Worth Missing Biscuits

Begin the Countdown

luckymedusa — Sun, 6 Jul 2008 01:17:00 GMT

Two days before I am going to fly back round to Chapel Hill, NC. I don't want to believe all of the things I have not done while I am here - We shall simply call it leaving something for next time. Which there must be at some point!

All of us here are experiencing a massive pressure from our final projects - including me. Tonight I am meeting up with a couchsurfer on Istiklal and hopefully interviewing some street musicians as well as a band or two if possible. If we are truly lucky we will run into a political band tonight...

Anyways I did conduct my first interview today, which went pretty perfectly. The person I spoke with was very informative and intriguing. Which is good considering I have about a day to get all my interviews wrapped up! We went to the recording studio and talked with the music we were discussing playing in the background.

What was especially awesome was the Kurdish music we listened to at the end - apparently a group had just come a few days ago to record from the way Southeast of Turkey - no jobs and little money - but somehow they made it here to this studio to record. The music was very good and the lyrics were interesting.

Hope all of y'all are doing well,

Smiles from the other side

Catch up...

luckymedusa — Tue, 1 Jul 2008 21:25:00 GMT

So I believe tis about time for some sort of update - Sorry - internet has been quite sporadic and ill timed...

Since Troy I have travelled to an intense variety of places,

Ephesus - lots of white columns and a pretty sweet coliseum -

Hieropolis! Pamukkale.- The pools are incredible, white and blue and clear they shimmer with reflections of a calcium Goliath created over centuries of deposits from the water. I felt as though I had landed on some other planet. Upon reaching the destination we swam in the calcium pools with ancient roman columns. It was odd to see the natural splendor of the geology in contrast to the dilapidated lovely town. Too many tourists coming had caused an environmental meltdown, so the giant tourism operation was shut down. The five star hotels moved away, and the calcium pools are regenerating.

Egirdir - Climbed most of a mountain

Konya - Creepy hotel with monsters - (I'm entirely serious) - Lovely people, mountain tea which is green and tasty, and whirling dervishes

Village - Amazing - entirely deserving of its own post/stories but suffice it to say it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, with some of the most welcoming giving people you will ever meet. And the best food of all time.

Cappadocia- Oddly formed rock caves = peoples houses and climbing spaces. Interesting place, met a lovely French woman and Turkish man. Staying in cave rooms that dropped cave on you all the time - we all now understand why people left these abodes for houses. Damp, dirty, enclosed, unstable, dark places...

Ankara - Odd citadel walls made using stones/columns/anything made of solid rock. Dinner at an Ottoman house and interesting company/conversation. Visited Atatürk's mausoleum and the Museum of Anatolian civilizations.

TRAIN BACK TO ISTANBUL!

Yesterday

luckymedusa — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:54:00 GMT

Yesterday I climbed the walls of supposed TROY. Yes, you know, the one of infamy... It was pretty awesome, Turkey is so lovely about not worrying if people climb and touch its ruins... I like it - I don't know how good it is for the object being touched, but I mean they are already ruins right? And this may also say something about how Turkey doesn't focus so much on the ancient past that mark the beginnings of civilization... Tour of Troy = 1 hour, Tour of Gallipoli = 5 hours with a complementary Ataturk statue! I did get to see trenches and wade in the water at Gallipoli. After Troy we moved on to Pergamom. Where I got excited over being able to use my art history vocab from 10^th grade. But mostly today we rode in buses – I read “On the Road” and entertained flashbacks from last summer. It is late and for some reason I think we are all mostly arising early for adventures of various natures. So I’m going to go ahead and say good night to all y’all. Hope this post finds you well –

Zoe

(I thought I posted this last night... Turns out I just fell asleep)

Obsessively photographing graffiti offers lead...

luckymedusa — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:14:00 GMT

Dear all,

I wish I smelled of wood smoke instead of simply smoke. But this reek is definitively worth the experience of being in the bar when Turkey scored that second goal in the last minutes of the second half to bring the score against Switzerland to 2-1. Everyone leaped to their feet as though their ass were on fire cheering and chanting – clapping until a song emerged from the clamor. What the words were I do not know but I feel as though our whole group attempted to sing along or at least continued clapping enthusiastically. Then we rushed out to the streets to a stunningly quiet scene. At least it was calm until we were overrun by a crowd of fist waving and chanting Turks on Istiklal. Most of our group turned around and followed the rush to Taksim – where much “bunny-hop” action ensued as well as dancing in a circle kicking alternating feet. Some of the group stayed out, while I opted to return to the flat after one of the men, pink shirt (called so because introductions were quite lacking) told me I was beautiful… Besides I had some intriguing research to catch up on.

