Go Green

So it's been over six months since I posted again! Things and life just get in the way I guess.

Still in Turkey, in our little apartment, but we are down to two cats, I lost my beautiful boy in November to a car, to say I am devastated is an understatement. There was a horrid virus killing cats in November and we almost lost Suri, but I hand fed her, had the vet out every day, and I am happy to say she's healthy again. She is on daily vitamins and a daily lysine tablet (it is said to help with Feline Herpes, and I 100% believe it's working). They are also on premium biscuits, and I now seem to be feeding 3 ginger cats who come on the balcony. I have a feeling we will be adopting one of them, I have called him William, he has been hit by a car so he walks funny, Wonky William <3 He is a lovely boy, and the other two like him. Let's see what the Turk thinks haha.

We are just coming out of a LONG WINTER here, Dalyan is definitely not the place to be for winter, it's boring and cold (houses/apartments here are not made for cold weather). There are about 2 cafes open, a few Lokanta's (cheap ready made food, really delicious but basic) and the normal supermarkets and that is it. The Saturday market still runs but it becomes EXPENSIVE!

I spent a month in the UK and Ramazan joined for Christmas and New Year (oh and my birthday), it was lovely we rented a Shepherd's Hut near the ocean and I got to show him the Welsh coast (which is way prettier than Iztuzu...just a little colder). As you can tell I am fed up of Dalyan at the minute.

I have started doing HIIT training which is amazing! I don't know how I haven't done it before, and I have also started back on my green smoothies which really make me feel a little more at home. I had a Spinach, banana, strawberry and oats one for dinner last night as I ate a ridiculously large amount of bread for lunch so decided I could not punish my body even more.

And I own mermaid leggings...WINNER

I am off home for my niece's birthday, only for a week which is good because I can't do long times at home anymore...it's not my home, not sure where is but it's definitely not there. I cannot wait for the summer, it will mean Ramazan is working but it will also mean my cousin is back here with her two babies, lots of places open, new people and faces, and SUN!

Holly attempts...cinnamon swirls

I LOVE CINNAMON SWIRLS

I really love cinnamon, like I love it so much I want it in all my desserts. So I found a recipe to make cinnamon swirls using puff pastry (new faveourite thing!)

So simple, frozen puff pastry, cinnamon and sugar. 

Roll out the puff pastry, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, roll up and cut up and bake until golden brown. 

I brushed them with egg so they would go golden and they were amazing! 

Got to love puff pastry :)

Holly attempts...a quiche

I am a massive quiche fan, the more things you can stick in, the better, the Turk does not like quiche nor does he understand the purpose of a quiche but as a I finally have a new oven, I decided to attempt to make it.

The recipe I followed was great as it used frozen puff pastry and didn't require baking the pastry first.

Pie dish
Frozen puff pastry
quiche filling (I used carrot, pepper, onion, tomato)
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
cheese

It was so easy to do, and it was delicious! I decided on a sideless quiche, so just needed pastry for the bottom, poured all the veg in (cheese on pastry first), then added eggs and milk, bit more cheese. Then bake for about 30 minutes or until the egg has cooked.

Cheap and easy, love my new little oven :)

It's been a year

Wow it has been a year since I last posted anything, time flies as the saying goes.

Update
Still in Turkey
Still in our lovely little apartment
Mavis had 3 beautiful kittens but when we moved to the vilalge for the winter, she disappeared, when we moved back to Dalyan, my beautiful Jay-Z was taken, so I have my 2 other boys and a new kitten Suri
We went to Asia for 7 weeks, we visited Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia
Ramazan and I became aunt and uncle <3

Adjusting to living in Turkey has been hard, I can't work here which makes the days long as the turk works a lot. But I have some good friends, and I practice and teach yoga, as well as cooking in my new oven and spending time of course with my cats!

I am aiming to post more from now on.

Today we visited Gocek for a friend's birthday, was beautiful, stunning little place so close to Dalyan. Had a really tasty meal in West and a lovely smoothie. Got to start doing more smoothies.

Tomorrow I tackle the cycle to Ekin, can't wait! My first visit to Maramis too!

Dalyan, Turkey

It is everything I imagined it would be and more!

I love living here, its an adjustment but a really good one!

We have a lovely apartment and have recently adopted a cat that we have called Mavis (it means blue as she has the most beautiful baby blue eyes). We think she is pregnant which is very exciting as I will be her birthing partner when the time comes! The pace of life is really slow here and thats what I have really been craving. I have unfortunately gotten sick twice but now am fighting fit again, taking Barre classes and daily yoga practises with the most beautiful views!

The weather has just started heating up now so soon I will be able to visit the pool and laze around in the sun, my body is two tone, the front half is going a lovely toasted brown colour but the back of remains a light brown colour as I can't lie down. Our balcony is full of plants and vegetables, which I love, the strawberries are delicious and plentiful.

My days are spent reading, cuddling Mavis, listening to music, sitting in the sun on our balcony, playing with the plants (Ramazan is more of the gardener than me), and working.

The best day of the week for me is Saturday as its market day and I love walking around looking at the amazing fruit and vegetables ( I tend to skip the tacky fake watches and handbag section of the market). I love visiting the plant lady and this weekend we are going to take a trip and some of our plants are having a new home so I will be looking to fill their space with some new green friends.

I am in the stages of trying to sort out the balcony for the evenings, soon the evenings will become unbearably hot and not of our windows have mosquito guards. So I have just ordered a large mosquito net that I am hoping to put out on the balcony so that I can sit under it and relax in the knowledge that I am not going to look like a Smallpox sufferer the next morning!

Things I've been into:

Gardening, reading, trying to cook

Things I miss:

My smoothie maker, my coffee machine

Things I'm over:

sweeping up Mavis's hair 

Things I haven't been doing:

stressing 

1 week to gooooo

I have a week left in Cardiff before I up and move to Turkey to start a new chapter of my life and I am so excited!

I have been culling clothes and my stuff, packing and re-packing, and buying bikinis as that is what I will be living in for the next 6 months.

I am super excited to be attending my friends boot camp tomorrow morning, she has just qualified as a fitness trainer and she runs a women only class so I am going to try it...I am going to be wearing a bikini for the next few months... :)

Things I've been into:

Yoga, gymming, fitness trainer theory, reading, Game of Thrones

Things I miss:

Turkish Apple croissant, smoothies

Things I'm over:

Packing, 

Things I haven't been doing:

learning Turkish, cooking, 

Warning

Clothes should come with a warning when you buy them "do you really want this dress, its very similar to other dresses you have and when you have to up and move your life to X you will probably regret this purchase"

I REGRET ALL THE PURCHASES!!

I am slowly going through my belongings and culling where I can and its actually very cathartic. Moving abroad really helps one to focus the mind and what you need V what you want or think you need/want. Its been hard on the shoe department but most of my shoes are cheap things from Primark that I have looked after and its therefore hard to part with shoes in good nick. However, most of them are suede with a fringe (I sense a theme) and are not practical for this terrible Welsh weather. Nor are they practical for hot weather (sweaty feet is not a good move)

I am keeping a selection of warm clothes and shoes for when I eventually return but the majority of my winter wear is heading to a charity shop near you...SO LONG 6 MONTHS OF GREY SKIES AND RAIN AND WIND...

Sorry despite how exciting it is to start a new chapter of my life, I am probably most excited about leaving this awful weather that I am really not made for. I think I should have been born in 1970s San Fran...just sayin'  ;-D