We must admit that life here jogs along from one day to the next, much like the UK with us doing the mundane. You know, shopping, cleaning, washing, ironing, writing emails and the like. Even in paradise these things have to be done.

The weather doesn't encourage us to go out on the boat much as we seem to be experiencing a series of hot almost gale force winds, which, as we've described before is like standing in front of a super-sized hair-dryer. We did spend a little time re-rigging the boat, using better quality rope and tightening up the stays and just checking to make sure everything is ship-shape. We also constantly clean the bottom of the boat to keep barnacles and algae at bay.

Having said that, we have managed to get a few days out, and even went for an evening sail.

We continue to lead a hectic social life, eating out with friends, visiting each others homes, helping out the occasional temporary visitor from England.

The local council are keen to learn of our needs and to that end they set up meetings with Non-Turkish residents around the area. Ours was held at the Blue Restaurant and our representative was Pat Bradford from here in Yesilkent. We put forward the areas we'd like addressed such as roads, rubbish, lighting etc. and she then goes to a meeting with all the other representatives and the Mayor and his council to discuss which issues they can afford to address. This year many of the roads have been improved, and the council often send out employees to clear up the rubbish, but as fast as they do, fly-tippers come behind them and deposit more. Until the powers that be can change local attitudes to mess, so it will continue. These attitudes have been successfully changed in many other parts of Turkey we have visited, but it takes time.

On the 5th July, we went to visit Nigel and Yo in their new villa. We played in their pool, had lunch, drove to Bosbuk for a swim in the sea, had our evening meal in a local Turkish restaurant and finally returned home at 1am. This was our first trip outside Altinkum for over a month, and ironically at lunch time our enjoyment was rapidly brought to a halt with a text from friend Peter on Gaye 2, to inform us that some clown had tied his large 22ft speedboat to our mooring and the two boats were banging together. Peter said the boat was much too heavy to move alone, so we started ringing around to find him some assistance. The alternative was that we would have to drive all the way back to Yesilkent, a 3/4 hour journey and by that time the damage might well have been done. Fortunately, two of our friends were on hand to help and between them they managed to move the offender to another empty mooring, which he could have used, but of course it was not so easy to get to, so he chose the simple option .... PRAT!

The following day, we decided to check the bike as the road to Yo and Nigel's is a little rough to say the least. Good job we did as one of the spars had split, so we took it off and hot-footed it round to Gary who, bless him, re-welded it and strengthened the joint.

On the 10th July we took Mandy and Lawrence out sailing (one at a time). They are "experienced" sailors and were feeling quite frustrated as they have no means to get on to the water. Once they got the feel of the boat, we let them loose on their own.

We had the chance to join Gary on his new speedboat on the Wednesday (11th) along with Yo, Nigel and their nephew Craig. Gary reckoned he could teach us all to kneel-board and some of us to ski ..... hmmm, a proud over-confident boast? Four of us thought we might be too long in the tooth for that. However, we all had a go, and Gary's prediction was spot-on. all of us managed the kneel-boarding and Craig and David managed to get up on the skis, if only for a few seconds. We were out all day, zooming round the bay, posing in front of Altinkum Beach and speeding off to Akbuk, where we had some refreshment, before waving bye-bye to Yo, Nigel and Craig, and the remaining three of us returning to Yesilkent, exhausted but exhilarated. We had used a whole tank of fuel and had to re-fuel halfway back.

Next day we had aches and pains where we didn't know we had places, but it was worth it. This was also our wedding anniversary, so we spent it recovering by sunbathing and reading on the top terrace, moving about as little as possible. We only left that haven for a short while in order to get a couple of T-bone steaks for our anniversary supper.