Advent 1st Sunday

Stormy skies

Last night the temp. fell to 7 degrees ... it's getting really cold which is nice and suitable for Christmas. However the rains are not falling as expected. The sun is up and bright this morning and we're quite disappointed. We need rain. Storm clouds that fly over in the mornings promise nothing.

It's the 1st Sunday of Advent. Christmas wreathes are everywhere. I'm using my old one ... which I found was broken into 3 pieces ... but it still works. Maybe if I'm free I'll go pick pine cones and pine leaves to make another wreath. Time is always the major factor in everything I do nowadays. With my general fatigue, I do things a lot slower than before and keeps me losing time to do other things. I have to prioritise.

Musrara open market ... empty in
the cold

Last evening the giant Christmas tree in Bethlehem's Manger Square was lit. Thousands of christians from around the southern country came to watch. Then it will be the turns of the other cities like Jerusalem, Nazareth and the other christian villages. It's a big thing for the local christian communities because they are a minority in this country so any public manifestation of their faith is a great morale booster.

There will be a major strike around the main cities of the country on Tuesday against domestic violence against women. Last week in 24 hrs 2 girls were killed. There is still no legislation to protect women.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/support-spreads-for-tuesday-strike-to-protest-violence-against-women/

This evening begins the feast of Hanukkah and the next 8 evenings will be full of fun events in the jewish side of the City. But it also means extra security on the arab side of the City which can be quite a bother ... blockades and police checkpoints.