ROVING JAY

The Union Square Therapy wall in NYC is the brainchild of Matthew “Levee” Chavez as a way for New Yorkers to get their thoughts and fears off their chest.

Back in ’89/’90 we had many a leisurely brunch and hurried late night snack at the Empire Diner in West Chelsea .. so it was with heavy heart that I discovered its demise during a Sunday Stroll in the old neighbourhood.

Changing of the Seasons Growing up it wasn’t unusual to be blind to the beauty of the colours of autumn….

It didn’t take us long to discover a delicious bagel shop in Upper Montclair NJ, for a trip down memory lane with an egg bagel.

Even a quick overnight trip to Istanbul can be rewarding. We headed for the familiar stomping grounds of the Spice Market and the Galata Bridge, and neither one disappointed.

If you fancy a lighthearted read about Turkey – try my Turkey Tales, it’s available to download from Amazon. (and for a limited time only – it’s free).

From Travel Guides to a Poetic Travel Memoir I write travel guides about the Bodrum Peninsula, and built a popular…

After a barren winter with barely a sighting of another human life form in the neighbourhood for months, it has been exciting to see the influx of visitors arriving into their summer homes on our complex. They’re new arrivals for the season, in search of a respite from the heat of Turkish cities like Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara.

Bite-size florets coated with spices (Pul-biber) & served with a yogurt dip I love cauliflower, and there was a Mediterranean restaurant…

The thought of being locked in a wooden cabin with 12 other people for a month, fills this introvert with dread. But luckily Camp NaNoWriMo in July … is a virtual camp, so I’ll enjoy every minute.

Author Ann Marie Aershon Guest Blog Today we’re welcoming Guest Blogger Ann Marie Mershon, author of “You must only to love…

  Coming Home to London After the quiet and calm of our little hill in Gumusluk, it’s been quite a jolt…

Brilliant to be featured in Leyla Ergil’s roundup of Travel Guides about Turkey written by Expats in the Daily Sabah, an English language newspaper in Turkey.

Although we’re registered on with a couple of house sitting sites, we still manage to pick up local assignments through word of mouth. Here’s our pet sit news for Tilki and Sari in Gumusluk.

Here’s a recent poem “A quiet place to write in Gumusluk” about the special spot I escape to gaze at the view and get creative with words.

Read about Lisa Morrow’s new book “Waiting for the Tulips to Bloom: Adrift in Istanbul” and find out how your purchase can help Syrian refugees.

You’ve been waiting for this moment and here it is – Josh “The Movie Squabblers” Obscure Gems and and Bottom 5 movies of 2015.

Find out what happened when we invited Laurel and Hardy to fit our bathroom door jam and door. Nothing’s ever simple in Turkey!

I’m getting warmed up for NaHaiWriMo in February, and am using January to home my Haiku writing skills. Here’s my Winter Chill Haiku.

Little did we anticipate that the rain on our windscreen signalled the arrival of the armageddon-like weather that descended upon the Bodrum Peninsula as we slept soundly in our beds.

We were Going to go Cold Turkey on Starbucks, but then discovered a Starbuck at Yalikavak Marina, Bodrum. Americano anyone?

We picked the black olives from our Bodrum olive tree and then followed a “oil cured” olive recipe that called for lots of salt. And not oil.

A deserted International Terminal at Bodrum greeted us, and our cases had one last road-trip before making it up the last leg of our garden path.

Leaving LAX with excess baggage, and arriving in the lap of luxury at the Elite World Business Hotel in Istanbul for our first night of our new life in Turkey.