Applying Oneself to the Eastern Question (Again)....

Side, Turkey - 8 months and counting!

It has been a busy weekend on the domestic front with lots going on and little of it war games related. I have just renewed my mobile phone contract and so my old Blackberry is now in the care of my daughter. This entailed getting the said device unlocked - no problem aside from the time to get it done, or rather getting to the place where it can be done. SWMBO needed to get her new glasses so an hour or so was spent in the opticians (which incidentally must be a record!) and then the usual shopping had to be done. My daughter is away for a week as it is the half term break and so a certain number of holiday related tasks needed attention on her behalf (meaning her old dad was a taxi service for the weekend - one of the less glamorous joys of parenthood!). The only down side of all the domestic round was the fact that every car journey I had to undertake involved traversing the gigantic earth moving project that is the Sadler's Farm roundabout(s) refurbishment which will be really good when complete but at the moment is a nightmare.

Once all of this was tackled it took us very nicely into Sunday and today was far easier although no less uneventful. Peace has broken out with out next door neighbours at last over their 30ft Leylandii (8 of them!) that block out almost all of our downstairs light. They will be losing half of their height in the next couple of weeks which will mean we will have our garden back. This has been an ongoing bone of contention for around 5 years so it is really good news that some trimming will be happening very soon.

We also managed to order a replacement programmer for our central heating system as the switch was faulty and it stubbornly refuse to be switched off - it would keep popping on with the slightest amount of provocation - even a heavy footstep was enough!

Finally, and best of all we have managed to book and pay for our family holiday next year. It would probably come as no surprise when I say that we are heading back to the Sublime Porte for a couple of weeks in July as opposed to the planned return to Corfu. The reasons for this about face are many and varied but essentially it was down to the simple fact that we could not get booked up for when we wanted to. We are heading to Side (pronounced See-day) straight after my daughter finishes her final exams at the end of June and although this is some 8 months away I can't wait!

There is much to look at in the immediate area of historical interest and so I will relish the opportunity to, at last, have a good rummage around the immediate locale. My fondness for all things Turkish means that this is a great holiday choice for me with the added bonus of great weather, good food (I love Turkish Meze style buffets), history by the bucket full and a really good price as well.