We've been back four weeks now and nearly ready to head home for Christmas. Cora and Kiki went off to Spain for three weeks holiday. Peter has lost three kilos under my Gestapo food rule! There have been a few outstanding jobs completed on board and the source of a really annoying and sometimes horrible smell sorted. We knew it was something toilety but just couldn't work it out at all. No amount of flushing and deodorising or pumping out helped. Finally we got the plumbers in and after a day of trouble shooting found the problem. A Y joint that allowed waste to fall back down into the unused pipe for the very front small fore peak cabin toilet. it was just sitting there stinking!! A really bad design fault. All fixed now.

This winter all but one of last year's live aboards have gone and this year are mostly Pommie boats. Peter has used some time to get some dentistry done. Didim is the capital of dentistry it seems and many English people travel here on dentistry packages. It's a very different experience to Australia. You just walk in the door and happen to mention you might want something looked at and next second you are in a chair, full x ray and inspection and "treatment can start today!" So a few replacement bridges later Peter also ended up with all new caps! The work is excellent and very fast - no mucking around with multiple spaced appointments all done in one week! They don't stint on the needles either. And vastly cheaper. Our dentist was recommended by friends who live here but there are many to choose from and mostly all very good. The equipment is state of the art and quite impressive.

Our wedding anniversary was last week so we went out for lunch at a new little bar/restaurant at the marina, Jardin Bleu. it was a wood anniversary and since we had already bought a nice wooden framed picture and an Ottoman box for keeping my bits and pieces in we called them the presents.

Since our flight turn around time in Istanbul was a bit tight we have decided to go a day early and have an afternoon and night there. There should be enough time to have a look around the big bazaar and a wander around the old area. We will save up the main touristy things for next year when we plan to take the boat up there through the Dardanelles and back. We are feeling very brave making plans again after all the Covid disruptions!