Monster moon

 

Monster moon tonight

The moon is full tonight ... and I have never seen it so enormous as it is right now. Unbelievable.

The sun rises early ... at 2.30am (3.30am, daylight saving). The muezzin begins his call to prayer at that time. You can't sleep much in summer ... the last for prayer is 9.30pm. And people are walking about late at night talking loudly. Its mainly to enjoy the cool breeze that blows every night. Indoors get very hot and stuffy because the stone walls trap heat during the day and release it at night. I'm usually very tired after work as I come home at 8pm ... my legs are sore from walking ... but I really want to go out for a walk as well ... the breeze is fantastic. And tonight's moon is awesome!

Covid is back with a vengeance. Yesterday alone saw 145 new infections. The Delta strain is hitting us quick and if the govt doesn't nip it in the bud, we'll be back to lockdown again.

I've been very busy with work ... and I would really like to slow down as I am still not feeling well. But it seems impossible. I'm still having difficulties speaking at length. I cannot remember words. It's scary.

Another day

Mini peaches

Was feeling quite unwell today. Very dizzy and nauseous. Measured my bp but it was only 127/76 which is quite normal. There's a sharp pain on my right side of my head though. Not sure what it's all about. I stayed in my room all day. Maybe it's because I've not been eating ... I have no appetite for food these days. Linda from Mian Restaurant called me to go pick up some food. I guess I'll go ... I need the walk though the air is not fresh ... it still reeks from the skunk water the police have been spraying these few nights.

Yes the clashes have not abated but instead intensified. Last night's clash at Sheikh Jarrah was particularly violent. Many injured. I'm not sure how things will evolve this summer if this continues.

On a positive note, it's summer and many of the first summer fruits are available in the markets. Bedouin women carry them from the villages and sell them in the streets. Lots of cherries and peaches ... especially the mini variety. They are exceptionally sweet this year. I love it. I think this summer I'll eat as many different types of fruit available in the market as I can. 

Solstice

White crepe myrtle

Today the summer holidays officially begin. It's the summer solstice. One quarter pf my community flew back to Italy. Thank God. Going out is not a problem here ... it's entering the country that's now complicated though the govt touts that the airport is open to all inoculated persons. The fear of the Delta mutant virus is scaring everyone ... especially today when 2 towns saw an outbreak in schools with over 60 students infected. 10 vaccinated people caught the virus. The govt is pushing for teenagers to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Mask-wearing is compulsory in those towns. And more stringent testing will be done at all immigration points. Now that's a sensible thing to do.

Street with crepe myrtles

Summer is officially here with the solstice. It wasn't as hot as I expected. There was a cool breeze blowing all day. And one sure sign of summer is the blooming of the crepe myrtle. Many streets in the City are planted with these trees and their enormous cluster of flowers which are strongly scented have become an icon.

A 6 year old girl died in the car when her father forgot about her and left her in the car for 6 hours. This is an annual tragedy ... and this is only the first case. I'm sure more will come ... as it sadly does every year.

Some of our students are staying back in summer because of Covid problems back in their own countries. Some have started making plans on how to spend the summer here ... besides studying and writing their thesis. So this summer I'll have more company ... it could be fun I guess ... people to help me garden and rearrange the library ....

Stink again

Asian veggies

For 2 nights running, stink water and stun grenades have been used by police in our area.  Arabs have been throwing stones to protest. We're house had been stinking from chemical waters and we feel sick every evening. I lock myself in my room otherwise I might get very ill in my lungs. I see from the news media that there were clashes also in Shiekh Jarrah and Silwan, both 1km north and south respectively from the Old City. Looks like things will not calm down soon even though most of us don't want violence and wish to enjoy a quiet peaceful summer ... like we didn't have last year due to the lockdown.

Another bad news ... Covid is back. There's been some 60 new infections in 2 towns among students clustered in 2 schools. The fear is it might be the deadly Delta variant. Our borders and airport might be closed again to incoming visitors or returning locals. Though almost everyone is now going about publicly without masks, I am one of the few who still keep it. And I will continue to wear it as long as the danger of the Delta variant remains.

Today to celebrate Fathers' Day, I went out with 2 of our african students to have brunch at Cafe Hillel, one of the franchised cafes around the country. Both guys have been studying so hard for their thesis ... they work all night and sleep just4 or 5 hours during the day. They've lost weight. This morning we spent 2 hours just chatting and eating with no pressure about studies and datelines. It was good. The sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing. Lots of people in the street, as it's the first day of the working week. 

