All ready

Snowplough is ready

 The winter has hit us. Its been drizzling all day but the winds are very gusty and the temp have dropped. Right now hailstones fall occasionally which is a sign of snow coming. Forecast says it'll snow at midnight and thereafter till the morning.

Last night the Municipality has placed a snowplough at the Jaffa Street crossroads. They're seriously expecting heavy snowfall. Schools closed at midday and offices closed at 3pm. The fear is ice forming on the roads, causing traffic accidents. So all public transport will stop later tonight and people are encouraged not to drive their cars. Everyone is told to stay indoors and keep warm, and prepare for power outages. And of course to listen to the news regarding the latest weather updates. Last week when the temp fell below zero, many people's boilers burst when the water pipes froze. Hopefully everyone else has learnt a lesson and keep their taps dripping tonight.

I'm planning to go out in the early morning to see the snow. It'll be fun. But I'll have to wrap up.

Lull

Damascus Gate in the drizzle

 The storm had abated a little yesterday. It was mainly drizzle throughout the day and night. This morning it stopped drizzling and the air was crisp and clear. By noon the sun was shining brightly and it was quite warm ... 8 degrees. I took the opportunity to bring loads of clothes, beddings and medicines to the MC sisters in Bethlehem. The forecast is heavy rains from tomorrow onwards and I won't be able to bring those bags of donations traveling to Palestine in the rain.

So the warning is a winter storm is bashing most of the Mediterranean countries with a cold shockwave. Greece especially in its islands are covered with snow .... something very rare. Turkey is facing a fierce snowstorm which has closed its airport. And tomorrow it'll blow over into our coast. Though no snow is expected, the rains and possibly hail will force the temps to drop below zero again. I'm considering buying a 3rd heater as the present 2 are not sufficient even for now to warm up my room. Today is the lull before the storm. 

Empty street in the rain

Meantime there seems to be relative peace in the country and its borders. Extreme cold tend to do that. Also there'll be fewer crowds in the streets and restaurants so infection rates are expected to fall. Yesterday recorded 83,000 new infections. A 4th dose is already underway here. Children between 5 to 11 are being vaccinated. And newspapers are talking about a 6th wave being underway. But the cold is Mother Natures way of keeping things under control.

Rain again

Hot soup for sale

The morning was bright and sunny though very cold. It was warm enough to wear a T-shirt under the sun ... at 6 degrees. I was cleaning my room and went out to throw the cleaning water into the pots of flowers ... in my T shirt. It didn't feel too cold.

But right now it's raining and the temp is dropping to zero again. The wind is quite strong too. many of us have caught a cold because our rooms are freezing despite our small heaters. Obviously they're not enough. We're all wearing our thickest clothes and still sniffling. I noticed many also are filling thermos flasks with hot water to bring to their rooms.

Drinking hot fluids does help in warming up the body. Typically in Israel, shops offer cauldrons of hot soup for sale. They sell for 15 shekels or so per cup. And they come in many flavours ... mostly vegetable. One thing I haven't had this winter is my annual sahlab. I did want to go out this afternoon but I decided not to. Perhaps tomorrow ... I need the walk. 

The forecast is snow on Wednesday. I'll look forward to that. A blizzard is expected in the northern highlands.

There's been no major news in the country today. It's probably the cold. Nothing happens because everyone stays home.

Care pack

Huddling pigeons

 The cold weather continues will will dip further down tomorrow as heavy rains are forecast for the rest of the week. This morning on my way to work I saw flocks of pigeons huddling against the east wall of our monastery, shielding themselves from cold, wet winds from the west. Poor things. Like I said, Buddy and JJ are lucky they have a warm room to live in. I wonder if they know how lucky they are.

I received a care pack from the youths in Australia. So kind of them. There were T shirts and hot water flasks, and lots of toys for Buddy and JJ. Buddy was all excited and helped open the box ... and his favourite toy? The bubble wrap which he bit and popped. He can't get enough of it. JJ on the other hand is wary of anything new so he's keeping a distance till he gets used seeing them.

Buddy opening the pack

Covid infections have hit sky high but Israel is going ahead to live normal lives, as Japan and Singapore has decided also. I think that's the best plan, though the vulnerable must still be cared for. Certain measures must be taken to protect them.

