Doctor Who, the heat, and the end of school

Utopia - damned fine episode, and a great ending/start of the next 2.... Though is it me, or does Mr. T have only 3 expressions: puzzled/thinking, wee boy grin and baring teeth?

It is boiling here, too hot to move. No doubt I will miss it when I go home. The kids have broken up now for the summer, but we have another two weeks of rubbish to do before we get to escape. I just want to go. It's amazing how much crap administrators can invent for you to do. A whole 2 weeks worth. I have a funny feeling we will be drinking loads of tea and using the Internet a lot. I could be on holiday now!!!!!

MOLLY

Umut and I are pleased to introduce a new member of our family unit; Molly.

Molly was found bedraggled in a storm drain on Friday, is just under 4 weeks old and a bit straggly. She has a nasty cut on her bottom lip which seems to be getting better, is scared of water and will not drink from a bowl - only off your hand or from her bottle. Molls likes sleeping on people's necks, playing with pockets and seems to enjoy watching football on the TV (shame the season is coming to an end....).

My Classes

My student sent me these pictures she had taken of one of my classes. They show very nicely how quickly the wind can change direction.

Serenity

Have wanted to watch this for ages. Got it to watch on one of those portable DVD player thingies on a long distance bus not too long ago and of course the battery ran out before it finished. So someone was smiling on me last night when I flicked sadly at the TV, only to catch the start of Serenity!!!

Eeh, it were good.

Not long to go to the summer holidays now. It is getting hot now, and I must admit that school is the last place I want to be these days. The sun is shining so nicely outside, tempting even the palest of gingerheads out into the rays! (along with the very sexy factor 50 times 10 to the power of 6) At least out into a shady wee drinking hole!

Leaving by Air

Left home for the last time yesterday and I would be lying if I denied a few teary moments. (full blown torrent of snot more like!) Mum and dad are selling up and off to Wales so that's it no more Dunfy.

The pilot must have known 'cos he obliged me by flying along the Forth so I could see all my haunts including our last house in Glasgow. Then we went down the west coast over Hadrian's Wall, the Lake District, Liverpool and Runcorn where Umut and I drove through on our way to Wales in August. We could see Wales stretching out in front of us though not as far as Pembrokeshire. Then it was a left at Birmingham and off to London. I have to say BA are quite good, better than KLM and miles better than THY - easypeasy lemon squeezy!!! They even have a direct flight to Ankara now, mind you it is ridiculously expensive 168 pounds return to Istanbul and 300 pounds to Ankara!! No idea why, but the direct flight is not worth the extra 132 pounds!!! You could go and come back several times on THY for that!!! Seem to have drifted off topic somewhat!

Anyhoo that was the last trip home and it was really weird. Part of me wanted to go as soon as I got there to get it over and done with. The other part of me just wanted to stay and not come back here. Guess if you fly the nest, the nest will eventually be used by other chicks!

Umut's Big Day

umuts ceremony

Umut's citizenship thingie!

Umut had his citizenship ceremony last week and is now officially a Brit!!!

In the spirit of things, he and dad donned the kilt and really looked the part. It was a funny wee ceremony where Umut and a few others recited an oath and then the National Anthem was played (the CD got stuck!!!)

The kilt is a fine piece of attire and Umut really looked good in it!! Shame it had to go back to the shop!!!!! Anyhoo, got the pictures and a sly wee smile creeps across my face when I close my eyes!!!!!

Men on planes

Sorry - has it really been so long!!!?

Anyway, rant time!

Why, oh why do men think they have the right to hog the space on planes?

Putting seats back when people are eating and then stretching their legs out in other people's space and hogging the armrest! OHHHHH!!! And then you cannot really say to much to them, at least I feel I cannot say too much to them, 'cos if they are full of drink/grumpy/tired/not fond of flying or any other reason, I end up sitting next to/behind someone who hogs the space and sends out evil vibes in my general direction: not what one needs in a confined space!!

300

Went to see 300 yesterday.

Not really into the blood and guts and gore but having just finished reading the Persians, felt it would be good to see.
Visually, I found it interesting. The battles and the storys behind them were one sided and therefore did not do the Persian Empire or the Spartans justice. But then what should one expect from a source of entertainment?
Since Hollywood's treatment of a small part of Scottish history in the infamous Braveheart, I have come to take historical fact in films as fiction inspired by history. I hope other do, too and use this film as an impetus to find out more about the Persians (Achaemenid Empire) and the Spartans.

Saturdays

Saturdays!!!! A good Saturday when we actually get up and go out. Perhaps off to Capitol (awarded the best mall in Europe - not sure by whom, good but not that good!) where we can have a Schlotzsky's breakfast - keeps us going all day!!!! Hit the shops, the cinema and do the messages - home to cook a nice meal and then curl up on the sofa for Digiturk's best offerings. (tonight is The Barber of Siberia, Standing Still, or Scoop) or football depending on who gets the zapper first!

Sunny Mornings

What with the antibiotic and pain killer induced sleepathons of last week and the sunny mornings (and the kind individual downstairs who thinks it is a good idea to rev the car for a good 5 minutes before setting off) I have been getting up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5.30 every morning!

Not complaining mind! I feel great!!!

Catch up

No reason for the picture other than I like it...

It has been a while since I wrote last and things have gone somewhat like this:

Came back from holiday determined to maintain a chilled out disposition - failed drastically at that one.

Got hair dyed - looks OK now but for a while I looked like a wonky tiger!

Had toothache and now have bone ache where they took a bit of bone out so they could zap a nerve with a laser - can feel it but don't really care thanks to funky painkillers.

Bored out of my brain!!! - Need a challenge!