I went to the Asian grocery to buy bittergourd. It's suppose to reduce the blood pressure. The store was full of fresh asian veggies grown by asians in Tel Aviv. It was a good choice of veggies though they were expensive.

Tomorrow is the summer solstice ... the longest day this year. I really should enjoy the sunshine tomorrow ... Vitamin D is essential to fight Covid.

Clashes

Praying for
Peace yesterday

Violence broke out yesterday evening in East Jerusalem. Arabs threw stones at cars suspected to be jewish. From Damascus Gate down to Wadi Jooz neighbourhood (Kidron Valley),stone throwing occurred ... and Israeli police responded with stun grenades, stink water cannons and rubber-coated bullets. The chemicals from the grenades wafted into our house and it was causing us to choke. I was at the MC convent for adoration and confessions. Fr. Abraham was also there. We were praying and adoring the Eucharist when the clashes took place. We had to close all our windows and doors. I managed to go home and stayed inside my room ... those chemicals will worsen my asthma while I'm recuperating from last week's illness. This morning on my way to work, there were stones and rocks all over the roads.

Later in the afternoon, news reported that there were clashes between muslims and Israeli police inside the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. Luckily I was 1km away at work so the tear gas and chemicals would not affect me. Now I dread having to go back ... my whole neighbourhood will be stinking from the chemicals.

Meantime Gaza had sent incendiary balloons into Israel, setting fire to several fields and forests. Israel responded by bombing Gaza. Our Patriarch was in Gaza at that time. He experienced first hand what it is like to live in a war zone. In a way it was good because the christians there for once had a shepherd with them. Let's hope all this violence will end quickly.

rice dumplings

rice dumplings yesterday

There was an earthquake last night! Before 11pm, Buddy and JJ started fluttering around in the dark. Then messages began to flash in Facebook, people saying they felt tremors. It was 4.2 on the richter Scale in the southern desert  No dmaages in the country but it's a timely reminder to all that we're overdue for a giant earthquake ... way overdue. The last one was in 1927 which destroyed almost all the churches. Every 70-80 years a major earthquake hits the country ... but now it's past 94 years. I'll need to drill our library workers for an earthquake emergency.

I had a bad night's sleep. I had and still have a terrible headache on my right side. And I'm still dizzy and nauseous. I bought the medicine yesterday and started the medication ... but I think my body is still weak and the side effects are strong. For example I have terrible diarrhoea, which the doctors warned me,

Yesterday's Flag March ended without any major clashes. Thank goodness. But late in the night, there must have been some clashes at either Herod's Gate behind us or Damascus Gate further down because stink gas fired by the police to disperse crowds, was drifting into our house. Many of us were choking and coughing. Windows had to be closed but it was little help. 

Our chinese sisters still had some old rice dumpling bamboo leaves and they made rice dumplings with dates (northern chinese style).  They were small as the leaves were tiny. Still it was a nice way to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. 

By the way, there're 157 views today on my blog. Stalkers are active again ... so don't be surprise if in the next few days I get locked out of the blog or other social media, or my phone gets tapped.

Headache

Police stopping youths

The Flag March is underway. I made sure I came home from work by 3pm to avoid street closures and possible attacks from the jewish marchers celebrating the conquest of East Jerusalem. Shop keepers were closing down and double locking their shops. Police at every street corner was stopping and searching all young arabs passing by. It's just all too bad. 

I saw from news that our Patriarch is now in Gaza for 4 days to visit and encourage the embattled christian community there. It's a good pastoral act of charity. The Patriarch saw the destroyed school buildings and the frightened children and people. 

Shops closing

I'm ok ... I can walk and talk now. Only I sometimes cannot finish a sentence or cannot find words or forget names. Hope this is not permanent. I still feel giddy ... probably because of the medicine to lower my blood pressure. And I have a soft headache. It's scary. It could have been alot more serious.

I have to stay calm, not to get my blood pressure up. That means not being under the hot summer sun, avoid hot drinks and food. Drinking cold drinks would be nice in summer. But to avoid the sun in summer .... that's not like summer. It's like being back to winter again. I want to enjoy summer ... but it'll have to have some changes.