1st Friday of Lent

I fasted today - no food or water .... till 5pm when I took some yoghurt. Didn't feel hungry though. But I needed to line my stomach otherwise it might get hurt. I promised I'd do it here in the Holy City for you. Didn't feel faint though, unlike Ash Wednesday. But i was very very tired. I've been working so hard for the past 2 weeks. I think my body is telling me to slow down. But datelines, datelines, datelines....

We had a couple of days of Hamsin ... hot sandy winds from the desert. It's so unlike Spring here. Aloes had blossomed and are gone. Almonds have begun flowering. So have geraniums ... and all the bulbs from tulips to snowdrops. Unbelievable. Everyone says it's a weird Spring. We even had 20 degrees on the thermometer!

The readings this week from Mass are all exhortations to return to a Loving God. Lent is alot more comforting than you think!