Today we read from the news that masked jewish settlers attacked arab farmers, burning cars and injuring the arabs among other things. Read it for yourself.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/coalition-members-condemn-settler-attack-with-some-calling-to-raze-outposts/

I've just completed my work in the library and will soon walk 1km home. It'll be cold but I enjoy these moment of the outdoors. Hiding in my room for fear of catching Covid can be devastating on the mind and morale ... so it's little moments like this that I enjoy. Not being vaccinated due to my anaphylactic shock, I cannot go anywhere else, no shops, restaurants, shopping malls .... only the outdoors is permissible.

Too cold

Frozen pigeon

 Snow fell on Wednesday-Thursday midnight. It was slight and never settled. The snow melted immediately as it touched the ground. But northern Israel and Palestine saw several centimeters of snow. Mt. Hermon which is the highest spot in the country is blanketed with snow and roads leading to it are closed. 

Sub-zero degree temperatures have continued every night. It's so cold, birds are frozen to death. We found a dead pigeon in our courtyard. They usually hide in our awnings during storms, but this time the cold snap is too prolonged for even the hardiest birds. Buddy and JJ are lucky they have a warm room to live in.

Mind you, the severe cold weather has led to a stop in violence and clashes and attacks. It's always like this ... when it's too hot or too cold, nobody comes out to cause trouble. Mother Nature has a way to control human behaviour. The streets are much less crowded than normal as people avoid going out despite the sunny weather. The rains have sotpped. But next Monday it'll be back with a vengeance. We see the forecast as heavy showers and temp drops again.

Empty streets in the cold

Infections have reached an all time high, and gladly the cold is preventing people from gathering so hopefully there'll be a drop in infection rates soon.

Yesterday I had a bout of loss of memory. I had to go to the pharmacy but halfway there I forgot why I came out or where I was. Luckily a student was with me. We sat for a while and he slowly explained why and where I was going. Then we continued on our way. Maybe it's fatigue. Maybe it's the cold. Things no longer are the same for me. I must be more careful now. I'm deteriorating.

Snow?

Hail despite the sun

 The temperature has been dropping to below zero degrees, and the rains continue to beat down harshly. The past 2 nights have been 2 degrees below zero and it was very cold. Even the heaters in my room were useless. Forecasters were even warning of minus 4 degrees in Jerusalem.

Water pipes throughout the City have frozen and burst ... many neighborhoods are without hot water. Electric outages are also occurring throughout the country. Black ice have caused road accidents throughout the country. Clearly winter is always a lesson the country never learns from, every year.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/golan-covered-in-white-as-jerusalem-braces-for-first-snow-in-years/

Hail despite the sun

Right now its a hailstorm and tonight the forecasters say it will snow. I hope so. I'll probably stay up for it ... partly because it's too cold to sleep. Don't be fooled by the sun in the photos ... it's freezing cold and hailstones are bashing everything around.

I'm home now recovering after my hospital appointment. I should go see my family doctor yesterday but the bad weather these 2 days discourage me from going out to him. The last thing I need is to slip and fall in the hailstorm while recovering from hospital.

So it's mainly bedtime for me. 

Arbor Day

Palm Plaza in the rain

 The rain has continued for a 3rd day. More than a drizzle. They were regular showers ... you can the pattering of heavy raindrops on the windows and awnings. The stone pavements are cleaned by the showers. The air is washed by the rains ... dustless. Everything was preparing for Spring ... a new beginning.

Spring flowers are being sold by bedouin women at Damascus Gate. Narcissus and anemones are bound in bunches and sold for 5 to 10 shekels. They're wild flowers that the women gather and bring to the City. Today is the jewish Arbor Day ... Tu b'Shvat. The buds on the trees ought to be coming out and the almond trees should be blossoming. Since it's a Sabbath year, jews are not allowed to plant and harvest so the trees will be growing naturally this year with no burden of being pruned and stripped off its fruits.

Damascus Gate in the rain

One downside about this rainy season is the temp. The forecast is minus 1 degree tonight. In Bethlehem it'll be mins 3. Very cold ... but no snow. Disappointing. But the cold won't deter the hawkers. At Damascus Gate they put up tents and umbrellas to continue selling their goods. Life goes on ... there're families to feed. After a year and a half of lockdowns, the people will no longer stay indoors.