Aren't I a happy camper!? On a lighter note, I got some good news and hopefully will be able to move away from the bloody motorway to a much better place where I can be me!!! I can feel cartwheels coming on!!! Life might actually be heading in the right direction. More later when more is certain :)

things to read

The good thing about holidays is that I get to read things which have nothing to do with work.

Where we are now doesn't really have a library (sometimes I do miss Bilkent)

Some kind soul at work lent me a Terry Pratchett, but could not get into it and I have finished the one that Santa sent (Bill Bryson!!) I read an Ian Ranking last week, leaving me terribly homesick but when I get a few more pennies I will be getting a couple more from the bookshop. The wonderful Fleshmarket Close is called Fleshmarket Alley abroad! Do we have to talk about Lake Ness, too, to be understood?! In the meanwhile I've started something which the Bumpa left behind: Persian Fire by Tom Holland, so far so good.

Banks are Shite!!!

AAARRGGHH!!!

Bloody things!

In Turkey you cannot get paid into any bank, your employer tells you which bank to use.

Every month we have to wait for our salary to move from one bank to the other.

We do our banking with a supposedly better bank. However, they have just merged and become crappier than crap!

Without warning our telephone and Internet codes are no longer valid and we need to go to our own branch to get new codes. Of course, the bank is closed at lunch time and not open at the weekend. This is not a little branch either. It is one of the super dooper all-singing-all-dancing (never open and always busy) branches!

I am on holiday at the mo, doing all those shit jobs that you never have time to do normally - tailor, dry cleaning, cobbler, banks... (strange list!) So off to the bank I went, got my number and on the bottom of the slip it said in snide little letters "there are 67 people in front of you". OK so take a few off for those who take a number for each of the selections available (come on!! if I can work it out with my shit Turkish, surely they can, too!!!) that means there's still loads of people in front of me!! Thank God for the I-Pod!!!

To top it off our health insurance is also done by our bank and they like to take the premium a couple of times a month - just for the practice of taking out money and putting it back again it seems. We cancelled the direct debit but this just seems to encourage them! So of course they took it twice this month meaning there was not enough money in the account to pay the electricity standing order! So now I'll no doubt get a fine for not paying my bill, a fine for not having enough money in my account when a standing order comes and I need to go to the electricity shop to pay the bill since banks will only do it by standing order!!! AAARRGGHHHHH

An adult drink

You know, when I watch the TV and films and stuff people seem to have 'a drink'. Their friends and partner know what that drink is and how they like it served. I don't have a drink so when we were on holiday and had access to unlimited amounts of alcohol, I decided to go down the list of drinks to find my drink - and could I? No Not a one. Martini - gave me goosebumps as did a Margarita, Fizzes and sours didn't do it for me and campari tasted like cough mixture and not in a good way! Wine - not so much and beer not at all! Help!

Holidays

Just back from a few days away in Antalya.

Analya Feb 2007

The weather was better than here - which is freezing and the food and the hotel was great. We spent our time in the Spa getting massaged and steamed and scrubbed down. I am sure I must have lost some weight just from the number of skin cells removed.

We also tried our hand at shooting and archery and found that we are both good at them - in fact we even came in second and third in a competition! - Umut second and I third! (not at all bitter!!!!)

Big Brother

Hmm
I could pretend not to watch it but I do. I could kiss those lovely YouTube peeps.

Was watching Andi Peters on BBLB - my word is his head screwed on. Couldn't agree more. Some people really need to think before they speak. As someone who frequently deals with racism - either when it is directed at me here or at Hubby when we are in the UK , I think most Brits have no idea on the crap that comes out of some people!

Miss Britain 2006!? What a splendid representative! One more reason to de-crown her...

Get them off!!!

Hair Cuts!!

Oh my God!

So I only went in to get it blow-dried and came out with a fringe!!!

For those of you who don't have frizz mops - it is not a good idea to cut one's hair too short since it will do one of two things and if you are really unlucky both. 1 - Michael Jackson head 2 - stick out at a right angle from your head like an awning!

Now I need to get it 'done' every time I wash it cos I cannot do it! Disaster!!!

Tomorrow is the kindergarten show! One of the boys mooned the audience today in the practice - I do hope he won't do that tomorrow!

YouTube

I have been spending far too long on YouTube waiting for my fix of BBLB (DERMY!!!) and have dug up these. They won't mean much if you are not of a certain age (ie about mine!)

BROWN SAUCE from SwapShop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtMHFfFjhnk&NR
Trevor and Simon say ... and relax http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIzq7IlVinI and swinging their pants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no8kiLDFeD4

Phillip and Gordon singing Ulysses 31 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbbBqZyjkiEyjkiE

Phillip and Gordon singing Mysterious Cities Of Gold (can you believe that when I was watching it, Umut came through cos he remembered the music from his youff!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAzFS4EucJE

Jamie and the Magic Torch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktTW-fXmCEU

BOD!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY5ym2OU7Bo cannot find Alberto Frog and his Amazing Animal Band!! Let alone the milkshakes WAAH!! - Amber loved that bit.

On the TV front I really liked the Christmas Doctor Who once I got over that women not doing her comedy show (I do use the term lightly btw). I played the theme music to one of my classes as a spring board into some creative writing last week and as a bribe I told them that if they were good and worked hard I would let them watch the show it was from. I wonder how they are going to take it. Perhaps it is like Marmite?

new year celebrations

Just read over what I wrote last week. Solved the problem of getting back by checking into a hotel on Istiklal Caddesi. Most spontaneous. We were walking down Istiklal at about 4pm 'discussing' whether to go home or hang around when Umut suggested a hotel, so we marched up to the nearest one and checked in.
It was lovely with a breathtaking view over the Bosporus and the Russian Embassy (which played Mel and Kim etc all night at their shindig!)
Did a Ross and got everything that was not nailed down and checked out as late as possible.