Friends and Family in Istanbul

Levy, Jax and Rosie arrived on Thursday. They had been staying with Levy's parents in Levent during their Easter break. We had such fun catching up and, of course, dining out! They are staying in one of the school apartments in our block. On Saturday, we also met Levy's sister, Sibel, who joined us for dinner at Mid Point.We had a great evening and our lovely waitress, Yeliz, ensured we were well served and kept us amused.



From the left: Sibel, me, Jax, David and Levent at MidPoint.



David and Levy with our lovely waitress, Yeliz.


I have been showing Jax around our district. Both she and Rosie loved the walkway by the sea and enjoyed the playground and fitness park. Rosie is such a bright little girl and has an amazing vocabulary for a two-year-old. She made me realise how much I miss seeing my own grandchildren.

Only another ten days and I will be going to South Africa and will get to have quality time with Shannon and Jordan. I am also looking forward to seeing my great nephews, Liam and Kieran in Jo'burg and Richard, down on the farm in The Cape. Jane has written about family in her most recent blog and I hope to see more of our extended family when I am there. Jane is right. Family is very important.

Spring is in the Air in Istanbul

Spring has come early to Istanbul. The sun is shining, the temperature is in the high teens, the trees are bursting with new life, birds are nesting and the pavement cafés are busy again. Everything seems to have come out of hibernation. Once again the open-top convertibles are cruising Baghdad Street, the top-of-the rage cars are out in force and the sound of the Harley Davidsons shatter the air. Over the last two days we have seen not one but three Lamborghinis, the usual Ferraris and Corvettes and a wonderful collection of classic American Cadillacs! BBC news claims that Turkey is suffering from the economic downturn, but there is no evidence here!

Just in case you are not sure what a Lamborghini looks like!

Now that the weather has improved so dramatically, David and I can now go for walks by the sea in the evenings. It is really lovely to see the setting sun sparking off the sea and the ships sailing by. It really gives one a sense of well-being.

I am continually amused by the ever-changing Google ads on my page. They are themed to reflect the content of my blogs. In my last blog, about my reunion, I wrote, "By the way, any man you see in the photos is an accompanying husband - boys were definitely off limits in our day!!" The next time I checked my blog there was an ad headed, "Men Gain Back Your Power", and others for "Elderly Home Care" and "Geriatric Home Care Services"! Hopefully we won't need the last two for quite a while!