Actually, photographing all the graffiti around town finally paid off today. I had a photograph of a wall that said “Festus Okey Rest in Peace” underneath the image of a man from a solidly done stencil. Curiosity wrapped itself around me and I Googled the name and found that the man was a Nigerian soccer player who had been shot and killed by the Turkish police while under arrest at the Beyoğlu police department in 2007. He did have cocaine on him (though as I am reading through many variations of the account this police station has apparently been known to threaten to plant drugs…and plant drugs on people) and purportedly Festus was shot when he attempted to grab the officer’s gun. There is no footage of this scene… Police cameras are not useful in interrogation rooms? Nah... Protests ensued from various parties and the officer in question was prosecuted… haven’t been able to find out whether or not he was sentenced as yet. I intend to follow up on this lead, as well as to see what other choice tidbits I can scrounge up about the Turkish police force, prison, and human rights issues relating to this aspect of Turkish life… Though it is not my final project (I don’t believe) I am still very intrigued.

Meanwhile I visited my Boot man today- and typically I was welcomed back into his shop and courtyard, ushered to a seat and offered tea. People here always seem to create time for conversation. He let me look at a lot of fabrics. I am seriously in adoration of all of the materials; in my head I spin designs for dresses and wall hangings and boot designs different from the ones he shows. I love being in the shop – I kept asking questions about the boots and he joked that I want to learn his job – I earnestly replied that I do… He creates something beautiful and gives it to the world and lives this way. It seems a pretty magnificent life really – he travels for business all over to surrounding countries. Unfortunately I had a 3:30 meeting with the Prof, and had to cut the conversation off.

I left Beyazit around 3:30… as I was supposed to be at Profs then, twas not good. But I did bring cookies as a gift for Prof – I like the Turkish way of giving whatever you have to others – no expectations. Seriously, in kindergarten all Turks mastered sharing… Really though, there is a mentality of taking care of people here as though they were one’s own family or friends even when one has just met. It’s like intense Southern Hospitality, and hey look – we have tea, they have tea. So basically I just came home to the other side of the world. The question becomes now, where exactly did this kind of cultural generosity originate? And the Turkish concept of time, gloriously slow and late – what more could anyone ask for? Things don’t open till 9 or ten in the morning and they stay open till 10-12 at night. They leave room for sitting and talking here.

A quick overview of the rest of the day...

Turkish lesson - dinner - watching the game at a bar - flat

where I realized it was time for more food and had...

Burned toast… Its really just dark brown… Crispy adds flavor?

And now this... sorry I will attempt an intense catch up blog shortly -hope you are well!

Wait, wait, wait, you're from North Carolina? and other misadventures...

luckymedusa — Thu, 5 Jun 2008 08:59:00 GMT

Today I finally explored a bit around the street on which I live. I found a lovely antique book store to which I plan to return. I also discovered, in the Columbus sense of the word, a vintage store. I proceeded to thrift in Istanbul with all appropriate glee. I bought an Ottoman coin with a hole in it as well as a Russian coin with an image of Lenin on it… And a few other items. I also ran into some people there that just graduated from UNC- and a graduate who lives here with his wife now. Three people total from UNC or North Carolina.

- Visited Dolmabahce Palace - OK, rococo and baroque styles were horrid in France and they are just as bad in Turkiye. A gilded world, I saw putti. Not pleased. Apparently this palace cost 35 tons of gold, the name means filled garden because the land it rests upon was once a bay in the Bosphorus Strait– and in all fairness it is an impressive sight…

- Visited the Military Museum- Fascinating place, saw a performance by imitators of the military band, called Mehter troop. Viewed many swords, rifles and a full scale model with a backdrop and sound effects of battle of Mehmet the Conqueror’s capture of Constantinople. Also viewed an intriguingly official rendition of events from the Armenian conflict… To say the least – there will be photos of this exhibit up shortly.

