Another day

Beautiful grapes on the
vine in Firas' garden

Finally the govt. has ruled that "Price Tag" perpetrators - those extremist jews who vandalise and terrorise arabs and christians - are illegal but falls short of naming them terrorists. At least it's a step forward to our protection as a minority in this country.

Then in Turkey, a falcon was declared innocent of espionage and released into the wild. Strange? It's one of the many animals caught by Israel's neighbours and accused of carrying spy cameras etc... Poor innocent animals ... just simply immigrating through countries and caught in a web of diplomatic suspicions. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.538206

Luscious grapes

The enormous sore on my leg has dried up and healing well. And the diarrhea and cramps are less now. I was well enough to make a visit to my friend Firas in the Territories. The grapes in his garden are ripening and quite a sight! Lots of deep purple grapes hanging down the trellis.

And 10 more days before Ramadan ends. The crowds are growing this week and the noise all night is becoming unbearable. As sunrise is at 4am and most of the muslims feast till 1-2am, most usually don't bother to sleep as the late dinner slips into breakfast before the canon is fired at 4am. I noticed this year that the muslims in our area are alot more relaxed. The past few years saw extremist muslims forbidding even tourists from carrying water in the streets. But this year we can drink and eat in front of the muslims without getting attacked .... and because the fast is well over 14 hours a day and with this heatwave, most muslims close an eye to drinking of water and an occasional munch on a biscuit. I may not be fasting but with the diarrhea I'm having, it's practically the same thing ... empty stomach. My muslim friends laugh at me and say I'm on involuntary fasting in solidarity with them. I tell them there's a difference - they feast after the fast each night, I go to bed still with an empty stomach.