Of Valentine's Day and Lent

Blossoming almond tree

The temperature has been consistently dropping. It even drizzled today. Forecast is heavy rain tonight and tomorrow ... and talk of snow during the weekend abound in the streets. Well all I can say is - it's very cold. The sunny spell we had last week is history.

Bouquet of tulips

However signs of Spring are everywhere. The almond trees are in bloom - a sure sign that Spring is round the corner. And the tulips are also blossoming in the parks. Yesterday the Singapore bunch gave me a bouquet of tulips for Valentine's Day. The tulips were scented ... something I never knew tulips were. It was a nice surprise. Valentine's Day is pretty kitsch - filled with heart-shaped cushions, teddy bears ... all made in China. Tacky. Parties cost over 150 shekels per head and so most local youths can't afford to join in. My friend Firas wanted to bring his girlfriend to one of these parties but because of the steep prices, he had to call it off. Poor chap.

Sr. Vincenta and her success

Lent is next week. As tradition dictates, our sisters made ponschski (jelly doughnuts) to celebrate the last week before 40 days of fasting. Sr. Vincenta has been trying hard to master this art. Her first try last week ended up with doughnuts that were small and hard like stones. We had a good laugh and she was terribly embarrassed. She refused to let me photo them. Today - 2nd try and it was much better. The dough rose and it was not overcooked, though the jelly inside were too little and dry. But it was a good try. This time she allowed me to photo them!

So another season of Spring and Lent enters our calendar. We move on ... looking forward to Easter.