- Then I ran into someone that I had met at Cup of Joe. On Istiklal in Turkiye. This man had also seen me at the peace protest... He was with a friend who is thinking about graduate school at UNC. The world is shrinking faster than your jeans in the dryer.

- Sat across from/at a table filled with Turkish people, French people, a Hungarian person, an American and a German. To name a few nationalities that were involved.

- Raised a toast to Obama on a sidestreet with Efes

- Realized Istanbul really is the center of the world.

Protest for Peace and a sugar box

luckymedusa — Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:16:00 GMT

A quick overview of the past few days for all ye that be interested -

-Went to a Protest and took photographs which many of you will see shortly - (Police had enclosed the general protest area with fences, they checked people and bags upon entry) For all the incredible number of police, lurking armed guards, and helicopters, the Turkish government did allow the protest to occur... - more on this later.

-Visited a few very old Byzantine churches

-Was asked by the guard at one of these churches, "You are so sweet, did you spend last night in a sugar box?" oh goodness.

-Took a short cruise with my sister

-Petted several cats...

-Read and took notes and drew

Mostly what I have been doing is sitting and having tea and talking with people. There have been many interesting encounters and at some point I will write down what I have learned and heard. I am looking forward to returning to visit the friends I’ve made. Probably toting a notebook, ready to get names and stories. I don’t know what I will be doing my final project on, though oddly enough I would really like to research a certain type of boot that is made here... And I met a man that makes them! We will see where that goes.

On the strange appearance of my sister in Istanbul

luckymedusa — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:01:00 GMT

Today we woke up quite early to go to a University and meet the students there. It was a lovely boat and bus ride over. I enjoyed meeting the students, though the encounter was rather brief as I had to return to pick up my sister. Of course, as I was sitting and waiting, I met a young Turkish man. We chatted in broken English/Turkish, or as we have dubbed it, Tenglish. I was glad of the company while I waited - I have to wonder if Turkish men stop and talk to all girls or just the ones that look like foreigners... My sister finally appeared and we returned to the flat - later we explored Istiklal, got dondurma - ice cream, and then walked to Galata Bridge. From there we went up to Topkapi - the gardens - and went by Yeni Jami. There was also an adventure into a carpet shop - of course - which was fun. Later this evening we all went out for hookah and then I returned to read for class! Finally I learn in depth about Ataturk - I've had a yen for such knowledge - especially with his image haunting this city! His face in one form or another peers down at me wherever I go...

On the dangers of smiling on Istanbul streets :-)

luckymedusa — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:12:00 GMT

Today we visited an art museum where we saw some stunning calligraphy, sweet textiles and beautiful doors. We also had our first official Turkish lesson, which was fun, but I wish I knew more…After lessons I split off from everyone and went to the gardens. The light was too good to go home. After a stint of viewing uniformed guys and girls hand and hand, (the gardens are a prime couple real estate) and an elderly couple that made me smile. I thought, we have drive ins, or make out points, they have palace gardens... something seems off here! Anyways, I drew and wrote until I started missing the thrum of the city. I made my way out, and down toward Galata bridge. On the way I saw an artists studio, with signs that said, “free, come in!” (how could I resist) So in I went and saw the work which was STUNNING. There were several images of women (mostly faces), sufi dervishes, and a lot of more contemporary work. I can’t describe it aptly. I was thrilled at having met a contemporary artist – whom I might be able to interview or work with – and was smiling when I left. I do not know if I have warned you of the dangers of smiling on Istanbul streets. But if you want to be assaulted with invitations to tea, this is a very good way to go about gathering such offers. So I again found myself in the bottom of a carpet store, chatting away with a man about our various life stories. Twas a good time, and I saw same fabulous boots. He told me they were hand made in Bursa! They had bright colors, star patterns, flower patterns, and swirls on black and brown backgrounds- at one point in the conversation I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, "Kac lira?" (how much?) "270 lira." he answered, and I said, "I thought as much." Then he continued, "But they are good for you, candy for your eyes at least." Which was true enough. Apparently they also have a store in New York. I like it there, it is right by the artist's gallery so I shall return and have tea again. :-P But all is well, I went on my way, again smiling, and was winked at then stopped by the sketchiest person yet who almost had me come sign some sort of guest book(?) But I managed to avoid that and finally wipe the joyous grin off my face. Though another person did stop me to get me to come to their restaurant, shocking i know. Then I made my way down to Galata Bridge. I crossed the bridge right after sunset- I watched the lights of the city flicker on, and then proceeded up the lovely hill and stairs to my room - Yay bed!

