We’re staying in the Ocean Quarter, which although isn’t the most salubrious part of town, we’re close to most things, including the local fruit, veg and fish markets. Our apartment is tucked away down one of the many back streets, it’s very quiet, has a really nice vibe about the place and a wonderful terrace. As I mentioned, we are in walking distance of most places of interest and for everywhere else there’s “Careem”, an Uber type service. On Saturday we decided to take a trip to Chellah, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a mausoleum housing past sultans and the remains of an ancient Roman town, something we were both looking forward to seeing, which if we’d have visited last weekend would have been fine, unfortunately we didn’t, so after an hour’s walk we discovered it was closed for renovations, for the next 2 years! We were able to walk around the perimeter though and experience the lovely gardens and views across the city and Bou Regreg river. We then headed to the Dar Naji for some Moroccan fayre, which was ok. The temperatures have been in the mid to high 20’s and walking around any city at the weekend can be a little uncomfortable when it’s like that, so on Sunday after chilling on the terrace for the morning and a delicious lunch thereafter, we headed off to the recently refurbed “Kasbah des Oudaias”another UNESCO World Heritage site. The 12c Citadel is designed in a wonderful typical Moroccan style, with its strong square lines and unique sandstone colouring. Inside the city walls we were treated to beautiful white walled, small winding alleyways, with ornate front doors hiding each dwelling. After about an hour exploring, we found ourselves looking out over surfers on the Atlantic side and to the other the mouth of the Bou Regreg river, set against the back drop of the City. We spent the rest of the day walking along the beach before heading back to the apartment. There’s a few things I’m still adjusting too, but it’s definitely growing on me!

It’s was the last visit to Huntingdon to bid farewell to our parents, the last time we spent this amount of time with our parents, we were kids and testing times aside it’s been really nice immersing ourselves in their lives again. We’ve both enjoyed marching along the river Ouse and rambling through the countryside every morning with my mum leading the way, as well as time spent catching up doing little job’s. We left on the day after the Queens very sad passing, which most of the country wasn’t ready for, she had been a constant presence in my life as both the head of the Country and as an incredibly strong woman to look up to. From there we headed to my brothers for the last time and a final catch up with friends one last time before the off! I caught up with Andy and got to hear all about his wonderful safari. I met up with Paul & Steve at the quays, unfortunately I’m not allowed to ski for a while and Paul’s not skiing either so we both sat in the boat and shouted obscenities at Steve, while he entertained us both….All good fun! On the last Sunday before leaving we’d been invited to Alan & Linda’s wedding at a beautiful venue not too far from my brothers. The weather and ceremony were both perfect! The following evening we had the pleasure of Christien who dropped by to say his farewells. Then off to London to park the car up for winter and then a final few nights with Jon & Jo, in Braintree before setting off to Rabat in Morocco. After just under four hours we landed in Rabat and were generously met by our hosts who took us to our new home for the next six weeks.

We’ve been lying low around the Guildford area and not doing as much socialising as we’d like, as I need to stay virus free, for some treatment I’ve been having. So all of our socialising has been outside, which has been perfect, as it’s been too hot to be inside! The summer has been absolutely fantastic, with temperatures between the high 20’s and mid 30’s for July and August, which isn’t typical at all. We spent July at my brothers, which has been nice and quiet. I’ve caught up with friends in the area over walks and outdoor lunches, which is always fun. We met Seb, Christien and Ally, to take on the “Green, Super Highway” walk, in Hampstead Norrey (the Oxford side of Reading). It’s an old disused railway that has been turned into a walkway. It runs through a small forest under a canopy of trees and is a great place for little Arlo to run about. Seb and Ally stopped off on their way, back up North, from the New Forest, so it broke the up the journey north and gave us the opportunity to spend a few hours together….we do miss them all when we’re away. Keith and Rachel had asked us to keep an eye on their place and look after Rhubarb for a couple of weeks, whilst they went off on vacation. It’s a beautiful home, but the highlight for us was looking after Rhubarb, an elderly Wheaton Terrier, with a lovely temperament and great fun to take out walking and chase around. I’ve finally finished my little project, which was setting up an online gallery, initially for some of my fathers artwork, which meant photographing and cataloging the artwork, before creating the site itself. It’s something I’ve not done before and although it was challenging, it was pretty enjoyable. The link’s below.

