Columnists

My first Turkish football match

By Chris Evans I’m a Watford fan, so I have a complex relationship with football. There’s the occasional extreme high, but most of the time it requires hours with a therapist. A highlight has always been going to away games. A trip to Newcastle, including a stop for fish and chips in Grimsby, was one…

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Sedef And Beyond: The Future, And A Vacuum

By Chris Evans   The news surrounding the potential development near Sedef Koy has created such a vacuum. People have been concerned about their homes and the effect one, or possibly two, 1,000 bedroom hotels will have on the local area. Let’s deal with the only facts we currently know. The two plots, comprising eight…

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Elderly care considerations

By A.J. Griffiths-Jones Having heard of a few expat acquaintances returning to the UK due to health problems recently, it started me thinking about where to turn in Turkiye when the time comes that either myself or my husband can no longer look after ourselves or each other. With no close family or children to…

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Say cheese!

By A.J. Griffiths-Jones If you enjoy eating a traditional Turkish breakfast, you’ll know that it would be incomplete without cheese. It is used in a variety of dishes such as omelettes, borek, menemen and fritters, as well as being cut into cubes and served alongside tomatoes, cucumber and olives. As with any cheese from around…

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Building begins

By A.J. Griffiths-Jones With less than a month to go before construction companies get into full swing on new builds and resume progress on planned sites, it’s a bit of a puzzle to figure out where all the expected purchasers of these new houses will come from. There has undoubtedly been a downturn in the…

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Confusion, goodbyes and the RP conundrum

By Chris Evans It’s been a slightly odd and sad year. We’ve all said goodbye to friends who’ve packed their bags and left for good. Uncertainty over residence permits is invariably cited as the main reason. Immigration is an issue affecting every country in the world. Different solutions are being used, but they all seem…

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We Have Guests

My subliminal efforts, through the Voices columns, seem to be working. I have friends coming to visit. I’d love to think it’s because they want to see me, but the reality is they probably want to see the beautiful area we live in and have a beer without having to brew it themselves. They live…

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For the love of books

By A.J. Griffiths-Jones I confess, I’m a total bookworm. In a typical week you can find me with three types of literature on the go, a paperback, an e-book and an audiobook. I digest books like most people breathe air and can’t imagine a life without my favourite classics on the bookshelves in my home.…

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Fire risks: Taking responsibility

By Chris Evans Recent weeks have seen wildfires breaking out all over the world, causing huge damage to the environment, homes, and livelihoods. One such outbreak saw a concerning number occur in the Didim area, ranging from Yesiltepe to Apollon Temple to Hunter’s Valley. It’s incredibly rare for three separate fires to break out in…

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AJ’s column – Deadly driving

The statistics for deaths related to traffic accidents in Turkiye is absolutely staggering, yet week after week reports show the numbers climbing as roads become busier and drivers more careless. One of the worst local roads for fatalities in Aydin is the Soke-Didim road, one that is regularly monitored for speeding by traffic police, yet…

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