What a strange week. Wonderful in that it has been the first time in a very long time that I have had my Mum to my self and the new camera has been a real joy, but also tense because of the worsening situation in Turkey.

Being the eldest of nine having Mum come to Istanbul to keep me and the two little ones company while Ville was in Sweden was something of a miracle. She is someone who would remain unflustered in the face of much worse so she was the perfect visitor to alleviate the knots in my stomach, and keep the kids laughing. We spent our time just playing with Anton and Neve or exploring the area close to home. I won't forget opening the windows in the early hours of one morning to watch the crowds streaming past, or that, as I had so hoped, it was into Grandma's arms that Neve landed into after her first steps. I think the tension that I have is largely to do with trying to hold my views in some central position in the face of complete polarization and intense propaganda from both sides. This situation is not a simple one. Right does not lie fully with any group involved.

This morning I listened to a string quartet playing at the summer residence of the German consul. Surrounded by high trees and a rose garden I felt like a film character who calmly sips tea while listening to rising strings as the world, or the waves, crash down. The children played on the mossy floor of this paradise with high walls, beyond which the Bosphorus shimmers. On the road outside the gates we could hear the occasional convoy of the pro-Gezi horn tooters. While waiting for a taxi home we saw a boat with a banner nearly covering one whole side making it's way to the waters near  Kazlıçeşme for the pro-Erdoğan rally.

By the time we got home large, loud groups were making their way past our apartment towards Taksim. I have not denied the kids their chance to bang pots with wooden spoons with the enthusiasm that would bring complaints in any other circumstances, so Anton asked to go on to the street for a moment to make some noise. The passionate anger in the air was so overwhelming I had to drag him inside so I could sob for a moment. And have a stiff whisky. I don't know where this is headed but it doesn't feel like a path to somewhere good, despite some (and of course some not so) worthy intentions.

I have now had my new camera for nearly a week and I am enjoying more than I even thought I would. Waiting for it's arrival I had become a little nervous of how long it would take to use manual settings instinctively but any changes in how setting changes are made are for the better, and intuitive to use. I had a day of feeling daunted before feeling really liberated by how much easier it is to get what I want. Because we really pushed the boat out to afford it I had to buy the cheapest prime lens I could find (it's a 50mm 1.8) so I know that I am right at the beginning of seeing what this camera can do. I have so much to learn and I love it!

So my pictures this week are of relaxed, happy trips to various parks away from the fray. Of Anton banging his pan. Of an idyllic morning at the summer residence of the German consul in Tarabya. And of Anton's expression as he watched the chanting crowds make their way past him towards Taksim Square.

Thanks again to all of you who wrote us lovely comments and messages and held us in your thoughts this week. It has really meant a lot.

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