The Gallery: My Backyard in the Desert

When we moved into our house about 15 months ago, the garden was an overgrown shambles. Our Indian gardener, Joy, has worked wonders in the intervening months, pruning, seeding and planting and we now have a lush lawn for the kids to play on and plants galore for me to enjoy.

The frangipani trees and bougainvillea are in blossom at the moment and in the evenings, the scent of the jasmine fills the air. It's hard to believe sometimes that we live on a desert island.

The Knife Sharpener

One of my memories of childhood is the ritual of the Sunday roast. Mum would spend all afternoon preparing it - roast beef, at least two veg, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, the lot. Delicious smells would pervade the house and we would gather in the dining room around 6pm for a proper family meal. Dad would always carve and was extremely fussy about having a super-sharp carving knife. Each week he would stand at the head of the table, carving knife in one hand and steel in the other, and make a great play of sharpening the knife. It was something he insisted on, along with smartly polished shoes (I've still never found anyone who can buff school shoes to quite such a sheen as Dad) and good table manners.

Ever since I've left home, Dad has always complained about the bluntness of the knives in my kitchen. One year, he even bought me an expensive carving knife and steel set, but I think he is the only one who has ever used the steel.

Since living in Bahrain though, my knives are so sharp that I regularly slice my fingers when cutting fruit and veg. This is all thanks to Anil, a nice knife-sharpener gentleman from Andhra Pradesh.

Once a month, Anil settles himself down on my terrace, opens an ancient-looking wooden box and sets to work on all my knives and scissors until they are razor sharp. Of course, some of them don't really need sharpening every month, but Anil told me once that on top of his living expenses, he has to pay his Bahraini sponsor nearly GBP 1,500 for his work visa: that's an awful lot of knives.

On his last visit, he was so happy as he was heading home for the first time in over 2 years to see his wife and four young children, to whom he sends money each month. Bahrain is full of expats like Anil, separated from their families, sometimes for years, because of a lack of jobs in their homelands. I can't imagine how hard it must be not being around to see your children grow up. I hope he has a wonderful holiday and until he returns at the end of the summer, I'll just have to dust off Dad's steel.

Turkish Delights

"If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul,"Alphonse de Lamartine, the French poet and politician once wrote. The only problem is choosing in which direction to cast your gaze, for Istanbul is packed with architectural eye-candy and glorious views on every side. From the multitude of minarets punctuating the skyline and the glistening waters of the Bosphorus; from the hustle and bustle of the Grand Bazaar to the quiet of the tulip-filled courtyard gardens of the beautiful old mansions, Istanbul is a delight. And we were lucky enough to spend a few days there over Easter.

Aya Sofya

First Christian church (King Richard worshipped there en route to the Crusades), then mosque and now museum. Magnificent architecture and stunning mosaics.

The Blue Mosque

Built in 17th century to rival the nearby Aya Sofya (from where the first photo is taken), this vast mosque dominates the skyline of Sultanahmet.

The Basilica Cistern

Enormous underground cistern built by the Emperor Justinianus. Keep an eye out for the heads of Medusa.

Topkapi Palace

Mehmet the Conqueror starting building this magnificent palace over looking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus shortly after he defeated the Byzantine emperor in 1453. It was inhabited by subsequent sultans until the 19th century. The highlight is definitely the Harem, not only because it is so much less crowded than the rest of the complex (because of the additional entrance fee) but also because the tour gives a real insight into a life which for us Westerners has always been shrouded in mystery.

Of course we had to explain some of the more technical vocab to the kids - What is a concubine? Why is this called the Black Eunuch's Mosque? - but Olivia got up to speed pretty quickly. Here's an extract from her diary:

"Dear Diary

Today I went to the Sultan's palace. We went into his wardrobe and looked at his clothes. When my Dad saw the Sultan's trousers he said, "The Sultans must have had big bottoms". After that we went into the Treasury room and looked at the Sultan's thrones, plates and jewellery. Next we had a drink and a look at where the royal family lived. There I found out something VERY WIERD. That thing was that some of the boys had their eunuch cut off so they couldn't have sex..."

The Grand Bazaar

Bosphorus cruise

Beautiful views of the City, palaces and summer houses on the way to the Black Sea.

Streetlife