Looking Forward

Looking Forward
23/09/2017

We are looking forward to hosting participants at the UGRENCI meeting next week when they visit Güneşköy on Sunday 8th October. I will now describe just a few things, so you have some idea before your visit. I have not been able to walk to different parts of our land for several weeks now. So much has been happening. We have just delivered the 66 boxes of Week 10 – 42 on Monday, 24 on Thursday. The season started on July 14th. During Eid many people were on holiday – including us – so that week a few of us stayed at Güneşköy and made pickles… because the produce kept growing!

View from my favorite toilet: our compost toilet, made by Diba who stayed with us last year. The spiral entrance design needed a “roof” solution. At night, you look up to the stars. One is the Pole Star. Our two dogs are now enjoying living separately. Django has a new name – Şanslı. She goes for walks in the hills with 8 goats. Herkül is alone and calm: we can let him out all night, and in the day too when there are not too many people.

Our chickens are better cleaned these days, now I have a device to keep the “folluk” (nesting-box) open. Fresh straw for the girls…

Three of us took the rural route – in 15 years I never had the chance to take this road, through a forest, with beautiful scenery, past the village of Bedesten – to the nearest town Kırıkkale, to visit a carpenter friend.

We wanted to sand the Plant Labels (a Claire-Koray design). We also collected saw dust for the compost toilet, and Şeref gave us some of his toys.

We are also looking forward, wondering how crops will survive: on Tuesday evening, there was heavy rain and hail. In the nearest village, Hisarköy, people say “The ground was white with hail. Some pieces of ice were 1cm diameter!”. Some plants, such as cougettes, pumpkins have lost nearly all their leaves. Tomatoes have 50% loss… We will find a way to continue our weekly vegetable box delivery, for sure. The important thing is keep hoping when you cannot see an obvious way forwards.

This is my blog for 27-29 September 2017: The last time this year that my young friends and I will be able to spend a night at Güneşköy during the week: our classes start next Monday, and continue until January 2018. We will remember our peaceful nights on the land, staying up under the stars, or rising early with the first ezan (the first call to prayer is at a magic moment: when stars start to disappear from the dark sky!). This summer has been a magic partnership.

It started with sparks: some bad moments which combined to create 10 weeks of cooperation and discovery. Not everything can be planned; different choices can generate solutions. This time we left the land after midnight: we had drilled in our new pictures (no neighbours disturbed at 23.00), Celal was asleep and there was no traffic on the road or queues at the car wash. We look forward to hearing the experiences of Mediterranean neighbours. Wishing you safe travel… Claire Özel

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