Wednesday 12 June 2013

Three Seasons in Scotland



I've been back home for 3 full days now enjoying the warm sun and recovering from the shock of dipping my toes back in the world of the salary slave.  My first evening in the highlands was a chilly affair; 2 degrees outside and a cottage in which the fridge had been turned on but the central heating hadn't.  The interior of the fridge was warmer  than the bathroom.  The snow lingered for a few days and then the sun came out and by June 1st violets were poking their heads through the rough grass. 



I have lived in the UK for more than half my life and have never seen daffodils flowering in June before so I can appreciate how rough this year's winter has been. The last few days of the trip were warm (well 18 degrees counts as warm in Inverness) and sunny enough for shorts and T-shirts to appear on the few walkers and bird-watchers that make their way up the path through glen.  I stuck to the Bodrum convention that cardigans don't come off until the mercury hits at least 24C.





With a dodgy satellite internet connection, no mobile and only terrestrial news I had about as much information about events going on in Turkey as my neighbours the deer and goats, and gradually weaned myself off my internet habit.  Back home, with friends visiting and  a gardening project underway, I haven't rekindled my obsession yet so I apologise for the sparsity of my own posts and my lack on comment on blogs I usually follow.  I have caught up with them today but couldn't summon up a worthy response.


Hopefully normal service will resume as soon as I catch up on my lost sleep and missed newspaper articles  and I can think of something to say on the current protests that won't have my blog blocked for eternity.

23 comments:

  1. B to B, It's the salary slave part that would have had me shivering. Welcome back (I hope) to full retirement.

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    1. I have another 12 years to go to full retirement, so have to
      put in a few weeks a year to keep paying my national
      insurance, not planning to do any more than the bare
      minimum.

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  2. Welcome home! I always find it takes a while to settle back into some kind of routine. You certainly have a lot of catching up to do with what's been happening here while you've been away.

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    1. Last year the mayor was arrested while I was away, this year's events are even more surprising.

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  3. That's the tough bit...trying to think of cohesive sentences that make sense of what's happening in Turkey.

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  4. I'm hoping you'll tell us what you've been doing in Scotland - I'm very curious.
    You chose a lively time to leave Turkey, didn't you? It has been quite an eye-opener for me - having become rather fond of Turkey through the eyes and words of you and your fellow bloggers in the country - and I have been following the situation with much greater interest and concern than I might otherwise have done. I can't imagine how it will be resolved - because when intransigence meets indignation, a simple, peaceful solution isn't really very likely.
    Do keep us informed.
    Axxx

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    1. I do a bit of cooking. Not as exciting making chocolates.

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  5. . . it;s the withdrawal of the residence permit that should be weighed with any words/observations - that and saying what you think is right in our various 'democracies'!

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  6. I could have waved to you as we passed through Inverness a week last Sunday, Annie. :-) It must have been difficult being so far away with such turmoil happening at home and I hope you've managed to catch up with events. I'm sure you'll be back in the swing of blogging before long.

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  7. Good to see photographs showing the colours of Scotland...we've been keeping up with events in Turkey vis the online press and via Turkish friends in France.
    They seem to think Erdogan will have his police going in very roughly indeed.

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  8. Hosgeldiniz Annie, lovely to have you back at the blogsphere: ) I have lots of fond memories of Inverness - Newtonmore area, while i was studying in Stirling, I know what you mean with the temp. Glad you got to enjoy the daffodils. I am dreading to check the latest at home, I am hoping for some common sense..take care.

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    1. If I hadmy time again, I'd choose a Scotyish university.

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  9. ooh, a wage slave. Sent a shiver down my spine!

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    1. Can't keep my ingrained Protestant work ethic under wraps for ever.

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  10. Its good to see and hear what you've been up to...I love the Bodrum tradition of 24 degrees being cardi shedding time.
    It must have been strange observing things in Turkey from afar, and some of your comments do inspire a chill. A straightforward peaceful outcome looks more and more unlikely. Thinking about you and Ayak. Take care. Jx

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    1. We've been here before, we'll bounce back

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. Read your post online :) Happy you're home safe and sound!

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