Happy

My cup runneth ... a truly HAPPY day to be treasured.

Firstly, I taught a great music class this morning - I mean the students were great. I am really liking this group. Then I taught an Art class to an equally great, but very different (and younger) group of kids.  Excellent morning, followed by an unusually delicious lunch in the canteen - they have started serving really nice acceptably healthy and tasty vegetarian options for those of us that work that way.  

And then ...  big surprise really....

Mandatory meeting in Ortakoy  this afternoon - at the Zubeyde Girls Anadolu Lisesi High School - for all Besikatas area of Istanbul High School music and/or art department heads.  The Education ministry/local council delight in calling these mandatory meetings at regular, but thankfully not frequent, short notice and, well, they are usually somewhat less than fun. And lengthy.  Today however, when twenty minutes after scheduled start time still no one "official" had showed up to Chair, this lovely, lively group of Music and Art teachers took matters in to their own hands and within slightly more than 60 minutes we had signed minutes and were on our way out.  Their tolerance of my inadequate Turkish was, as always, humbling and I was forcibly reminded that music and art teachers, maybe even all teachers, are the same the world over, even if the language is different - their heart and focus is always on their students.  I have both an afternoon and a lifetime of reasons for saying that.  

Stepping out in Ortakoy afterwards for a moment of necessary grocery shopping, I spotted the balloon seller and snapped..... bit disappointed that it is out of focus, but it is easily an image that is appropriate for my day and yet the best was yet to come. 

To cut a never endingly story short, amongst the distressing explosion of feral cats on campus this summer, there is a little ginger and white motherless kitten, about 6 weeks old that was probably 'dumped' here last weekend with its tabby bro.  Tabby bro, a docile, affectionate baby, was easily caught by me last weekend, then cat loving neighbour friend colleagues took it to the vet to clean it up and he now has a forever home with yet another colleague.  Mr ginger-and-white however, is skittish and scared and I have not been able to catch him this week, nor has my equally puss loving neighbour friend. Until now.  I am absurdly happy to record that early evening I caught little kitty (by giving him tinned tuna) and we whisked him off forthwith to the vet.  One week more than his bro of living rough and without his ma has left this little one covered in fleas, a tick, worms and ear mites.  A truly sorry sight.  The vet however, is my superhero having saved the lives of several puddytats I have taken to him over the years and so I am confident that when I go back on Saturday, I will be met with the sight of a clean, happy, healthy little puss. Whether or not he will move in with me, Elizabeth, Caroline and Charlie remains to be seen, but I know that he has a future.

Feeling happy.