Of bees and buns

It was very sunny and temperatures were pushing into 16 degrees. Bulbs have all been sprouting everywhere ... the anemones in my pots, the freesias and ranunculi too. Mint are prolific and the bedouin women at Damascus Gate are selling them by the bunches. Even the turnips growing wild are luscious. And the rosemary are blossoming .... beautiful purple flowers full of nectar.

Spot the bees?

It's almost like Spring. But the forecast is storms for the next several days. And the temperatures will fall drastically. I'm considering buying another hot air fan to keep the room warm during the nights otherwise I'll get my asthma again.

It was pretty cold last week as it was. I saw a dead crow in the Park. It probably died from the cold and got partly eaten by the cats and other crows. Horrific. But it reminds us what life is all about.

One bite taken!!!

Well I haven't eaten for 36 hours. Still had some cramps but at least the diarrhea stopped. Today was Fr Buscemi's feastday so we had a "feast". I didn't eat the food prepared as it was oily. I boiled some chinese dumplings instead ... yes I found a shop that sells frozen chinese dumplings!!! US$10 for 10 pieces. Ate them and shared one with Praveen who sits next to me at table. He liked it. I did too. Except the stomach couldn't take it. Half an hour later ... dire consequence. Nadia our assistant cook baked some bread with zatar leaves (hyssop or oregano). Lovely. I saved 3 for later in the day when I get hungry. Fresh from the oven, hot and fragrant. We're lucky to have great cooks like Nadia and Khalil .... they do their best.

Now we wait for the storm to begin. Not just the weather but political as well. Arab hackers have wrecked havoc in the Israeli Stock Exchange.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hackers-shut-down-tel-aviv-stock-exchange-el-al-websites-1.407587#.TxQhZRHcEGc.facebook  and local government agencies have gone on a general and open-ended strike - meaning closure of offices and no rubbish collection!  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-s-local-authorities-launch-open-ended-general-strike-1.407484#.TxOV2-1bTRM.facebook  I guess the weather is the least of our worries.