A Spoilt Mummy

The other day was my birthday.  My wonderful husband had tentatively planned two different surprises for me but due to forces beyond his control, both plans fell through.  So, a couple of days before the "B" day he informed me that he'd taken the day off from work so he could come under my employ instead.  He offered to be my servant for the whole day!  Let me tell you that he certainly didn't have to make that offer twice!   I didn't even need a second to think about it.  I knew exactly how I wanted my day to go.  And this is exactly how it went:

A sleep in!  At about 7am when Kaya woke up, Murat took him out of our bed and I slipped back into a wonderful dream of sunbathing on a private yacht in a secluded cove of a little lost island somewhere in the Pacific.  A gentle breeze caressed my skin.  Juicy grapes were being pressed into my mouth and when I lazily opened one of my eyes to see who was feeding me, an arm rippling with muscles momentarily blocked my view, but a second later my eyes beheld my very own Adonis!  Skin the colour of a perfectly prepared mocha.  Abs so defined, I wanted to strum a melody on them.  Biteable lips.  A chiseled jaw.  Wavy black hair.  And a naughty twinkle in emerald coloured eyes ...

Breakfast in bed!  At 9am I was suddenly ripped out of my fantasy by a little boy jumping on my chest with an excited squeal!  Then I got two kisses, one of which was particularly sloppy (Kaya's kiss, not Murat's).  As I sat up, a huge tray of delicious delicacies was placed on my lap.  There was a giant glass of fresh watermelon juice and a cup of tea.  The usual Turkish breakfast fare of goat's cheese, olives, cucumber and tomatoes.  A boiled egg.  Fresh melon.  A little bowl of dried fruit.  Another little bowl of CHOCOLATE!!!!  And a little vase containing a sprig of fresh basil (I love the smell of basil).  How lovely is that?

With a full belly and the memory of my dream still fresh in my mind, I got up to get ready with a silly smile plastered all over my face.

First stop was the local hamam.  For those of you who've never visited Turkey and don't know what I'm talking about, a hamam is a public bathing place where you lie on a marble "bed" in a giant marble bathroom while a half naked bath attendant smacks you all over with a soapy wet pillow case filled with air and then scrubs your skin until it becomes so translucent, your internal organs can be seen....  Actually it's much nicer than it sounds.  Included in the experience is the use of a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.  Most hamams also include a full body oil massage in the price.

Unfortunately for me, at exactly the time we arrived, a busload of tourists also arrived, so we decided to give the hamam a miss until another time.

Instead, Murat drove me to a hair salon to get a fon (pronounced fern) which means getting your hair washed, scalp massaged and hair styled anyway you like for the equivalent of about $5.  I was still feeling a bit romantic after my dream so I chose a wavy hair style hoping to resemble, at least a little bit, Jessica Alba (yeah right!!!).  I love having my hair done.  Having my hair played with, scalp massages - that kind of thing always makes me feel so pampered and relaxed.  I even drooled a little bit...

Next stop was my favourite coffee shop to get my favourite coffee, the good old, no added flavours, no milk alternative, stock standard cappuccino.  I really needed one to get me out of my dreamy mood.  And as usual before I'd even finished the cup I was already feeling power-packed with a wonderful energetic high.  Coffee has such a powerful effect on me, I suppose because I don't drink it very often.  But how I do love a good cup of it especially when in good company.  And what better company than my loving husband and angelic child?

So, then with a bounce in my step, Murat took me dress shopping.  I wanted something comfortable, I wanted something appropriate for the sizzling heat of Antalya, and I wanted something pretty.  After trying on several dresses in several shops, and without a single angry word uttered by either Murat or me (which is virtually unheard of in this type of situation), I finally found a dress that made me feel like a fairy princess and look a little like a lost gypsy.  It was perfect.

By this time we were all well-and-truly starving.  As Murat would say in his poor rendition of an Australian saying, "I was so hungry I could eat a low-flying duck arse".  So off we went to find the only non-Turkish restaurant we knew about in our city of Antalya - an Italian restaurant.  Luckily one of my all time favourite foods is Italian pasta and even more luckily, this restaurant does pretty good Italian food.  We were the only customers in the restaurant so the service was fast, even if it wasn't particularly skillful...  Our food was tasty, made even more so by the fact that it was well after lunch time by the time we ate.  We were all feeling happy and satiated and I didn't think I'd be able to eat anything else for the rest of the day.  Then suddenly a giant chocolate cake arrived and everyone sang a mishmash of "Iyiki dogum gun/Happy Birthday" while I wondered how I was going to be able fit in even a single mouthful of that rich deliciousness.  In fact after the first mouthful I was mysteriously able to eat several more.  It was like magic.

Afterwards, Kaya and I had a nap in the car by the beach while Murat popped in to work for bit.  Then we happily made our way home as the sun made its nightly retreat behind the mountains.

Later, when the angel baby was sound asleep, the most wonderful husband in the whole world put me to sleep with a soothing foot massage.

And so ended the best birthday ever.
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