Big news: the council has finally granted planning permission for our revised four-hotel-rooms-plus-a-house idea. Like every bureaucratic process it took longer than we expected or wanted, although we did get some reassuring feedback on the structural soundness of our designs. Anyway, we’re really glad it’s all sorted, and now we can move on to getting quotes for the concrete-slab foundation work and the pool.
Now we can build all this!
A while ago we passed our one-year anniversary of being here. It would be great if more had happened up in the orchard by now — at the moment it’s just the fig trees, dry grass, marker pegs, and one steel telegraph pole with a light and a power connection box. But we’re optimistic that with all of the red tape out of the way, some earth should start getting moved around very soon.
One thing that we did manage to finish before the one-year mark was the kitchen. I know it has been drawn out over many blog posts, but it is now finally, properly finished. Here are some shots showing the tiled worktop and the finishing touches on the woodwork.
High-angle view of the kitchen. Hope everyone likes the tiles.
The kitchen sink window looks out into the street at tractor-wheel height.
Free-standing cabinet between the fridge and the door. Plus added cat (Maya).
My mum and dad came to stay with us for the first half of August — we are trying to talk them into coming at a less outrageously hot time of year for their next visit. But it was good seeing our progress through their eyes, as they were last here almost exactly a year ago. Dad was extremely helpful in the garden, as he was the first time around. And they talked us into taking a seaside break for a few days: the first nights we had spent away from this place since we arrived. (A huge thank you to Sirem’s sister Çisem for holding the fort and feeding all the animals while we were away.)
We spent three nights at the Panion Park Hotel in the coastal town of Guzelçamlı, close to the entrance to the Dilek National Park. It was a really pleasant, quiet hotel and we can recommend it. They have a lovely pool and an equally lovely bar by the pool. They’ve only been open for six years and we were impressed with how well their landscaped garden had come along. Lots of ideas to file away for future reference.
The view from our room in the Panion Park Hotel. Great garden.
What else have we been up to? A recent carpentry project was the door to the second bedroom. The old door was a bit of a mess and we had to lock it with a very amateurish chain and padlock around the handle. More importantly, the doorway was much lower than it needed to be, with a small window over the door for no good reason. More than one taller visitor had smacked their head on the low lintel (sorry, Mark). So we came up with a plan for a full-height door that included a central window with shutters for extra ventilation in summer. Sketchup again, of course. We think it all turned out OK.
New door from the outside, shutters closed.
From the inside: going for a medieval look with all the black iron hardware.
And with the shutters open to let in a breeze.
The weather has been really hot, of course, but never humid. We found that the sun was tracking so far north that we weren’t getting enough shade on the sedir in the middle of the day. So we’ve rigged up some sheets to make it feel more pleasant.
Dealing with the heat: sheets as shadecloth.
The grape vines do well in all that sun.
Summer also brings the insect population to life. (Which is mostly fine, honest: even the wasps have their role in pollinating the figs.) One day we found some ants struggling to lift something up the wall and into the garden. Turns out they had stolen a cat biscuit, and were cooperating admirably to get it back to the nest.
The ant helpfully standing on the biscuit must be the one in charge, surely?
And to conclude: some readers will be unsurprised to learn that our four kittens have not found new homes yet. We still haven’t named them, because we are clinging to the (perhaps foolish) belief that we’re going to successfully give most of them away. In an effort to show potential adopters how cute they are, here are some photos at 2 weeks and at 5 weeks. Incredible how much the ears grow over that time.
The tabby one.
The black one.
The white one.
The grey one (who Sirem refuses to give away).
Congratulations with the permit!
Nice “bocat”-pictures, too! :-)
Thanks!
Im impressed with that door. (Im impressed with the kitchen too but somehow its too much to take in the amount of work that must have been)
‘Glad to hear plans are approved.
I suggest you start a #cats over time graph :) – go on, you know you want to Jason.
Still hot in Spain – back to UK next week.
R.
Thanks. To tell the truth, I faffed and procrastinated for a hell of a long time before starting in earnest on that door. I had heard doors were a nightmare and easy to get wrong if something didn’t line up squarely. It wasn’t so bad in the end though. Of course it’s not 100% square but it’s close enough that there shouldn’t be too much draft in winter: we will see. :) And you may have noticed the metal strips on the back just to make sure there’s no possible way it will fall apart.
I would start a cats over time graph but sadly it’s not a strictly increasing function.
And yes, I hear Spain has been ridiculously hot. Hope you are all keeping cool.
Great post and really nice pics. The kitchen, the new door and the area outside look really great. Really nice to see you’re doing so well in your new environment. We’ll call you on Skype when we go back to the UK. Love xxxx.
Cheers. Laura. Skype would be great. Say hi to everyone in Alicante.
You guys have achieved a lot in a year!! Your home is looking cosy and inviting inside and out. I’m still amazed at how you have turned your hand to carpentry etc. I guess like your old life talents it’s all academic in thinking it through.
I’m sure a good time was had by all with Barry and Di’s visit. Hope we’re with them on a future visit.. Congratulations on the approval for the accommodation..that was another big achievement putting that together. Loved the kitten parade. Is it one or two dogs you have? …The one I remember is minus his ears..How could one forget what he/she had been through.
Love Dot
Thanks, Dot. We’d love to see you all here too.
It’s two dogs at the moment. Zeytin is the darker coloured one and Zeliş is the sandy-coloured one with the missing ears.
Hi Jason and Sirem
Great to hear about the progress you have made and that you have now got the necessary council approvals, so that “on the ground” work can now commence. We are sure that as you continue to make achievements you will get a great deal of satisfaction from those achievements.
It is now only a little over a month and we will be over there to see you and to see the developments you have made already made in the farm house. We are very much looking forward to that.
See you soon.
Cheers
Marg and John
Thanks very much — and we’re looking forward to seeing you both.
Good tiles! And more importantly, application thereof. Lots of hexagon trimming, I presume?
I will second the cats over time motion. Although we all have a good idea of the general trend.
Cheers. I see we now have tiling in common. And yes, the previous tile cutting machine (£20 from Wickes) eventually gave up the ghost just before cutting its last hexagon, so I guess you could say there was a lot of trimming. :)
Cats over time is definitely sub-exponential, anyway.
Good progress! Especially in the cat department. Although the cat in the cabinet picture looks kind of dead, maybe you should check if it has moved recently…
Cheers!
Cat not dead, just lazy. Thankfully.
I saw this and thought of you two ….
http://diply.com/videosworthsharing/this-is-what-swimming-pools-could-look-like-in/41037
Cheers, Paul. :) We thought about that kind of pool, actually. But I think it could be a tough sell on visitors who weren’t thrilled about the idea of diving into a pond. So we have done the boring thing and gone with a more conventional design.
….. and I had my speedo’s packed!! :(
Hopefully photos of the new pool will convince you to repack them! :)
Waw what an achievement. I am very excited at all the further possibilities. Cute cat pics, please send one in the post. X
Thanks, Shak. Would send a cat but I think the air-holes in the package would give the game away. And how to choose which one to send? ;)