https://www.lomasfineart.com/

After spending the last week for a while with my parents, I’ve been mainly photographing and cataloging my dad’s paintings. for a project I’m working on, I’ll hopefully post a link to it n my next blog. We left Huntingdon and headed across to Braintree, for what was to be another fun weekend with Jon and Jo. On the Saturday we took Ozzy for a good walk around Hylands Estate, in Chelmsford, where an impressive and elegant Neo-Classical villa, sits in the middle of a large park. It was a really enjoyable day just walking through the endless fields, chatting, and watching Ozzy gallop around. We ordered in some delicious Turkish food that evening and after a few games of backgammon we turned in. We said our goodbyes late Sunday afternoon and headed down to my brothers, we’ll be staying around the Guildford area until late August, I’ve got some medical things to take care of, which means travelling into Guildford every morning for 6 weeks. I used to do the journey over the Hogs Back into Guildford in a previous life, but it’s way more fun doing it outside of the traffic window, leisurely and in the warm sunny weather, with the wind whistling through your hair. The Hoggs Back is a high ridge, which splits the North Downs, running from Farnham, to Guildford and I’d forgotten that on a clear day, as well as the stunning scenery in both directions, you can see out as far as the tall buildings in Canary Wharf. The weather for July has been beautiful and Rach and I have been up early each morning for a good walk, which has been perfect, with the tranquility broken only by the morning bird song. I’ve popped in to see my good friends Paul, Keith & Andy, as well as seizing the opportunity of playing Christien at tennis at least once a week…I need to up my game though, as the last few outings I’ve been schooled!

We started the week at my brothers place as I had a few personal things to take care of, then we headed back up to my parents. Although we’ve still got some medical things to take care of for dad, we’re getting there, with putting things in place to make life a little easier for them both. Rachel’s still got a few issues to sort out with her parents, but on the whole this trip was more about spending quality time with our folks, which was really enjoyable. Rach is still playing driving instructor to my mum, which is going well and we’re still enjoying early morning walks and spending time together. One of the downsides of not having a permanent base, is that to get the family together, you have to rent one. We decided on a converted barn in Malmesbury in the South West, so on Thursday afternoon we left my folks and did the 2+ hr journey, from east to west arriving there early evening, Seb and Ali and Arlo were due in later that evening, with Christien and Gina coming in late Friday. Rach was working Friday and I had to be in Guildford for most of the day, but we all rendezvoused for dinner later that evening, which was very entertaining. The following morning we’d decided to spend the day at the Cotswold Country Park, not too far from where we were staying. The park ran around several lakes and through some fields and woods, which Arlo galloped around, as fast as his little legs would carry him. That evening we’d booked a table at the “Potting Shed” which was highly recommended and they’re dog friendly to boot . It was another fun night and after some very good food and plenty of laughs we headed back for a couple of games of pool. Sunday morning we took Arlo for a good walk around the local area, before tucking into a cooked breakfast courtesy of Christien & Gina, before heading off early afternoon. On the way back we looked in and spent the afternoon with Cory and his family in Stroud, which we really enjoyed, even if it was a little difficult to find.

