August 2011 Our villa in Koca Calis
BLOG 71
Next morning, we’re woken at 5 a.m. by a) all the dogs around the neighborhood barking in chorus, with some roosters adding their voices for good measure b) call to prayer to the locals. We discuss the delights of being in our own villa (finally!) and marvel at the beauty of the area – a reminder of why we started out on this venture: the lush forest opposite, the surrounding mountains, the unspoilt countryside, the beautiful Fethiye harbour, the sunshine and blue skies.
Now fully awake, I get up to try our new shower for the first time. Taking care not to slip on the shiny marble floor of the bedroom I open the door to the bathroom and mentally pat myself on the back for my choice of tiling – pale blue with a part-way up silver and blue strip. It’s more a wet room than a shower-room as there’s no partition to separate the shower from the toilet area, just a ridge on the floor in the shower area – presumably to stop the water spreading onto the rest of the floor. Hmm – didn’t I order a shower partition? Now, I’m not sure, though I definitely ordered one for the adjoining bedroom’s ensuite, and a half-way screen for the upstairs Jacuzzi bath. I step into the shower recess and turn on the tap, a lever that lifts with a push button to change from shower head to tap water. Then, I do remember something. When rushing around the bathroom shop with L, I ordered a special extra large showerhead that stuck out from the wall and was supposed to simulate rain. I thought it would be something a bit different and add a touch of luxury. The showerhead above me however was just the ordinary every-day type on a long silver-chrome rope. With irritation, I thought: maybe they installed my special shower in another bathroom in the villa, perhaps in the en-suite in the adjoining smaller bedroom (or maybe above the Jacuzzi bath in the bedroom under the eaves?). Last night I raced through all the rooms but only peeped into the bathrooms. We had great water pressure when we were last in Turkey – how will it be in our villa? I soon find out. The pressure is fantastic, water spurts out fast and furious, but not as furious as I am when the top of the shower tap comes off in my hands. I manage to turn off the water and look down to see that the bathroom floor resembles a lake. The shower was only on for a few minutes but the room is flooded and water is already seeping into the bedroom, making walking on those marble floors exceedingly hazardous. I call out to OH not to move, to stay in bed until I’ve wiped the floor. Before leaving the bathroom, I check out the loo, and find that the whole system is not fully anchored to the floor so that the toilet rocks when anyone sits down! And after only one push, the cistern does not flush – it is stuck in the down position. I’d better make a prompt start on our snagging list. It may be extensive! In the meantime, these are urgent matters and need to be attended to without delay.
But – outside, the sun is shining, and the swimming pool is glittering – inviting us in for an early morning swim. Hang on a minute, the pool lights are still on; I still haven’t found an inside switch to turn them off, and they’re obviously not on a timer, having been on all night. Another point for the snagging list or a query to find the mystery place for the pool lights.
After breakfast, before phoning L, I decide to check out the other bathrooms and the downstairs cloakroom – a plumber may be needed here too. I seem to remember that there was an unpleasant smell in the cloakroom and we haven’t yet used it. Maybe it just needs some airing . . must check the showers, taps, jacuzzi bath – and then make the phonecall.
Oh dear, when I phone, I get the usual run-around: ‘L is out – no one able to take a message other than to ask her to contact us’. How many more unpleasant surprises await us?
. . . to be continued . . .usually posted on Thursday
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