New week

Bitter gourd from Carmelites

 It's Sunday ... and after years of hardwork, I can appreciate the lockdown which allows me to slow down on Sundays. I wake up a little later than usual ... at 4am. I water the plants and throw away the garbage ... which by the way is now further down the road as neighbours and the municipality cleaners came to yell at me last week that I cannot leave it in front of our house as there's no official municipal bin. The closest one is down the road. I try to finish all this work as early as possible because I want to eat my breakfast on the terrace watching the sunrise and praying Lauds. I really look forward to Sunday mornings.

Bitter gourd

And the good news is today some lockdown restrictions have been lifted. While most shops remained close, restaurants are reopened but only for takeaway orders. I decided to take a walk to the New City to have a look at the changes during the last month. And many things have changed indeed. Repairs on the tram tracks all along the Old City walls are taking place. Many hotels are renovating during this closure ... or upgrading as they call it. I went to Jungle petshop to buy some seeds for Buddy and JJ. Then walked further up north to the chinese grocery to buy some sauces and bee hoon and rice vermicelli ... my survival stockup.   

Back home at 10.30am I had time to cook the bitter gourd given to me by the Carmelite nuns in Nazareth. They asked our emeritus auxilliary bishop who was visiting them, to bring a bag back to me. I fried it with eggs and Georgette our cook made white rice. Now my dinner is settled. No need to sleep on an empty stomach.  And yes we have a new cook Georgette. Khalil our chef died several months ago and Nadia our asst. cook retired as she reached 70 yrs of age. Now Georgette has to do all the cooking with the hep of our indian sisters. And they're doing a great job.

Fried bitter gourd, egg  & rice

Infection rates continue to be below 2000 and we're all relieved by that. However an influential 92 yr old ultra-orthodox rabbi has called his followers to disobey restriction orders and open all schools under his jurisdiction. Now he himself disregards masks and social distancing and is now infected with coronavirus. And he gets special treatment .... the hospital sent a ventilator to his home for private treatment ... and he doesn't pay taxes. I wonder how fair that is to other taxpayers who need a ventilator and have kept all the lockdown rules. As usual the govt and PM is afraid of the rabbi and didn't dare confront or challenge him. So the rabbi will get away with it ... and spread the virus in his schools. Public opinion is turning against this small and disconnected community and soon there will be a heavy backlash. But of course the powers that be will rush to their defense.