Wow! it’s nearly 3 weeks since we arrived back in the UK and that time has really raced by. We’ve split our time between my parents, (which works well for Rach as her folks aren’t far away) & my brothers house further south. When we first arrived the weather was a bit hit and miss which thwarted my early plans to attack my parents garden, but not for too long and after a good week or so I’ve pretty much finished and it’ll be nice for them to sit during the summer. We’re also making headway with the healthcare “bits and bobs” and have put things in place to help make things easier for both sets of parents, we’ve also got my mum driving again after over 40 years, well Rachel has, as neither my brother, or I have that level of patience! Over the first part of the jubilee weekend we were invited to spend the weekend with Jon & Jo (I can’t believe that they’re not fed up with us yet) the weather was great so we took Ossie for some long early morning walks, followed by some lazy afternoons with great food and banter. Jon had convinced me to enter a poker tournament with him, that ended up lasting into the wee hours, but at least one of us came away a winner. On Saturday we left Jon & Jo’s to take an old friend out for lunch in Eversley which went down well and later that afternoon we headed over to Cobham to see Rachel and Keith, where we spent the afternoon catching up, before heading out for an entertaining dinner at a gastro-pub, which was very good indeed. Before turning in, Keith had talked me into going for a cycle. So the following drizzly morning we headed out on what Keith had said would be a gentle 22 mile cycle around the Surrey hills (mercifully only the flat bits) I’ve never cycled with cleats before, so I was excused for collapsing into a bush at a junction after having un-cleated the wrong foot!….Nevertheless it was great fun, even if I was a little sore afterwards.

Our 3 Months are up in Turkey and as this is was our last week. We’d decided to take it easy and leave a few things to do when we return, Yep we’ve decided that we’re going to return in September although we’re not sure for how long. I’m loving our little daily routine of exercise and yoga for an hour, before a 5 minute stroll down to the water for a good 40 minute swim. Then if we’re not playing tennis, it’s back to the villa for a hearty breakfast (yoghurt, with plenty of the fresh fruit on offer, followed by an omelette stuffed with vegetables). We might go for a wander either around Kisler, or into Kalkan at lunchtime. We decided to try The Castle restaurant during the week, which is literally a stone’s throw from us. The food was pretty good and the people, most of whom were English were good fun too. We returned again after a late game of tennis and were invited by an English couple the following day to their villa close to the water, not something we would normally do but we’ve been toying with the idea of buying. Thursday was our last market day, so after our ritualistic exercise program & swim, we walked into town. It’s such a colourful place, with so much going on and all that fresh produce to choose from. Saturday, Sunday we lounged by the pool for most of the day, with a visit from Ozz our fish guy on Saturday. He prepared us 2 Sea Breams from the back of his truck, for me to throw on the barbecue…delicious! On Tuesday evening the time had come for us to board our flight back to the UK, we were flying into Stanstead, both to spend a few days with Jon & Jo and also to pick up the car from the City. It’s always great fun catching up with those guys. Friday saw us heading up to Huntingdon to check in and spend some time with our parents.

We’ve had guests staying for the week, which has been great fun. Rachel & Keith rolled into town Tuesday evening and it was great to see them. Wednesday was a chilled day by the pool, but before then, Keith and I went for a early swim in the bay. I’m used to swimming alone, so it was nice to have someone along side, although Keith’s a stronger swimmer than me and I reckon he was holding back. That evening we went into Kalkan for a stroll and then to Trio, a restaurant by the harbour, to look out over the boats, whilst feasting on tasty food and good conversation. Thursday after an early morning swim, which we managed all week, and a trip to the colourful market we decided to visit Kas, which is a bit bigger than where we are in Kalkan, but apart from a couple of interesting streets, isn’t as nice. We did happen upon a great little bohemian coffee shop, where all the cool folks appeared to be hanging out….well cool until we showed up. That evening we decided to head up to the Fidanka restaurant and were treated to not only good food, but a marvellous sunset too boot. The following day we’d decided to go and take a look at the ancient city of Patara, which amongst other interesting facts, was the birth place of Saint Nicholas, who lived there most of his life. Patara was somewhat smaller than the other historical cities that we’d visited on this trip, but interesting nonetheless. After spending a couple of hours wondering around the ancient city, we decided to grab some lunch before taking a walk along the famed, 12 mile sandy Patara beach (we didn’t walk all of it). Rachel Gill was keen to get on the water so Saturday morning we were greeted by captain Yas, Cesar and Toffee the dog as we boarded the Whisper. We crept slowly out of the harbour and headed east along the coast line, before stopping briefly at Kaputas Beach and then the blue cave, which at first glance didn’t look like much, but as you swim back out from the dark cave and into the sunshine your body began to glow a deep blue in the water….very cool! After another fabulous lunch on board, we anchored up in the bay of a small island solely inhabited by swifts, as I laid on my back looking up into the azure sky, my gaze was captured for a good 30 minutes as I marvelled at their fascinating mating ritual. We started making our way back at around 4pm, and pulled up at 5pm. After welcome showers and a few drinks, we headed out to the Mahal Club for dinner, which in my opinion was the best of the weeks fine eats and as we’d met the F&B manager earlier in our stay, he’d secured us a great table, on a ledge overhanging the sea.

