Urgh. My head is all stuffy and stuffed up. Zeynep was away, so we had a different teacher, a high school Turkish teacher from Heybeliada, which was slightly exciting, as he talked at normal speed and didn't tell us we weren't supposed to be able to understand the future and past tenses and mix thenm up in general conversation in the lesson. Woohoo! So we had an hour and a half lesson, which was fun.

* posted by nat 1:20 PM

Thursday, January 30, 2003

And I\it's wierd, seeing Mark off on the dolmus and then having him crashing back through the lift doors half an hour later as there aren't any ferries because of the wind so having to get him a taxi instead.

Just ruins goodbyes.

I did achieve something in the last week, though. I ORDERED MY BOOTS! Go me!!!!

* posted by nat 5:47 PM

Er, oh dear oh dear oh dear. I don't quite know what to say, except, well, you know, nothing has changed. And that is that.

I'm busy succumbing to having the flu, though it's quite a long downward spiral and I'm daily getting worse. Which is not much fun. And of course, with visitor being here, the weather's generally been miserable, which has not helped. I have eaten far, far too much - eating out too often!

Yesterday we went to Aya Sofya. I'm still trying to get it into persepective. On the outisde it's just piles and heaps of red brick which all seem to lump together rather incongruously, but you get yourself through the door into the archways and a small mosaic above the door, and then you step through and the dome widens up above you, except you have to walk in just a little further before you can see the real dome, the one that's unbelievably high above you, and the sunlight comes in in streamers through the windows and the whole effect is completely stunning. You just sit there and look up and get dizzier and dizzier and dizzier and your mouth falls further and further open. There's a bit of scaffolding in the way, but somehow that just makes the place seem taller. And the mosaics.... mmmm... you wish more of them had survived, but the ones that are there are just stunning, and if you prowl around a bit and try and get the right angle so that there's a ray of sunlight falling on them, then the effect is even better. The longer you wander around there, the more you begin to get a feel for the immense proportions of the place, even with the hordes of noisy schoolchildren rolling through at various intervals, so that it doesn't feel like any place of worship any more, it feels slightly like an over-echoey shopping mall at some points, but they disappear fast and you can begin to wander again.

I rather like porphyry. Lovely stone. I couold have sat in there for hours - we spent almost an hour and a half in there just wandering. And wandering.

Then we went to the Yerebaran Cistern which was just as noisy and echoey and extremely eerie in the dark with the spotlighting hiding around the pillars. And it was also huge. There were lots of large fish pootling around in the water.

* posted by nat 5:10 PM

Friday, January 24, 2003

Today we took the car out to Karaköy, had borek and baklava in Güllüoglu - Mark then bought vast quantities of baklava, then we went to a cafe and had sahlep and I beat Yasmin in two rounds of tavla! I'm on a roll!

Oh yes. Mark. Yes, he is that Mark. He's here visiting. It's rather nice, actually.

* posted by nat 2:57 PM

Monday, January 20, 2003

So last night there was Bondage. Mmm. Unfortunately I managed to annoy everyone around me by laughing hysterically through all the usual cheesy Bond jokes which don't seem to translate. Oh well, I had fun! Happiness is a Bond called James and all that.

On Saturday night I got my revenge on Ercan and beat him comprehensively at tavla. I won two rounds. Haha!

* posted by nat 6:48 AM

Saturday, January 18, 2003

Last night I learnt to dance the cha-cha! Go me! Unfortunately half-an-hour or so of gentle exercise was apparently too much for me as I got halfway up the stairs and apparently had to be caught and dragged up to the top before I fell back down the stairs and killed myself. Not that I remember this, but still. Zeynep reckons I'm running a temperature but I don't think so. I went home and decided to make Armenian lentil burgers. Semi-destroyed kitchen, and had to do big clean up operation, and burgers slightly soggy. too much water. Still, they're good. Fresh mint and flat-parsley and all.

New pillows loooooooovely.

* posted by nat 7:32 AM

Friday, January 17, 2003

Have been to Carrefour and bought big fluffy pillows. Now all I want to do is go home and die all over them. Ercan beat me horribly at tavla last night. Huff.

Today the new Bond film is finally out in Turkey! Woo! Planning to go out (have forgotten what that is like!) probably on Sunday as a treat.

Must find where the Kid's Reports are, so I can write them. Yeuch.

