Hayatim

Today there was a weather warning of extreme temperatures and indeed the heat was blistering.  Writing this at 17.00 it is still 37ºC out there - heaven knows what it reached around lunch time. There is no breeze at all which makes it more uncomfortable.  This temperature obviously impacts the day as for example,  after a pleasant and productive morning's Art class, I then had a couple of hours back at the apartment virtually comatose on the bed before my afternoon visit, as I always do when I'm here in Istanbul, to friend and ex colleague Ciğdem who is wheelchair bound after a life changing accident a few years ago, whilst on safari in Kenya when a hippo startled the horse, throwing my friend against a tree and breaking her neck.  Her attitude to this profound change in her life is frankly, an inspiration to us all. She has an Instagram account called Ikinci Hayatim (My Second Life) where she chronicles her daily life's challenges and has currently well over 64k followers. She has also been interviewed on two Turkish national TV channels - a testament to this incredible woman whose cheery laugh fills the room whenever you talk to her. 

Today's photo of the Bosphorus was taken from her salon,
(last year's visit here)