Just what happened.

luckymedusa — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Just a quick overview of the day- I got up late, we had class in the boys room. We watched a video on railroads and their affect on the Ottoman empire. We had some discussion afterwards, which for me only got really interesting when the conversation turned to contemporary politics. And when the man and his wife talked about the issue of headscarves in life and at the University. Then we had more class, mini break and dinner at the Teacher’s place. So good, burritos! Thank you William! And there was amazing cake and fruit too. So much food! Then catch phrase and ridiculous amounts of laughter, jokes and abbrevs. Hammams and all. Then back to home, chill around, talk to DAVID on skype - apparently my input works, which is very good. I started studying Turkish out of the book for the 1st time, until I passed out.

Bir Afiyet Olsun?

luckymedusa — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Yesterday I went on a night walk- down the Galata bridge to Yeni Jami, or Yeni mosque, one of my favorite places. I enjoyed being there- apparently it was the mosques birthday (?) I think, I don’t really read Turkish, or speak it. But there was a big lit up sign that said 555 on it and was hanging between the minarets, so that could be an indicator of something… It’s a little overwhelming, like drowning to imagine all the history one stone in this place encases. I truly wish I could speak Turkish, I want to be able to have conversations with people in Turkish, to comprehend the glimpses of conversations that I hear. It makes me long for a Spanish speaker, or even an Italian/ Lingala speaking person... I guess I shall just have to study the language and pick it up as much as I can... Let me tell you a short story... On three different occasions I have been going to this one little shop for food and ordering an Afiyet Olsun. It seems to be a cheesy pastry like object that is vegetarian and quite scrumptious. I was always regaled with skeptical looks and completed my order with much pointing and saying cheese. I simply thought my Turkish pronunciation was off, as usual. Well, when the group and I were sitting outside this place last night, someone asked me what I usually ordered there. And when I replied with this he said, Really? Is that what you have been asking? And I pointed to the area of the window that right underneath my food which had Afiyet Ulson clearly written on it. Then I realized that this phrase was repeated all across the bottom of the window... When my friend finally paused in his laughter he told me that in Turkish Afiyet Olsun means, Bon Apetit.

Flying machines?

luckymedusa — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:52:00 GMT

On Sunday we went to this red bull extravaganza (I had to wake up in the AM's for this the earlier AM's which as we all know was difficult) The event was hot and crowded and ridiculous, all in a lot of good fun and worth the trip- we watched those red bull attempt to fly objects that were created for the express purpose of the event, mostly crash into the water after being rolled off the runway. Following the flying machine’s fall the rest of the team that built it jumped on in. There was a dragonfly one, not so hot on the flying, a stealth fighter, that worked very well and tons of others. We then walked all the way back to the ferry stop, 3-4 miles or so, it was actually lovely. I finally saw some lived in neighborhoods and a kids school. And some boats, little ones, not the huge ones that are constantly disturbing the Bosporus. A more residential area, for real peoples, not as chic as the neighborhood in which we have found ourselves. Later I met some men visiting from France and staying in a room up above ours for a week for various performances. I talked to one of them for a long time - it was lovely. I also photographed the city at my favorite time, dusk- when everything starts to shimmer and light up… using Susannah, the old rollei.

If you listen

luckymedusa — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:49:00 GMT

There are intermittent bellows of the (foghorns) on boats crossing the Bosporus that ring around the city, till they fade out to a buzz and die. On the terrace there is a constant squawking, hooting, toweee to gurgle hoo, to gurgle hoo, clatter clatter of birds on the roof, they sound like sasquatch killers stomping above you, waiting to drop through the roof and onto our pavilion. Five times a day, if you are awake around 4:30- and till 11 at night or so, you can hear the mosques rippling off each other with their calls to prayer, bouncing discordantly or harmonizing as the day and time will have it. Everything stops then. On the streets there is a thrum, a purr of car engines and honking outbursts, sometimes not directed at anyone in particular. Late at night there is heated excitement, the pitch of voices rises, and discothèques blast music for empty rooms, until later they fill one by one with bopping people whose noises cannot be heard.

