Özlem Warren in Bodrum

I'm very excited that Özlem is coming to Bodrum. Don't miss her talks in the downstairs lecture room in the Oasis Shopping Centre on Thursday 25th October.  English is at 15:00 and Turkish at 16:30.  There will be a chance to get a signed copy of her wonderful cookery book which no kitchen should be without. Further details of her Bodrum demonstrations and worldwide travels are available on clicking this link

A Cookery Dream

Özlem Warren's Blog  has been my go-to destination for recipe checking and inspiration for several years now.  I joined the chorus of her many friends urging her to put all her recipes in one place and write a book.  She has gone further than this and produced a cookery memoir that paints an aromatic picture of what it is like to grow up in a Turkish household that appreciates its Eastern Mediterranean culinary heritage. Özlem has written a book that is so lovely to look at that my copy will be kept on the coffee table, not on the kitchen shelf. 

Book Launch in Vout-O-Reenee's

Congratulations to Özlem for creating a work of art - on the page this time rather than on a plate, and to have sold over 700 hardback copies before the book has hit the bookshops, shows how many fans she has around the world.  

Frangipani 2

This is a test to see if I can add photos on Blogger using my iPhone and Google drive 

Good news for dog walkers

Taking a dog into a bank in the past was a bit of a grey area, sometimes we were let in sometimes shooed out but today Murat, the friendly security guard at Ak Bank, confirmed that legally all well behaved pets on a lead have to be allowed to accompany their owners into the bank. That's very good news for Jake and me as I can now comfortably do my banking during our morning walk rather than before or after.

Bodrum is buzzing but I can’t show you the pictures

Where is the photo you ask - I’m asking the same question on every forum I can find about blogging. After losing my iPad and iPhone in the same week, I decided to buy a big phone to take the place of both. As everything is backed up in iCloud, I chose an iPhone 8 Plus with all the bells and whistles and massive price tag.  I have used the Blogger app on my iPad for the past 6 years so assumed I would just carry on only to find that it is no longer available for iPhones. I can use the web version on my phone to add text but it won’t download photos.   Hours of trawling the net came up with an app only downloadable to an iPad. Friend Angela luckily had an iPad mini for sale at a non-eye watering price, so I drove over to Yalıkavak on Sunday to collect it.  I set it up, installed the app to find that despite the description in the App Store, it didn’t support Blogger.  The only alternatives I have now are to 1. Buy a Google-friendly tablet or 2. Swap the blog to Wordpress.  Or I just have to stick near my desktop which still supports the blog but as it is now over 10 years old, there is a fair chance that it will give up the ghost soon. The first option is more expense, the second is daunting.  Any advice would be very welcome. 

Paws for a coffee

A pause was needed today - a dash in the pouring rain on Monday with a rucksack full of shopping lead to a smashed iPad.  Old age (the phone, not me) caused my iPhone to black-out on Thursday resulting in confusion over a missed rendezvous, (sorry again if you are reading this!)  A miss-placed brush while painting and drinking G&T at the same time ended with the glass and now purple drink crashing down on the floor.  Today was a day of picking up pieces.  It started well with a trip to Şule's to choose a colour for my new kitchen cupboards.  The shop wasn't open but I spent a very pleasant 30 minutes in Joy Art cafe next door, drinking very good coffee with Jake by my side.  I'm very happy to find another comfortable spot that allows well behaved dogs inside.  We shall go back to sample the food. 

Sagalassos Lodge and Spa

For once ignore the archaeological remains in this photo, I'll write about them next, but concentrate on the large orange building on the left.  This is the Sagalassos Lodge & Spa where friend Helen and I based ourselves for 3 nights to explore the treasures of Pisidea.  An inspired location at 1250 metres high and only 4 kms from the ancient site, the hotel grounds spread over 40,000 square metres of forest.  We made full use of the facilities as soon as we arrived and any lingering Lake Salda clay was washed off in the hammam and steamed out in the sauna, followed by a swim in the indoor pool with a panoramic view of the valley below. We even splashed out on an aromatherapy massage from Kaya, the resident modern-day Gaia who kneaded some life back into our tired muscles after we'd spent 6 hours walking around Sagalassos.

The food is locally sourced, tasty and extremely good value and the staff friendly and helpful. Go at the right time and there are yoga classes, art exhibitions, organised forest walks and bicycles are available in a rack by the entrance.  It is also very pet-friendly. You will be met by Fox the hotel labrador and six other mutts of various shapes and sizes are looked after by the staff. I didn't take Jake this time as museums don't have the same relaxed attitude to dogs but I will definitely go back with him on my next trip to the Taurus Mountains.

A morning smile

Look who we met at Yalvaç museum.  Discovered close to Pisidian Antioch this lion made me smile too. 

Change of view

Ağlasun emerging from the morning mist 

It's lovely to wake up to a different view from time to time.  Even better when the trip away from home is purely for pleasure and the whole day ahead will be filled with archaeological sites.  Lots of photos to come when I get back to my desk top. 

The hat moves on

September 2018

My husband was very fond of his hats. His nickname in Bodrum was 'Şapkalı', literally 'with a hat'.
His favourite was a panama bought from Lock & Co in London. This one was passed on to brother Tim at Teo's funeral.  The everyday caps have been passed around to friends or given to charity but one hat remained. When the panama was put away for winter, the felt fedora came out of its box. I couldn't imagine giving it to charity and it was not something my son-in-law would wear so it has been hanging around...until Monday when Tamer rang to say he was near Bodrum. They met in their first year at M.E.T.U. and remained friends, popping in and out of each other's lives in Bodrum and Ankara.  So the fedora has found another good looking head to sit upon and I know it will cut a dash in the streets of Ankara.

Tamer trying on  Teo's first panama hat some time in the 80s

Catching up

The year is 1982, my first season working in Bodrum for a flotilla company called Yachtours. At the end of each trip, the lead-boat crew of three would arrange a barbeque for the guests.  We had a massive iron grill made and we'd take it out to Papuç Bay once a week to cook up enough steak, chicken and meatballs for around 50 hungry sailors.  (This is no longer possible as Papuç Bay is now the home of Sea Garden Hotel and non residents are not allowed access). We also had to take all the drink. We usually managed all this with little fuss or bother and everyone had a great time.  I can't remember what lead up to the above photo. Skipper Jimmy is trying to rescue the provisions with Bosun Pete rowing to the rescue while Hostess Annie was was on the lead boat taking photos. I know I had all the meat on board with me so it is the grill and beer Jimmy is saving. Paul, the land-based manager, was probably on his way with replacement dry charcoal. The party went ahead without further hitches and the clients had no idea we had nearly drowned their supper.  The steel dinghy by the way was presented to us as 'The Unsinkable Tender'.   I suspect we saw that as a challenge. 

On Sunday Jimmy was back in Bodrum with his wife Joey. Paul and Eileen, like me are still living here (although only for a couple more weeks) and the old team was back together for a lunch in Sugar and Salt, just meters from the Marina where we used to work  together 36 years ago.  This time nobody got wet feet. 

Joey, Jimmy, Eileen. Me. Paul