On the Road Again

After coming back from Greece I slept for 12 hours than was awake for 2 hours and slept back for another 10.
And had to prepare my luggage in a couple of days to head for my P and lovely husband's new apartment, 5 mn from the EU building.

Well, need to make a correction. I had to prepare my luggage in the curious company of Thomas of course.

Well, one may be surprised on how much a woman would need for a holiday of 5 days only.

Back to my Greece For A Day

I had to go to Greece for one day only :(
Well, everything was just as I left it only with a cooler weather, the cafes, the ouzerias, my favorite bus drivers, all elenis, all thakis, my lovely home store owners, just my favorite restaurant was in renovation and closed but our lady in the kiosk never deceives me, she was there too.And she waved his hand and laughed to invite me closer after taking this photo and offered me 4 happydent chewing gum as an good old friend gift although we couldn't understand each other's language and none of our words. She knows.. that I am so much into her and so many things about this lovely little town.

A new discovery has been Kratas though in the bakery where I was waiting for my bus. Oh, I was delighted by the softness of the outer shell and the aroma of the inner side and tried to understand what it was inside. The ladies in the shop who happened to be very serious in the beginning laughed at my interest and surprise in Kratas. Although language was not a way to communicate, they were able to explain me that they were rose "lokoumis"(delights) that they wrap in the delicious soft dough prepared probably with butter and nuts. Oh, my!

I bought some rose delights from the shop and will try to find the recipe in the internet somehow.

A Home Was Her Dream

Everything began I guess the night we were out for a party and I didin't realise how much she could be drunk. Well that night she was... really drunk.. I mean she was there, she fell to the next door roof to the bar we were in, there was the traffic police on our way home and she was even funny to the policeman although she was not the driver.
Anyway, the next mourning she was- we were- feeling miserable. So much that she must have resulted to change her life and to transform it to what she really would like to have : a home.
Yes, she rented her own place. A brand new studio that she turned to a beatiful colorful bird nest.
So, these are the photos of the first days..

Stanno Tutti Bene*

Stanno Tutti Bene - Everybody's Fine was the title of the beautiful movie by the italian director Tornatore where the old Marcello Mastroianni visits all his children in their homes all around the country and worries for their lives in modern Italy but results at the end of the movie that everybody's fine.

So we are all fine.. At the end..

After long hours of pain, worries, waiting..


...of good wishes(the bouquet was a gift by my favorite gardener on earth which is our building's gardener)

reading, resting..
and reading, resting again..
..we are all fine and back to normal now(almost- chiko still has some abnormal allure).
The thing is, after the chico disaster, there has been this scary virus in my computer(even between system files) and I lost the connection cable to my camera which caused the lateness of the post that will follow this one will be entered now but dated with the original dates of the photos.
Good to be back onthis screen!

How to Prepare an "Open Tummy"

Karni Yarik (Open Tummy) is one of Mom's favorite dishes and I decided to share the way I prepare it with you on a saturday morning where Ayshe woke us early up to start cleaning the home.
Karniyarik is a meaty aubergine dish which I think tastes typical mediterranean cuisine. So the tummy we are talking about here is belongs to the aubergines :)

Well these pictures were taken in the vacuuming noise of Ayse which was happy at the end with the good lunch she had after then and enjoyed the talk with my sister and Pelin who would come over for lunch. They were all delighted with the delicious smell of the karniyarik and borek(pastry) in the oven.
As you can see, I first peeled the aaubergines in pyjamas and ripped all along the long axis.
then fried them in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

and then I filled them with the cooked mixture of minced meat, salt, black pepper, oignons, garlic, finely chopped ripe tomatoes, and peppers

garnished hem with sliced green peppers, addd some diluated tomato sauce and put them in the 175 degrees Celcius oven.
Waited until the green peppers looked roasted and delicious (about 45 minutes).
Which tasted great..!
So you will need for 6 large aubergines;
vegetable oil -2 tablespoons
minced meat - 300 gr
green peppers - 2 to garnish, 2 for the cooked filling
2 large ripe tomatoes or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
oignons -1 and a half if medium/large, 2 and a half if small
garlic - 4 cloves
tomato paste - 2 tablespoon for thje sauce diluated with 3/4 cup of water
salt, pepper
To prepare the filling first sautee the chopped green peppers oignons and garlic then add the meat. When the meat looses its pink color add chopped tomatoes, salt, black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Afiyet Olsun!(bon apetit)

Her Home, Our Breakfast, Saturday and Others

We've been lucky.. to share a rainy saturday's beautiful breakfast..

and laughters..

.. having been given the days to hold each other's babies hands, diseases, husbands, sorrow, worries, bliss, crisis, ..sundays, saturdays, mondays, wednesdays, tuesdays, thursdays, fridays.

We were lucky having days like this and having each other.
It was a beatiful saturday at her home,
like many days,
together.

Chocolate Fell Down

Do you have your big own pleasures taking you away from the ones that love you? Do you have.. like.. addictions.. for adrenaline, sex, alcohol, speed, drugs ?



Did you ever love someone that you knew you have to let him be the way he is and just kept on loving even when love aches and breaks your each part?



Or have you been of those that were blamed on not letting them be despite the thread?

Yesterday when I was serving dinner for my friend I and his lovely daughter Asya, Chikolata(means Chocolate in turkish) disappeared. Asya(6) tried to relieve me that he was walking outside the window.

How he loves to do that.. This challenge, this wind on his face. Smelling the pine woods and watching the bugs and birds flying around.

I could not take this from him. But I always have been careful and watched him over as he went outside the window.

Well.. yesterday night he was not there anymore. At the end, I found him under a pine tree in the garden. He fell down from the 5th floor! No wounds but 2 legs seriously injured and I am watching him over for he is under the risk of inner hemorrage and he must have hit his head and neck as well which scares me even more.

Chocolate has been my companion for almost 5 years now. The photo above is from his early times where he was left to me by my mother and family members as they were going all on holiday. Initially he was my mother's choice despite my cat allergies. We were living together then. After those times where everybody left for holidays, we were together and alone. That is how we had this bond. He became my tiger, my baby and my soulful companion through the years and through hard days and nights.



Two years ago he saved Thomas' life when Thomas was 3 weeks old and left by his mother to death. He warmed him and licked him, played with him and educated him through the domestic life.

Our home is silent now. I tried to keep my self awake through the night and watched Chocolate's chest. We are waiting for the critical first 3 days to be over.Yesterday Asya smoothed me with her beautiful smile saying: "Thank God we were here Dad"

So true..

Do you know the pain of ..

Did you ever love and had to let him go to let him be?