OR, MY BRAVE NEW WORLD, NOT WHAT THE ELITES HAVE IN MIND.
Every day here in Turkiye has been a blessing except for the house hassle. This I will set aside for today. Every day I see a new side of the magnificent countryside in it’s raw brutal strength, mountains of rugged and often dangerous secrets, olive fields with animals roaming beneath their ancient boughs and wild flowers that pop up overnight despite the apparent arid land. Snakes and scorpions are what the locals most fear but I’ve been blessed in not having a sudden venomous surprise under the many rocks I have moved and the dark tunnels that have been exposed by my work. The chickens seem to tidy up the nasty bugs for me and Mother Nature has thus far been benevolent to me.
I’ve heard wolves howling at night and sometimes come out of my cabin and gaze at starry skies with so little light pollution that I can spy a glittering array from just my cabin terrace. The song birds have been present in my garden that were absent before and the previously frightened stray cats now hang out with me luxuriously washing themselves in the dappled sunlight around my hammock. Harmony prevails as I play Zen music for healing myself and my garden. All is well with the world that I am trying to carve myself here in my mountain paradise. Despite the obstacles I am still fighting to keep my dream alive.
Organic produce is all over the market near me. Lovely misshapen and peculiar fruit and vegetables are abundant from the farmers stalls. Grubby eggs and olive oil in plastic bottles (I pause to shudder here) fresh from the local press. Organic soap cut into large chunky uneven blocks, honey products straight from the beekeepers, unadulterated by any middleman, with dripping honeycombs and jars of pollen at tiny tables. Olives and nuts abound. Indeed there is a feeling of abundance here and the very atmosphere is a healing experience full of hope and positive energy. Some of the locals simply sit on the ground with a sheet in front of them and arrange their modest harvest. These are the ones I like best.
In the nearly three months I have been here I am aware of the seasons gradual release of the lands bounty, seeing the procession of different food as things ripen. Soon the chestnuts will replace the walnuts, the organic strawberries were long over before I arrived but delicious tart cherries were available. Now the spotty apples are to be seen, crisp thin skinned delicious ones, all tasting slightly different depending on their varieties. Flavour is the key as tomatoes, cucumbers and onions actually burst with flavour. This stepping back in time is what I’ve been searching for, a relationship with the land, nature and the growers of all that I eat here. This is the food and nourishment that makes you savour every bite not just eat your tasteless forced plastic fare.
I only miss having a kitchen at the moment because I could be making amazing dishes that I crave for as the cooking here is of a blander nature and I can’t bully chef here as he won’t have my nonsense. I ask for things to have garlic in and he sends out a dish cooked on the grill with a clove of raw garlic snidely out on a plate next to it. Oh well it’s a small gripe. Our battle is always won by him as he is master of his kitchen, his kingdom and I clearly don’t know how to cook! He became furious when I said that I had wanted the actual brains of the gruesome sheep heads he had bubbling away on the wood fire and not just the cheeks and tongue. He said they went to the dogs those delicious fluffy sheep brains. They went to the dogs. I wanted a revenge on all the sheep I know still plummeting from the cliff of ignorance, still refusing to wake up!
A good surprise right now, I have just been a very late breakfast! Chef has finally cooked my mushrooms I bought in the market perfectly. In an earthenware dish bubbling in garlic and hot red pepper butter! Just as I requested them with no intervention from other people he seems to have done it perfectly. A victory of sorts, cheers chef.
When I have meditated in my hammock I find such deep peace that I have never encountered before. The almost biblical view from there and way of the villagers and animals busy doing the things their ancestors would have done in harmony with the land. Apart from the tractors shouldering the burden of labour, the harvesting is done manually. Often I see tractors whizzing by with old ladies clinging on to go to pick figs from distant fields. Indeed I’ve seen a few ‘frail’ old ladies driving off at speed on those big old tractors totally at ease with being in the driving seat. The women’s toughness amazes me. One neighbour who is in her eighties scrabbles over the stream and climbs my wall into my garden to make a shortcut to what I call gossips corner. This happens to be at the end of my drive which means I am often clearly the topic of their chatter as they show their enthusiasm for the work I’m doing in the garden.
They started by thinking I was a fool but after weeks of backbreaking work I finally have their respect. Thankyou village for giving me a chance. The drying of figs is a really big thing here as are the chillies hanging on lines like great big beautiful red and russet necklaces all round the village. The green walnuts are over now and peeled and ready for winter to dry into what we are accustomed to eating in the UK. Trust me when the are green they are a completely different thing. You need gloves to take the thick green furry skin of the walnut as it can burn your hands or at least turn them brown for days after. I have gorged on them from my tree, a real treat. Olives are nearly ready and are dropping like mad in my garden and the oranges and pomegranates are coming along a treat.
I only have been to the sea a couple of times which was lovely but I’m surprised to say that I don’t really miss it and it’s starting to grow chilly here so it’s perfect weather to work in and mountain living seems to suit me in this ever infringing world is barely noticed by the village here. I do miss seafood though but it’s too expensive for my meagre budget. If or when I get the land I’ll be able to resolve this problem. There are non farmed organic fish in the market that I’ll be able to get and replenish my missing minerals. I have run out of my supplements and have resorted to buying some from here which I don’t really trust. I miss my Shilajit and various researched supplements with no fillers and hidden nasties. This I will have to organise properly when the time arrives.
I walk around barefoot most of the time except when working in the garden so am earthing myself a lot of the time and getting that energy from the land. Considering how much I’m drinking it’s amazing how healthy I am. This is also due to the clean mountain air and the spring water that is available all the time at the fish restaurant and from the mosque fountain of course. This water tastes amazing and makes the best cuppa ever.
In the hollow of my land the reception is bad so I’ll finally be away from the eternal EMFof the already extremely unreliable WiFi at the fish restaurant. I’ll need a good selection of my books and will be perfectly happy with being cut off, off grid and more isolated but I do need my books! I need them for research and leisure. I’m dependent on downloading audio library books online for that particular pleasure but I like to have the real thing. I’ll need them to refer to for mushroom hunting, ceramic work, baking, preserving, organic creams and potions, fabric dyeing etc. The work is nonstop but an absolute delight. No time to get down and no reason in this brave new world of mine.
However there are problems with the paperwork so although tantalisingly close it seems that still I have a mountain to climb. A bureaucratic tangled web covered one. Let’s hope my strength will hold out and the gods will support me on this last push. To anyone feeling down I say, me too today, but tomorrow I will push myself again. Tomorrow is another day be strong my friends and take heart, for this too will pass.
So my friends, this is the path forward that I have chosen. The way that makes me truly happy and gives me the meaning back of being a sovereign woman with a true connection to the universe and love, hope and tranquility. The way we should feel every day, back to the land and peace.
Dedicated to my sister Lizliz who passed last week. I love you darling.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 