A TERRACE FACING THE BLUE MOSQUE AND SAINT SOPHIE

I live in  Istanbul , and never regret that I live here. Noone ever regreted to live in here. One of the oldest city on earth..Proud of her history and her beauties . We not only live the present here but the past so vividly. Many things got buried in dusty pages of history books..But Istanbul keeps her history alive she walk with it side by side . I enter a mosque and think that time stoped and live the present as it is past.. Or in a church noone attends anymore but yet always crowded with people of 2000 years old..Right there in a quite garden one smells the past presentlike.
So I live right at the center of the city. Neigborhood called Besiktas and one of it dominating hill of Yıldız where I have been located exactly. House can be spotted clearly with the google map . My flat has big terrace of 100 square meters. Terrace faces south also has east and west wings. Sunrise is hard to see behind the building..but sunset is a true marvel. This is the place I experienced the tones of colours its shades light and dark . Sea , I face in south called Marmara Sea and it gives way to the Bosphorus , right in front of me.. At right of the picture , historic peninsula where two famous religious center of past are located. Namely Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mousque) and famous Basilique Saint Sophie of Byzantium Empire. Between them there is only 200 metre in real. Saint Sophie had been used as a mosque during Ottomane Empire so it has minarets. From my terrace minerets seen as a group..but can be distinguished by their architectural designs..close up of the picture can reveal that. So heart of history beats so close to me. and I add mine to it as many other İstanbulies.
I watch all these from a green heaven..my terrace garden..where I have 200 different plants which I will introduce to you one by one.

Years ago I wrote a poem called "Bir Baslangıc" , I imagined the days when noone was living on this land..All wild , green and blue..Then the first settlers arrived and they touch the land and never went out again..I imagine the tents in a row of two where settlers put up first..and how that alley became the first road of the city..If you can manage to read Turkish take a look at the poetry. It is click away in my links in "my turkish poetry" . So spirit of my terrace is coming from that unforgotten time...All green , diverse , certain corners where , when one sits, can see nothing but plants right at the middle of the city at seventh floor.. I live the seasons there..I follow the plants , and I take care of them year around. It is a unique place , not a single organic matter like leave or branches wasted here..always return back to soil. Kitchen leftovers , not the cooked one , also integrated into the soil..No water can be wasted in my house..It is saved and used for irrigation. Not a single drop of pesticide ever used here .Yet there is not a single diasease one may see on my plants. Nature balances itself in this micro fauna. Second rinsing water of laundry machine collected and applied as irrigation water..High phoshate in it stimulates flowering meanwhile detergent can be integrated and used in soil . Nature cannot absorb tons of them every day yet my garden plants use it for their own benefit. Bettles are on duty always..Biologically control certain pest or hold them at the level of natural balance rather then viping them out completely. By the way no pest can be viped out completely .They keep coming stronger and stronger after each pestiside application . Therefore we only poison ourself ever slowly..Then try to cure are defects or diseases..but noone care in the scale of world .They just search other planets . they are ready to leave when things are at the critical level..Head for another beautiful planet for spoiling senselessly. People have to work and earn money by producing and marketing all those poisons . Then whatever they earn they spend in another industry for their well being for their healt...Like designing a wars and find excuses to kill other people in order to keep level of employments of arm industry high.

Politic is not the main point of this article..Yet not to remember the people who suffers under ruthless assults with deadly weapons, could be most inhuman action of any concern person. And for their memory I write green here.. and I show plants..

This is how my garden looks in winter...At south face lots of snow accumulate...northern winds blows the snow as soon as reach the lower level of roof immidiately settles so snow is deep there . In this cold time first flower revolt from under the snow layer...Come up as white as snow. Its name is Galanthus Nivalis..Magical flower of midwinter...Challange the white of the snow and stands side by side.

As the winter progress Cyclamen Indicum shows herself up... I also keep Cyclamen Persicum outside... Burgandy colour flowers warm the air without any question. Following these two flowers one of my favorite Stellaria Holostea covers the bottom of the pots. Beautifully decorative white flower grow very fast.. At the same time Viola Canina blooms , first purple flower of the spring. Close look reveal its magnificent structure.

so this how my garden starts after a cold winter.

Light shades and sea changes in every minute in Istanbul . It is a never ending light and colour festivity..Yet 10 million inhabitants of Istanbul have no time to rise their head and watch these beauties..So I am a few fortunate one to enjoy this city 24 hours a day.

I will continues to introduced my plants to you...so come back again soon..you will see other marvels to env