This has been a big old week for me: I turned 40 and (thanks to a lot of dear people clubbing together) my birthday present was a Canon 5D Mark ii!!!! I am still in shock at owning such a thing and probably won't begin to take it in until it arrives from England with my Mum (woooohoooo!! She's coming for a visit!!) in a few weeks time. I am feeling very excited about the learning curve I am about to embark on.

This week's pictures were taken while Neve waited to go out on a windy day, and on a trip to Taksim and down Istiklal Street to Salt Beyoğlu. This art gallery is essential knowledge for Istanbul parents because in the basement it boasts some of the best and most accessible baby-changing facilities in town, and on the roof there is a garden perfect for chilled out nursing. On this visit we had our friend Ping with us to entertain Anton with origami, and Neve chose this setting for the first time she stood long enough for a picture. Then, of course, there are this weeks vapur pictures. I will never get enough of the shifts of light through the big boat windows lighting up the precious features of our kids.

Yesterday I had a chance to do another photography walk with Monica Fritz and I had a fantastic time. I have been wanting to see the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar since I arrived (or maybe since James Bond was chased across them!) and having a guide who knows the maze of tiny streets and stairways as well as Monica made it effortless enjoyment. The darkness of the corridors and stairwells that lead suddenly to the views from the rooftop make the experience breath-taking. From the final rooftop, which was covered in wild flowers and weeds, we had views up the Golden Horn and out across the Marmara Sea. I just wish I could capture the feeling of such a panorama, especially potent when the call to prayer begins to rise from the many mosques below.

I am so glad about the number of plane trees in Istanbul. This species is planted in cities because it can thrive where other trees cannot. It is adaptable and tough. I love its impressionist bark, and that, on Dolmabahçe Caddesi, the avenue of planes towers high above both the Palace walls and the military compound.