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Published: March 29th 2015
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Woolly says – It’s hard to believe that we have now lived in Turkey for over eighteen months. As part of our five year plan – Jo does like a plan – it hadn’t panned out in quite the way we had expected due to circumstances out of our control and I suppose I knew that it couldn’t continue with days of sitting on the balcony, wandering around the harbour or chasing the waves on the beach. There was a distinct smell of change in the air…… I told him to have a bath! Woolly says - …… and as Jo seemed intent on writing list upon list I knew that something was afoot (well paw in my case). As discussions were held with daughter Zoe and more lists were made a plan seemed to be coming together. My carer started to frown a lot more and seemed intent on crossing off items already achieved, then the suitcase appeared, the big suitcase at that, the one that signifies were going somewhere for quite a while. It seemed like a good time to start packing my belongings and checking out my supply of snacks and pistachios. My need to have lists and organisation have a lot to do with the OCD tendencies inherited from my wonderful and highly organised Dad. We seemed to have a plan in theory and if everything went the way it should it seemed that we would be on the move again…. Like many plans it started to unravel quite quickly and with only two weeks before our flight it seemed that we would be flying by the seat of our pants! Woolly says – Personally I prefer to fly on an aeroplane! Although the checklist was scrutinised daily the ‘things to do list’ seemed to be getting longer by the second, rather than stress about the ‘one step forward and six steps back’ situation we appeared to be in I set about making the most of my time in my adopted country and dragged Jo off for more walks along the wonderful beaches of Alanya where we could sit and consider what we will miss from out adopted country. That list could be a long one! Woolly says – The beach, harbour and castle have become focal points of our lives and being able to sit and have a cay while watching the world go past in the sunshine is something that is hard to beat. Our monthly walk around the castle and the stunning views always inspire me, usually to have another snack! My favourite bars and restaurants where I’m greeted as the super star that I am and of course our incredible friends who have provided so much comfort, help and support. The Friday market, rich with its colours and scents and the chatter that is completely incomprehensible regardless of how many Turkish lessons I have now had, and my favourite pistachio stall where I am greeted like a returning hero each week and given a tickle behind the ears.
The cost of life here is something that we will both miss, when you can buy a weeks’ worth of food (including pistachio nuts of course) and have change from 50 TL (approximately £13.00 GBP). Some things however will not be missed, the frustration of dealing with legal issues and the time that everything can take to be resolved which has caused some headaches over the last year and no doubt will continue to do so even in our absence and the driving……
Woolly says – The drivers are awesome and always make me giggle especially when we are sauntering along minding our own business only to find a motorbike driving into us on the pavements! The storms here are magical and Jo and I have spent many a night sitting watching the lightening hold fights in the night sky as it forks in from three different directions, it’s a shame we never manage to get a photograph but then ‘someone’ isn’t that good with a camera! It’s not for want of trying Woolly says – it’s fair to say were going to miss everything, especially the ability to spend days doing absolutely nothing, because were going back to work! Well Jo is, I will of course be directing and managing the whole situation to ensure that I get my snacks on time and that all my needs are catered for…… Not so much my small companions needs but that of customers! Woolly says – I’m sure they can sort themselves out! It’s actually going to be a bit like going back in time as we set about running a bar again (you may or may not know that we had a bar – well Pub – in the UK a few years ago, in fact that’s how I first met my carers – but that’s another story –) so I will be back to managing the clientele, ensuring that my staff of Jo, friend Graham and Daughter Zoe are working hard and making sure that my life is maintained to my satisfaction!
The original bar chosen and agreed upon lasted only a few weeks before bad news reached us and we were informed that the owners had decided to sell instead of rent. Plan b, c, d and e were started and although a leap of faith is required and with no official place to go now on the cards were taking the risk and holding onto our hats…. Woolly says – that reminds me I need to pack my hats! …… as we head off to pastures new and unknown. Woolly says – I’m off to Sunny Spain Y Viva Espana, I'm taking the Costa Brava plane Y Viva Espana ….. Have I got enough snacks for the journey?.............
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Jo McCarthy
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Best of luck with the transition Jo and Woolly! Looking forward to hearing how it goes. I'm sure there will always be a place for you in Turkey's heart, but does Spain realise what a mammoth experience it's letting itself in for?