Accosted

luckymedusa — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:36:00 GMT

So to make a short post I thought I would pass on some of the things that we have heard from Turks, usually when they want us to stop in their stores and eat, or buy carpets, or tea... - I saw you on facebook last night! - Are you from paradise? - Yes, please (by far the most common) - Beautiful girls, handsome boy eat here These are a few samplings, perhaps I will add more later... I am also looking into the Turkish legal system as well as its police force - and what people here think of both. As always, hope you all are well, Zoe

The day of 4 teas

luckymedusa — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:04:00 GMT

This morning I had some tasty, but too small hot bread and cheese layered croissant-like object for breakfast. Cost me 1 lira, a dollar, and I was hungry. And he weighed the piece that he cut for me and then cut some off of it. I was not exactly happy about this. But do not know enough Turkish as yet to do anything about such happenings. Anyways, we went to class which apparently is located ridiculously close to the Hagia Sophia, you know I’m happy! And is at an Ottoman school that has been renovated and turned into an art school – I saw someone do the background for a traditional Turkish marbling – purple swirls of awesomeness. So cool, she swooshed a stick through the liquid mixture and splattered with a brush some sort of color into some sort of liquid, then pressed a large piece of paper onto this mess and when she removed it, it was beautiful! We also looked at other art in the building – I’d like to take miniature but I’m not really going to be here for that long and the lessons are pricy. (and supposedly it’s the hardest one) (of course) Then we walked back up to food, and I got my vegetarian samit sandvich, mmm. Everyone else decided to eat up at the restaurant, where I got two teas, both of which turned out to be free – Yay for Turkish tea and hospitality! And for everyone else ordering something… I talked to a carpet dealer and a bracelet seller who insisted I get tea with him and his friend to cement our friendship - Which I did, in the gardens behind Topkapi palace. An amazingly gorgeous place with an incredible view of the city. Two more teas were downed with lovely sugar cubes. I was walked to the tram station and I then returned home! Good night all!

Scavenger hunt?

luckymedusa — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:23:00 GMT

We went scavenger hunting- walked around city for well, from 10:30 in the morning till 6:30 with a little break in between. Agh. So fun but the city can get a tad overwhelming! We took the ferry to Asia again and with all of our exertions, stopped for ice cream twice! mmmmm. Music heard today definitively included some sort of pipes at the market, and Soldier Boy - at least the first few bars. We also saw many Ataturk statues/pictures and more surprisingly I even spied two Malcolm X stickers on the entrance to a tunnel. I also climbed one of the gates at Istanbul University, an older forgotten one, one that is more intriguing than the main gate. G'night All!

Haggler's Paradise

luckymedusa — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:31:00 GMT

Today the class met up around 1 on the terrace, I only woke up at 12:15… We went to ASIA on the ferry, which was awesome. I like boats, and I bought tea for half a lira on the ferry over – lovely really. We met, on the boat, a preacher, a Turk who had been saved in Texas (where he went to study psychology) and was here spreading the gospel. He was an unexpected person to meet.

The Asian side, from what I saw was interesting, we went through a market, and I cannot describe to you the intensity of this market – everywhere wares were being hawked, especially at us tourist looking types.

Every day – and I’ve only been here 3 days now -I pick up a fair number of words and simply replace my English vocabulary with them. I love languages!!! And you miss out on so much by not being able to understand- though this is the best way to learn I believe, because here language becomes essential knowledge – and essential information is easily retained. Back to the market – oh my goodness! Watches, bras, headscarves, zippers, sheets, buttons, shoes, shirts, pants - and more all hanging in shops - add to that a large crowd of hagglers and you have a good idea of what it was like. We were overwhelmed by everything at first and simply made our way through and out without much stopping. We then went to the vegetable / fruit market – I have never seen food that looked so deliciously scrumptious. We bought some for us and later made a feast! I cooked cheesy garlic bread that was indeed quite tasty!

