Almond blooms?!

Bonfire by the road

More tit-for-tat attacks today. Newspapers say an arab car was burned in Ramallah. Police are at every corner of the New and Old City. The tension is palpable. But daily life trudge on despite this ... people need to make a living.

It's definitely winter when arab youths start bonfires in the streets and alleys. It's not like they have no heaters back home ... it's a cultural thing that helps social cohesion. Neighbours gather around the bonfire and chat and eat. It's harmless enough except under the tense situation we're in these days, these gatherings round the bonfire are viewed with suspicion and fear by others. Police stand a short distance away, keeping those groups under scrutiny.

Almond blooms

It's not cold as it should be in winter. This morning was 16 degrees and very sunny. And surprisingly I found an almond tree in flower! It's too early for almond blooms!! And it's the only tree in bloom around the Old City district. Climate change is real and very tangible here.

I went for a walk in the New City today ... avoiding as much as possible crowded areas given the present tense situation. I walk slowly and watched life unfold around the City center ... bustling with life, dotted with police every corner. It reminded me of the Intifada days.

One thing I managed to do with duty was go visit Pomeranze bookshop. Michael the owner whom I knew for 30 years had died last month and it was good I went back to offer my condolences to his son Nahum. It brought back so much memories back 30 years under the same situation ... it was the 1st Intifada back then when we first met. R.I.P.