We decided to hire a gulet for the day. A Gulet is a typical wooden Turkish cruising yacht. It has a large, rounded stern area which is well-suited for comfortable eating and lounging. Our skipper “Yas”had messaged us the night before to confirm that there were no issues with the weather, so on Sunday morning we arrived at Kalkan harbour and were welcomed aboard the “Whisper”by Yas and his crew. It’s a very attractive looking boat, that we had all to ourselves. The plan for the day, was a very leisurely one, which was perfect! We left the harbour and headed for our first stop, a lovely swim spot and a place to jump off some rocks into the water, from there we anchored up in a delightful little bay, before heading further up the coast where our captain prepared us an absolutely delicious lunch. As it turned out Yas was a secret chef himself and a very good one! After a long lunch and some entertaining conversation we made our way to another small sheltered cove, which as the wind had picked up considerably was a great place to settle and tuck into a large plate of fruit. After a thoroughly enjoyable day had by all, we disembarked at around 16:30pm. With the boys flying home the following day, we decided to head into town for a last supper at the Doy Doy…..A great end to a great day. The boys got away safely the following day and Rach and I returned back to our early morning walking and swimming routine and playing tennis. We’ve also made it out into town a couple of nights this week, which is always good fun.

We’ve been pretty lazy since we arrived 10 days ago, just lounging around the pool and gazing out across this wonderful vista. But we have managed a couple of swims, another trip to the farmers market and some delicious dinners. On Thursday we received our first visitors here, Christien and his best friend Brad, which was exciting. That evening we all went into Kalkan for dinner at a good restaurant with a view over the harbour (Sade). On Friday the boys lounged around the pool reading and drinking the local beer and that evening I rustled up some fresh Sea Bream on the barbecue that went down well. Saturday we decided to go on a bit of an adventure to the Saklikent Gorge, it’s about a 45 minute cab ride from where we are. The canyon itself is about a 1000 ft deep and about 16 km long, it’s also one of the deepest in the world. It’s only possible to walk the full length in the summer months, when most of the snow from the Taurus Mountains has melted and passed through on its way to the Med, for us today though only about 2.5km was passable, as snow fell quite heavily into March. As we entered the gorge and paid our nominal entry fee, we were met by the sheer magnitude of the marble facades & after a short walk around a suspended walkway, we found ourselves at the start of our challenge. We’d be spending the next 2.5km in varying depths of water, so we’d need rubber shoes and hard hats. The 3 chaps should have gone for a smaller size shoe (Rach got it right) as we ended up stopping regularly to empty the small stones out. I don’t normally use a guide, but given the torrent of water racing past and not knowing the best route to take I reluctantly agreed….well done Christien for making me see sense. Literally after being 20 meters in, we were already waist deep in the icy water and had already formed a human chain, which was needed to traverse from one side to the other. As we moved further forward the strength of the current increased and we were forced to scale boulders and weave through nooks & crannies, where the water was impassable, something that we wouldn’t have been able to do without the help of a guide. It took us the best part of an hour and three quarters to get to the point where we couldn’t go any further and another hour to get back. It was an adrenaline filled adventure from start to finish, made even more memorable by the stunning environment. None of us gave the icy water a second thought, as waded through it, even poor Rach, who was nearly up to neck in it in some places said nothing, it was such an engrossing day! Brad and Christien went into Kalkan in the evening, whilst Rach and I stayed in and chilled out opting to go to bed early thoroughly knackered!