This week we had a visit from Ville's lovely Finnish uncle and (he will accept this!!) even lovelier partner. Unsurprisingly the daughter they brought with them, and her partner, turned out to be excellent people too. It's a reassuring thing to see, as you get older, that plenty of love in a household does tend to result in good people. Their visit coincided with Ibtissam's visit to see Justin Bieber in concert. Kids I need to tell you this little tale about your Dad (though I am sure that you, like I, will never actually doubt his kindness and brilliance). Ibtissam, our friend and an asylum seeker from Morocco has a pretty serious Bieber fixation.  She was walking with us on the Island last month telling us about his visit to Istanbul and Ville told her we would buy her a ticket the next day. I was just so proud that he didn't hesitate, that he knew that what she needed most was a day off from being a have not. Our Finnish relatives were fantastic with Ibtissam and it was great watching everyone peel off their socks to dip their toes in the Marmara Sea. I also enjoyed helping Ibtissam get ready for the big night, a bit of a foretaste of pleasures to come, though I have to admit to hoping that Neve has more interesting taste in music!

Saturday had been one of those big days on the horizon for several weeks. Matti was playing in a piano concert and I was becoming godparent to my Hungarian/ German friends' new daughter in Karaköy at 5. We got everyone on to the 10.45 vapur wearing ironed clothes (one of the three or four days a year!). Just before 12 the boat turned back to the Island of Kinalıada because of heavy fog (which had already caused an accident) and there it sat. Matti didn't make it to play and at 3 with the fog looking like tendrils of smoke I began to doubt whether we were getting to the baptism either. At 4.30, with our boat to the city showing no signs of departure we jumped over to the other waiting boat, bound for home. We got there an hour later looking a little creased and weary, but, to the kid's credit, six hours sat on a stationary boat was not too bad at all. Happily today Matti had another concert and Anton and I were able to watch him, and Anton said he felt 'very proud'!

So my photos this week are of a trip to Miniatürk, Anton determinedly cleaning our windows, a Moroccan and a Finn in deep conversation, Matti on the Friday night trip to the 'orange house' and a very foggy day.

Well I started the week determined, in a relaxed kind of way, to photograph some of the tulips that Istanbul is famous for this time of year. Then Anton got ill yet again, and when I actually got out of the apartment for half an hour the rich colours of the tulips in the bright sunshine just didn't appeal as much as this little patch of white flowers under a tree. Tuesday was a public holiday here and as Anton seemed a little better we dosed him up with calpol, put him in the pushchair wearing his pyjamas under a blanket, and took the boat to Üsküdar. We walked along the shore with hundreds of other people enjoying that time off had coincided with glorious sunshine, and then carried Anton up to a roof terrace cafe to bask. Happily the sun seemed to revive him and as we walked back he asked to get up and play. He rushed off and came back with the gift of a tulip. Job done.

Being in the sunshine was such a boost that I decided to spend Wednesday walking along the Bosphorus from Emirgan to Bebek, after a visit to the Sakıp Sabancı Museum. The area lining the Bosphorus is paradise in the sunshine. The beauty of the water, abundant flowers and wooden villas is perfection. One of my life-changing helpers, Florence, was with me making two kids very light work and lots of pleasure.

After a great morning at Atölye 5 on Thursday we wandered down Bağdat Caddesi and then took a dolmuş to to the Beşiktaş ferry terminal in Kadiköy. I have decided to stop apologising for the amount of pictures I take on boats and just say that this week's vapur pictures show how, now that it is warm enough for people to be sat outside on the benches on the sides, Neve has a new opportunity for making vapur friends.

Today, Anton bouncy as a bean, we took some of the kiddos' favourite toys to enjoy a picnic and it seemed like a really good moment to indulge in one of the ladybird cakes Anton has been admiring for a long time. I am also glad that Neve understands that one of the things she should do in life is to go and crawl into beautiful patches of light!

A very happy game of hide and seek on Dolmabahçe Caddesi!