But before dinner me and another girl split off and went through said crazy market at our own pace -which was nice. After rambling through the market (its a weekly one) we got more fruit and then got cheap lunch. I got real orange juice – juiced from two oranges in front of me!!! Soooooo tasty. Then I also got a kasarli tost. Cheese toast - In fact I’m hungry now, mostly I eat fruit bread and cheese. It could be worse. Yay vegetarianism! While sitting at lunch we saw a group of angsty looking teens smoking, just like home. One thing about here though, small children wander the city by themselves- its pretty cool. On the ferry back we stood outside – I love the water and the view. Back to the apartment of 95 stairs. Then I read on banana hammock/dozed and then dinner!

Good night all!

Chucks and Burkas

luckymedusa — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:11:00 GMT

There are a lot of converses here, which is something I enjoy seeing. Its an odd cultural thing, I wonder whether converses here have the same connotations as they do at home... I saw a young woman today in a black burka carrying a pair of black graffiti converses in the mosque. As its three o'clock in the morning here I am going to cut to a short overview of the day... -Today we had Mado, delicious ice cream - Went into the Blue mosque - Went into Yeni Jami - I bought a scarf after haggling, I am anticipating bargaining more - Was given bread as a gift - thought I had stolen it - searched for someone to pay, could not find anyone and ended up accidentally purchasing water at a different store. - Saw sulu- leaches being sold for medicinal purposes! - Learned more Turkish! - Scouted out clubs at -Got ridiculously ripped off for roasted chestnuts- discovered I didn’t care cause they were incredibly delicious and the amount will last me a few days. -Realized how much I truly love Turkish tea – It comes in these tiny vase shaped glasses and two cubes of sugar, its quite cheap and strong! People sit out, drink tea and play backgammon for hours – we plan to join in the fun as soon as we learn how to play…

God bless Kit Kats and Dolphins in the Bosporus

luckymedusa — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:09:00 GMT

So the flights were a tad long, I spent eight or nine hours in the Lovely Amsterdam airport. Though, I did spend a few of those hours passed out entwined in my luggage on benches. Those were good hours. But this time period allowed too much time for hunger, so I bought a small sandwich - and this was the point at which I learned prices were in Euros, and that Euros suck when one is carrying dollars. I then had an apple, some tea, and still hungry embarked on an epic search for cheap food. The closest find was Kit Kats, of which I bought a large pack and downed three in one go. They also came in handy later. Aside from Kit Kats, I had a few other random adventures, no people at the information desk, getting yelled at shortly in German for entering "NO ENTRY" places... buying a small one person size bottle of wine and drinking it out of a classy plastic cup cause I could, and not being able to figure out how to get into my gate... gates are only open during boarding- who knew? On to the last plane, my first encounter with the infamous Turkish hospitality. I was lucky enough to meet someone who has a son our age staying here. He was an older man, very friendly and when he found out that it was my first time in Istanbul he kept saying that he would take care of everything for me and to call if I needed anything. He proceeded to press 20 euros on me and gave me his number, made sure I got my visa and had someone waiting for me at the exit. It is good to have a contact in the city outside our group bubble. But our group is awesome as well. Today we walked all around our neighborhood, saw Peruvian musicians dressed as Native Americans and singing on the streets for money, mangy cats and dogs roaming (I think they are lovely but as a friend put it, they'd gnaw off your extra limbs if you fell asleep near them) lots of chucks, and stunning architecture. We returned to the flat after getting groceries and stayed there for a while, we have amazing flats, the view from the terrace upstairs is incredible. And there is a bright yellow hammock there that I've taken to calling the Banana. A couple of us then went out to see the Bosporus and while we walked we saw dolphins jumping in the water! This is the same place were hundreds of people were fishing from above us, you have to watch out for lines and spillage from water buckets. We then returned to the apartments, up a fun 5 flights of stairs :-P, before our dinner adventure that took us to the HAGIA SOPHIA. and surrounding areas- but as I have an impressive headache the details will be in pictures coming to all of you soon. Good night!

Got to Pack

luckymedusa — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:40:00 GMT

Hullo,

It is 2:43 in the morning, technically a Thursday, and I am leaving on Friday(!!!!) There are many errands I look forward to running tomorrow... but only after biscuits. Mmmm yes, Biscuit Kitchen. So I am going to sleep now, I hope you are all well.

Smiles,

Zoe