Hello, I’m back and I’ve already been down to London but I’m itching to blog again so I thought I’d divide our Kalkan summer holiday into two parts. You see we didn’t really do much in the first week which means I have enough time to give you part one today. So, seeing as the forecast is bad for the Bank Holiday weekend, I’ll bring you a taste of sunshine.
Before I get to that though, let me tell you about the Saturday morning before we were due to leave. Mr MC was over in Northumberland, dropping Gary off at his cousin’s and I was busy with all of the last minute things you have to do. The eldest was due to arrive home by train at midday. I was aware of the middle one going in and out of the eldest’s bedroom which was unusual but he said that he kept asking him to check a few last minute things which sounded familiar. I was emptying the fridge at about 11.30, waiting for the text that would tell me it was time to go and collect the prodigal when I heard my phone ping. And yes it was him… telling me that he wasn’t in fact pulling into the station but that he was still in his London bedroom because he’d lost his passport!
My brain switched into computer mode, quickly scrambling through all of its files to find a good alternative outcome. There wasn’t one. I realised that the middle one had been going through everything in the eldest’s room trying to find it before they had to tell me what was going on. I went upstairs to find said room in an even worse state than usual – and that’s saying something. The middle one had torn it apart. With the eldest on Facetime, three of us worked together, looking through every single place that it could be… to no avail. He was insistent that it wasn’t in London but I suggested that he calmly go through his room there again whilst I phoned Mr MC… not that he could do anything but I needed to ‘share.’
The airwaves were strumming with tension but as I hung up, my phone rang immediately.
It was the boy.
He had found his passport.
In the bag that he had packed to take to Turkey.
There are no more words that I can say on the matter but I know that you’re with me, heaving one enormous sigh!
And so we were back on track and everything else went smoothly – even the circuitous airport journey which was far better for those of us on the train than those in the car because they got stuck in not one, but three traffic jams. Oh how I laughed…
So let’s go to Turkey. Our first full day was the middle son’s 17th birthday and he was happy to spend it in the pool. The boys seemed really pleased to be back together again and it took me back to the toddler days when they were happy with nothing more than sunshine, water and a few toys.
Being 17, his presents were all focused around driving lessons so we said he could choose what he wanted to do in the evening. Kalkan is famed for its restaurants and they seem to get better each year. There was a particular one that he wanted to go to for his birthday dinner (Kalamaki for anyone who is a Kalkan regular). So we wandered down to the harbour for a cocktail first…
Mint Velvet dress SS18; Sandals; Mango clutch SS15
… you’ve seen this dress before but here it is again… along with a ship’s cat…
Mint Velvet dress SS18; Sandals; Mango clutch SS15
and the boys entertained themselves making boomerangs for Instagram… simple things…
After dinner the birthday boy declared that we should all go back to our roof terrace for a furious game of beer pong with forfeits – I can now do a mean ‘floss’ (thankfully no videos are available). So, the next day was a late start and we got into a rhythm of not doing very much at all. As the boys didn’t emerge from their rooms until late, Mr MC and I often popped out on our own for a sumptuous Turkish breakfast…
… trying somewhere different each time.
Dress bought in Kalkan; Sunglasses; Zara sandals SS14
We had meetings with our agent to design new bags…
Mango T-shirt SS14; Shorts; Zara sandals SS14; Mango bag SS15
… followed by lunches on the terrace…
… and afternoons by the pool. This bikini was sent to me by FatFace and the top is designed for people with a larger bust so I’m probably not the best model for it – even so it was lovely to wear. In the knowledge that they might read this, I’m putting in a plea for a return to their original Cody designs (2015 and 2016) made from a striped cotton piqué. They are my all-time favourite bikinis – please bring them back!
FatFace bikini (g SS18)
Some nights we stayed in and relaxed on the roof with a barbecue…
Boden halterneck top SS14; Harem pants
… and a book or a game which was great although I have now banned Monopoly – I don’t believe any relationship can withstand that game!
We spent days at beach clubs that ended in cocktails…
Kaftan (g SS18 – now in the sale); Beachbag SS17
… and gradually we all relaxed. Its always lovely watching these two bond again. They were inseparable when they were little and sometimes I regret sending them to different high schools – it’s taken them in different directions so it’s always good to see that their relationship is still there.
And sometimes we headed out for dinner.
Hush dress (gSS18); Boden espadrilles SS11; Boden clutch (g SS14); J Crew earrings SS17
One of our favourite ways to spend a day is on a gulet, pootling around different coves, stopping off here and there for a swim.
Beach dress (gSS18); Beachbag (gSS18 now in the sale); Starfish sandals (gSS18)
I’m going to give this swimsuit a big thumbs up. It isn’t great for tanning in but it’s nice if you’re spending a day with other people and want to cover up a little more. The ruching is just enough to avoid an unbroken stretch of gleaming spandex over your tummy but not so much that it falls into frumpy territory- well that’s my view anyway.
Swimsuit (sold out in red but available in other colours gSS18); Sunglasses
And here’s a completely unpolished shot – we didn’t get many of all five of us together so I’m adding it in.
It was a good week and just what we all needed. Not everything went perfectly – the eldest was beset by tech gremlins. First of all his iPhone was splashed by a divebombing brother – I’m only telling you this because iPhone 8s are supposed to be water resistant. They aren’t. Then the Go Pro that he’d bought for the trip gave up the ghost on its first outing. That meant that the only piece of tech left to him was his work phone… and after a couple of beers he decided to reset the password and promptly forgot what he’d changed it to. So that was it for him – he was stuck with a book for the rest of the holiday and this is the one he chose from the large selection in the villa…
… there’s nothing quite like a light holiday read is there?!
And so by the end of the first week as you can see, we were completely relaxed…
Fabienne Chapot dress (gSS18); Jigsaw sandals (SS18); Next clutch (SS18)
… happy in the knowledge that we still had more than a week ahead of us.
I’ll be back with the second part next week and then my friends, we’ll be saying goodbye to summer and heading straight into new season. I have so much planned that I almost don’t mind being back from holiday. Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend if you’re in the UK, as I type it’s hailing outside… surely it’s not time to put the heating on yet?!
Disclosure: Kalkan summer holiday is not a sponsored post
Other summer holiday posts you may enjoy
2017
2016
Kefalonia with teenagers Part 1
Kefalonia with teenagers Part 2
2015
Kalkan plus should women over 40 wear bikinis?
2014
Cómpeta, Spain Part 1 – setting off
Cómpeta, Spain Part 2 – how it all went wrong
Cómpeta, Spain Part 3 – how it all got better
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