Almond tree

White almond tree in flower

 The Covid Drive-in testing site was closed today. My drive up to Mt. Scopus was not all wasted though ... the view of the Old City below was magnificent and the sky was clear. Clalit the insurance company said the testing site would open tomorrow morning.

Yesterday I went out to the New City to buy some food for Buddy and JJ ... they were running out of stock during this lockdown. On the way back I passed by the cemetery to look at the almond trees. They were blooming and are quite amazing. All the trees are pink blossoms but there is one special tree that is white. It's a wonderful sight when it's in full bloom so I went through the cemetery and found it at its peak ... totally covered with white blossoms and strongly scented. I love it. It's like magic ... a firework of white flowers in the middle of the cemetery, with all the other trees still bare and the ground is brown with no grass growing. Almonds blossom 2 weeks before Spring begins. And that should exactly be Chinese New Year. 

Filming crew at work

Meantime along the streets of the New City, people are out and about ... not as many but still not as deserted as inside the Old City. There was a camera crew doing a news report at Municipality Square. And most people were out mostly to catch the sun and enjoy the warmth outdoors ... because indoors is freezing.

Bad news about Covid 19 ... a new strain from California was been detected here in Israel ... and chances of a local strain could also mutate. I must be so very careful now.