This is Suleyman dayi, with the last ox-drawn plough in Bezirgan, preparing the land to sow lucerne for animal feed. Most of the farmers use horse-drawn ploughs, which are much easier (so they say!) to handle. |
Ten minutes outside Kalkan is the lovely, tiny beach of Kaputas, where the sea is a glorious blue, perfect for swimming. |
Muettin the tractor driver, with his goat's twins. |
The reason for Owlsland's name! One of the many owls you can hear (and see if you're lucky) - this is a Little Owl in an old farmhouse. |
And this is Scops Owl, sitting on a vine. |
This was the third year running that we've been amazed by both the number and different types of butterfly we've had in the garden. Perhaps it's because we've been trying to plant as many different species of herb as we can (the one pictured with the Scarce Swallowtail butterfly is agastache), maybe it's eight years of gardening organically really paying off! |
Urns & tubs of aromatic herbs, carnations and geraniums scent the air on the back terrace, shaded by a vine-covered pergola. |
Autumn is the season to harvest, dry and preserve the fruits of the garden and the field. Here, Huru Teyze, wife of Ismail the tailor is making paprika from red peppers. |
Having shorn her sheep, Saniye teyze spins the wool, ready to weave into kilims. |
Late spring is the time for the poppies to come into their own, both in the garden and in the fields. |
Carnations and pinks put on a show in early summer : pity a photograph can't reproduce the perfume! |
The herb garden is a haven for clouds of butterflies, and a lovely place to sit and inhale the scents of the different herbs. Amongst them you'll find lavender, rosemary, valerian, thyme, tarragon and sage. |
Almond trees, mulberries and apple trees and the home-made wooden fences combine to produce lovely shady leafy lanes for strolling on a hot summer's day. |
The mudbrick and wood Ottoman houses in Elmali cling to the steep cobbled streets on the side of Elmadag (Apple Mountain). If you want to see this wonderful original Ottoman town before it's completely destroyed by the current rash of grim concrete apartments blocks, then hurry! |
Ahmet runs this marvellous ironmongery in Elmali, where he makes hinges and handles, tripods and tongs. The shop's only about 10ft x 8ft, yet you could browse in here for two hours (and come out with really useful handmade garden tools which posh shops in Europe would sell you for ten times the price!) |
Erol's Dad on his horse, going off to the mountains to collect firewood for the winter. |
You don't often see the great herds of hundreds of goats which were common even up till ten years or so ago. Arfan is taking this herd of fifty-odd home, after they've been up in the mountains feeding |
Wild tortoises by the score can be found all around Bezirgan - nine of them (at the last count!) have even found their way into the garden. (Which plays havoc with the lettuces. Nature lovers' note : they especially like Lollo Rosso!) |
Tlos is a great place for a day trip. It's a lovely higgeldy-piggeldy mixture of Lycian, Roman and Greek remains, with an Ottoman 17th century castle thrown in for good measure. |
Letoon is one of (well, we think so anyway) the most interesting archaeological sites within easy reach of Owlsland. Current digging is uncovering new marvels each season, it's a place you need to visit on every trip, to check on progress. |
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