love of old books and istanbul

i found these a couple of months ago in a second hand bookstore in istanbul. i was really happy to see there were a number of them as series. i think -except one- the whole series belonged to the same child- i mean 'a child, then'. i don't quite know yet what to do with them as keeping them seemed a bit selfish. i originally thought they'd make a lovely present but now i'm not so sure, i kind of like them for myself :). non-turkish readers can, i'm sure, figure out the book titles from the pictures, aren't they cute? i also have some of my sister's old books- they're from early 80s when she was in middle school. they are simplified french text books which ended up in my house somehow. i will put them up in another post before i return them to her, as i'm sure she'd like to have them back. yes, more hoarding. runs in the family.

i have quite a lot of old books in my bookcase, handed down from everyone in the family. my grandparents, my parents, my sister. they make life pretty difficult when moving house of course but can't see myself giving them away.

 

i spotted this print on facebook the other day and i'm in love with whoever it is created it. just how precisely can you illustrate istanbul in a better way? it's brilliantly subtle and full of wonderful details. honestly made me feel (a bit) embarrassed by my latest rants about how i want to run away from this chaos. this is it. this is the city i've lived all my life and have had a love-hate relationship with. it breaks you then it mends you, it's magical. this is what makes istanbul what it is and yes, it's maddening but it's also buzzing with life, optimism and passion. well, there can be a thousand more ways to describe istanbul's many faces but i'll stick with this current one. it feels good. and it's friday. it's from this store in istanbul, they are called 'aponia'. i can't seem to find a better link displaying their work but i think i'll be visiting  them this week-end, so i'll find out. have a lovely friday everyone.

 

summer time

a sudden, powerful and short lived rain left me soaking wet in the late hours of last night. it made everything around smell summery and earthy and it was actually enjoyable to walk through it; getting wet, but not cold. today though, it's as bright as an early june morning can be. it's early summer so  the unsettling weather is still welcomed as a reminder of change and flux; before we fall into the laze and ease of the of the steady, golden summer heat. waking up from day dreaming and just being in the moment is a challenge though. just watching and accepting.

i saw this on the net and wanted to share it. clever idea eh? love their slogan: it's better at the beach, i agree. here are some snaps from last night and early this morning.

 

a celebration

i quit smoking one year ago. one year and two days ago to the exact. and i feel it deserves a celebration. nothing of a fancy, party sort of celebration but a quiet, low key, inner celebration, one that draws oneself to think what it means with more awareness;  i'm not going to lie and say 'oh, i forgot about the whole thing all together and wouldn't go back to it in the world'. i'm not going to, because that's not how i feel about smoking. i feel every now and then the strong urge to light one, but the beauty of it is that, i don't . so i am celebrating it. quietly. well done me.

the week-end has passed with ease and we've made a smooth entry into the mid-summer temperatures here. it's been hot and i can't complain, it's proper summer. i have sat on the grass in a park,  ate vegan food, got stuck with a boring radio channel on t.v. for the last three hours (with fishes swimming around in the background) because i can't figure out the telly control. hope the week will be good to me.

this is istanbul on june 2nd.

walked the same little streets, bought the same kind of fruit, had the same coffee, had my toe nails painted bright pink, drank green tea, bought a yellow-ish head band, continued reading paul auster's 'city of glass' and realised it's also june 2nd. in the story- new york on june 2nd and this is istanbul on june 2nd. the daily life of an istanbulite on june 2nd. in the twentyfirst century; sounds pretty insignificant but i believe it actually isn't. we are all constantly recreating realities, rituals, patterns and we are strengthening ways of interaction;  none of this is as trivial as it seems; our little, uneventful daily lives are helping make history, even more so when we constantly share them publicly on a blog i suppose :). 

some snaps from the day. these old LPs are from my parents and they are used and abused believe me, i bore witness as a child. enjoy the rest of the week-end.

all the greens unite!

i've made an attempt today to take photos in the day light for the blog, that's a rare case during the weekdays. i woke half hour earlier than usual and came back from work with this idea of displaying some of the green stuff i am surrounded with.

i love green, every kind. i love it in plants, in tiles, in fruits, in socks, in napkins, in jewelry, in furniture, you get the idea. at this point in my life i'm yearning for more green than i ever have- i mean it in the form of grass, lush trees and more house plants, please. i often find myself browsing at gardening and urban farming blogs lately and i admire and respect the people who are making the effort to grow their own herbs and vegetables in whatever small space they have in the city-be it a small balcony, patio or a kitchen counter. i need to remind myself to look into this with more enthusiasm and go get some seedlings. it might actually be really fulfilling spiritually as well because it is about growth and respect and balance. so, to celebrate my 'green awakening' (and just to look at pretty things in my favourite colour) i'm giving you below random objects. in green.