Still busy here, which is why it has taken me so long to get round to writing again. This week is the holiday celebrating the end of Ramazan, the month of fasting, so there are lots of Turkish people on holiday. We had several rooms of guests, some friends and family booked in, but we have had to turn away plenty more who didn’t make a reservation.
Yesterday, Cem took the boys and some of the visitors to the mosque early in the morning (I say early, but actually they were the naughty ones who skidded in just as the prayers were starting!) Then we all went to breakfast at his mum’s house. Traditionally, the younger people visit their elders on the first day of bayram (holiday), drinking tea and eating far too much baklava and chocolate. When the kids were little I used to dread it as by the end of the day they were completely hyperactive, if not being sick!
I had another day off last week when I went diving with Kaan. I am not exactly a reluctant diver – when I do it I really enjoy it – but I find I have to make the effort to go (not to mention finding some of the ‘diving types’ tedious to say the least!) Kaan had done his first dive ever the week before and was so keen that he wanted to do his PADI Open Water course. He did two dives with his instructor, completing exercises like removing his mask underwater.
I dived with beginners, going to a few metres in the morning and about 10 metres on the afternoon dive. As usual, I loved that feeling of being free under the water and was amazed by the beautiful colours of the fish. Still, the effort of getting all that gear on and off means I probably won’t go again for another couple of years! Kaan on the other hand, passed his course and is now a qualified diver and is going again on Friday.
Both the boys are having a ball at the moment, spending their days with the kids in the hotel who have melded into a really great gang, age range from about three to about sixteen and a mixture of English, Turkish and one half Ukrainian (our friends’ son). Here are some pictures of them all messing around in the pool. We are kept busy serving burgers, chips, pancakes with ice cream and brownies; it’s noisy and you hardly dare walk past the pool for fear of getting splashed (if not pushed in); and Emre quite often has several assistants (‘Emre’s Angels’) in the bar. But I’ll miss it when the schools go back!
Today is Murat’s birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MURAT! He doesn’t want a fuss to be made. Ha!...he should know us better than that!
