Back to Reality

Coming in to land at Istanbul Sahiba Gokcen airport early afternoon on what had started as Day 47 of my time in Akbuk. Sad to leave my heavenly haven, a 'view taken through the plane window coming in to land to signify the end of a holiday' wins no awards for originality, but this view of the outskirts of Istanbul stirred some deeply embedded emotions, so that by the time I was looking out of the car window on the bridge going over the Bosphorus an hour later, I let out an involuntary sigh of "ah, home".

Inside the flat it all looks the same but feels different somehow. Elizabeth went wild when she saw me, which was heart meltingly irresistible. Caroline was nowhere to be seen until a few minutes ago when she graced me with a single mew, then got on with her supper. Charlie has been around, but no sign at all of Besiktas. Connie, who was a bit unsettled during the journey, most especially in the car to and from the airports, continues to be rather restless tonight. Me too.

Note to self: "only" 32ºC in comparison to the 42+ºC I have been living in, but somehow, I am struggling much more tonight in the high humidity of Istanbul than I was in the higher temperatures of Akbuk. An adjustment is required. A breeze would be nice, but the air conditioning will have to suffice.