Weekend

Today I'm feeling much better ... after listening to the advice of a doctor-friend. Took another dose of my asthma medicine in the evening, instead of just in the morning. That solved over 50% of my sleeping problem. The phlegm still causes discomfort and I need to cough it out, but I don't get the suffocation that comes with asthma. In fact I could sleep quite well ... until 6.30am. And that's very late for me.

Ratisbon faculty of theology

Feeling well enough, I decided to walk to Ratisbon, the salesian monastery, to make a payment. It's 2km uphill and I've not been there for half a year since the lockdown started. I could immediately see that the garden had had a makeover. The 2 vietnamese students worked hard to replant and redesign the garden that once Fr Stephen used to care for. For Fr. Stephen died 2 months ago. There were exotic asian flowers mingling with local plants. And at the back of the building, they even started a vegetable garden growing chillies, tomatoes and asian veggies. What a delight! Perhaps in autumn, I'll go there once a week to work in the garden ... I miss it.

Independence Park today

On the way to Ratisbon, I had to walk through Independence Park. How things have changed in 6 months. With trees and plants left to grow during the  lockdown, the landscape changed. Much greener than it ever was. There were many more flowers, and lots of butterflies and insects. It was a beautiful natural scenery.  

On its northern boundary, 2 new high-rise condominiums were being built. A dreadful eyesore in this green oasis, but it's prime land and developers want to make as much money as they can.

From there I walked back 1km to my office to work for an hour. Then I went down to the MC convent. The sisters are preparing for their feast of foundation tomorrow. Lots of decoration inside their chapel. I might stop by tomorrow again.

Meantime in the south, tit-for-tat bombings with Gaza is ongoing. It's not good for those living in the south. Life is disrupted by sirens and missiles and fires. Summer is soon ending and with this violence coupled with the pandemic ... it sure wasn't fun.