. It is such a fun tradition... This book is pretty classic 80s I think! So, with some scanning and emailing of all the jungle related cakes in the book, Yashar was also able to make his choice. He chose the lion! 
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Did you hear the New York Times 'Best Illustrated Books for 2009' is out. Yesterday I quickly got online and (half for me, half for Yashar!) ordered All the World
- written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee. Something about a windy scene always gets me!
by Antoinette Portis and The Snow Day
by Komako Sakai both look gorgeous too!
: What the French Know about Cooking'. I have mentioned it a couple of times:
Then here - when I was jam making and was reminded of Booth's teacher, Chef Forais' (from the chocolate course he does at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier) 'secret' to making delicious jam.
Booth takes you through his experiences (both wonderful and woeful) living in Paris and attending the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school. You find out all about what they actually learn there and then what it is like to work in the kitchen of a Michelin star restaurant owned by one of the most well known chefs in France.
We all have days, (or weeks!) like these, don't we?! I had a little activity planned for Yashar and I to do together - a small card for his new baby cousin. Not too much crafting because we have been busy enjoying the last days of Summer. And yes, we attempted said crafty activity.
are a great inspiration to me. All about living creatively, simply and having a happy and fulfilling home life. I hope this book is more of the same! 
Yashar and I spent some time down by the water's edge collecting the gorgeous, slightly translucent pebbles. Then once we got home, we filled a plain little glass tea light holder we already had about a third of the way up with the pebbles. Then we plopped in the tea light and put some of the smaller pebbles around it. I wish we had collected more pebbles now!
and I totally nerded out about it. I couldn't put it down!
and I am already addicted. It starts with the burning of recipe books by celebrity chefs and then Micheal Booth, his wife and two young children are off to Paris so that he can study at the famous cooking school - Le Cordon Bleu. By the time Madame Raffarin shows them around the Parisian apartment full of shelves of dusty antique books, vast oil paintings and fading velvet curtains with views of the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower (and then they excitedly spy the boulangerie and chocolatier on the street below) I was hooked! I am already dreaming of moving to Paris or at least having an extended holiday there.
My glasses! After wearing my contact lens way too much I decided to give my eyes a rest and dug out my glasses. Bordering on nerdy, the rims of these are pretty prominent and the arms are nice and thick. I forgot how much I liked them! And now I can pretend I am super intelligent!
- bought by my sisters for Senol's birthday last weekend. I love the glowing fading light on the cover and my favourite photo inside is this one (sorry about my crappy photo of this gorgeous photo - it looks a hundred times better in real life):
I love how he writes about the relationship between food and family. He writes "I want my family to grow up with good memories around food. A freshly brewed cup of tea with a slice of cake still warm from the oven or a tart made from freshly picked apricots will become part of a happy memory..." I want that too! I have some very happy memories of making cupcakes with my mum. I am so looking forward to when Yashar is old enough that we can bake yummy memories together.
Yashar was enthralled by this book (Possum Magic
) that arrived in the post for his birthday. The illustrations (by Julie Vivas) are gorgeous and I love this story - I remember reading it when I was little too. It starts with "Once upon a time, but not very long ago, deep in the Australian bush lived two possums" and later leads to eating vegemite sandwiches in the far north of Australia and lamingtons in Hobart. So Australian and very, very cute.
This book - Baby Love by Robin Barker - has been my guide for the past year. I read it and reread it constantly. My sister gave it to me after finding her own copy so useful. Particularly being here in Turkey, far away from my family and friends' support and guidance, it really was my source of advice and information that I felt I could really trust. I liked its approach - relaxed and realistic - and also how comprehensive it was. My sister-in-law would often ask me questions just before rushing to the doctor and the book always seemed to have the answer and saved her many unnecessary trips. Saying 'my book says...' became a running joke between us.
family focus here, having babies and parenting would be more natural and easier, with good experience and knowledge being passed down from generation to generation. This has not always been my reality here though. For example there is a startlingly high rate of cesareans here (according to this article around 39% which is double the maximum rate recommended by the World Health Organisation - in some private hospitals the rate is as high as 95%!) and many doctors are notorious for their over prescription of medicines. Old wives tales also abound. Apart from that, my own ideas about parenting have meant that I need other sources of guidance. Plus I just love books!
Now Yashar is almost one year old and I have found myself rereading the last section (9 - 12 months) of Baby Love and wondering where to next? I have copies of Raising Boys (a book recommended by my cousin who has three boys) and The Creative Family by Amanda Soule on their way. But I need more! I guess I am fairly relaxed in my parenting and don't enjoy being preached to or a one-fits-all approach. 
These are Muşmula (pronounced Mush-mul-la) and they are in season now so Senol rushed to get some at the market before it was too late. I love the sound of the name. Muşmula. But the taste of these isn't what I'd call delicious. Sort of like eating raw quince if you've ever tried that. They make your mouth all dry and the texture is fibrey (is that even a word?) fibrous perhaps. Either way not particularly tempting!
I have been surprised by how many varieties of fruit and vegetables there are here that I have never even heard of. I thought we pretty much had everything available in Australia now - although maybe they are there at the market, and I just never recognised them.
I love that the availability of fruit and vegetables is so seasonal here. It just makes sense - they taste better and are generally locally grown. Shame on me for not knowing which fruit and vegies are in season apart from the basics! But I'm learning - seeing what's available at the local market, what's weighing the trees down in the neighbourhood.
