will be. Honestly, it’s enough to raise my blood pressure up to dangerous levels!!