* posted by nat 1:21 PM

Thursday, January 16, 2003

If there are five of you in the house and the three of you who own the house keys have to be at work by 8am, and the one who usually gets up first (me) spends half an hour pressing 'snooze' and so doesn't get out of bed til just before 7am, and then sulks in the bathroom for 20 minutes (hate scales), then, well, you do the maths!

So am pottering. Should be lesson planning. Feeling very strep-throaty. Erdem conducted a 20 minute conversation with me today in which he did not use a single verb. Bless him, it's quite an achievement. I now know all about gas and oil supply to the small agricultural holdings of Turkey. And I can tell you, I'm thrilled. Though more thrilled about the excessively complicated present perfect structure he managed to construct (with a bit of prompting, but he got there all by himself. Woo!).

I got online to the Mu*s last night and over-chatted - much-needed joy but hands really can't take it. Net Cafe Man was very pleased to see me back - it's been a while since he got to practice his two phrases of English on me! the other thing I wanted from Kadıköy was to order boots, finally, but then I changed my mind and wasn't sure if I wanted blue or green leather. So I'm still deferring. Dear me.

According to the Barrow Downs my elven name ought to be something like Thinlótëiel, which I rather like, in a strange kind of way. I think I might add it to Coifëa's family somehow. If I ever get round to playing her again. Bleh.

Also my dwarfish name is Frerin Clawmirth and my Orcish name Skarbog the Tough. Rather like those, too.

Family Carrefour outing tomorrow. Woo!

* posted by nat 3:24 PM

Monday, January 13, 2003

Hurt horribly. Have given up writing on board, cannot get pills out of packet even. Housemates eager to volunteer to open parcels for me, but Engin not here today to carry my books. Mope. New teacher unexpectedly employed, so hurrah! I am off overtime. Of course kids were good as gold today for last lesson. Sigh. Still they do not have the same sense of humour as my weekend lot. Taught both groups to sing 'It�s raining again' - this lot comes up with 'I can�t play football, go swimming, roller-skate' etc. My weekend class came up with 'I can�t go to school, I can�t sunbathe, I can�t play the guitar and I can�t learn English' (Mert obviously responsible for the latter!) Weekend class thus far cheerier. And they sing Incey-Wincey Spider each time any spider is spotted.

Erdem my 1-2-1 has been elevated to cotton-sock status. We had a one and a half hour chat today - he still has huge aversions to the verbs to have and to be but we managed. Best statement. 'My wife was buying and selling manager - now she my home manager and relationships manager!'

Going home via the fish and chip shop to find hot water bottle and have evening of acute pain. Hurrah. Off Ya!, as they sigh in Turkish...

* posted by nat 4:21 PM

Friday, January 10, 2003

Just one thing: Néa has finally posted her translation of the Firtree, which I reckon means I cna link to it now. Read early for Christmas!

* posted by nat 11:20 AM

Am having fantastic life. Get out of bed to teach, wibble at classes pathetically, go home to bed with hot water bottle and ache. Fun fun fun. I made the mistake of trying to walk down to the bank today. Too far, took a few goes to get back to school.

But Ben is back from England with liquorice allsorts, so that's all right then.

Typing is really too difficult...

* posted by nat 10:57 AM

Saturday, January 04, 2003

Woo! Sent Mert to see Zeynep. Am starting New Year as I mean to go on. Mwhahahahaa. Am /so/ evilteacher. Except had to spend most of lesson sitting down. Still, kids are kids and don�t notice these things.

Think text-message stalking has stopped now, as sulked pointedly at housemates who then went and muttered at friends of said stalker. News travels fast!

* posted by nat 2:54 PM

Friday, January 03, 2003

GAH! PARENTS! PARENT-TEACHERS! GAAAAAAAAAAAH! OUGHT TO BE BANNED!

* posted by nat 5:31 PM

Thursday, January 02, 2003

So it is 2003, I feel horrid, and I am being stalked by text message by this bloke who is a friend of Mustafa�s who seems to have decided that he wants me and therefore I should accede to go to the pub with him and talk about 'us'.

Horrors, horrors. When am feeling better will go to pub and throw things at him.

Mali spent all morning flirting in intensely ridiculous way, possibly to cheer me up as class seemed a bit concerned that I wasn�t bouncing around the room as usual and I wasn�t so great at hiding the fact I was leaning against the board rather than writing on it.

I don�t like this year already. I am going back to bed to sleep until 2004.

* posted by nat 12:23 PM