Sunshine and lollipops

I woke early from a dream in which the neighbourhood was being circled by military helicopters and air raid sirens were wailing and I saw a '50s style rocket being launched from somewhere near my dreamland Osmanbey Armenian cemetery and watched patiently as it flew through the air over the flat and landed explosively on the gas station up the street that doesn't exist. I woke from the explosion to a room filled with the sound of military helicopters flying low overhead, circling repeatedly.  We drank our coffee, played with Lola, watched a very good episode of the X Files on the laptop, got dressed for work and headed out into a neighbourhood completely barricaded on all sides by police and barricades with a possible sniper on the roof across from the breakfast shop. I had planned to walk to Sisli to get the nearest open metro, but the police sent us back down our hill.  Most of the shops were shut and shuttered and the narrow hilly street was filling with people coming in through side alleys from the main street that leads to barricaded Taksim. Some were stumbling, most had their mouths and eyes covered by shirtsleeves, one woman fell and cried on the curb. Tear gas and smoke started pouring from several directions and we ran back down the hill to the flat, slammed the normally-ajar main door shut and ran up to the flat and I called work and explained that it was highly unlikely that I'd be able to get in on time.

The helicopters are still circling endlessly, low flying white noise, and shouts from a not-distant huge rally or march edge in through the balcony door. Sara called and said the robocops were using water cannons down by Dolmabahce and that it seemed unlikely that she would be able to come in to work today since her only other way out was through the heavily barricaded Taksim end.

Sometimes I just wish I lived in Sweden

A busy day