Ice Cream

Last ice cream
before winter

 School has started for all regions. Public places are much quieter as students stay in school for more than half a day. But after school, buses and trams are packed. So to avoid crushing crowds, it's best to time oneself for traveling in public transport.

As summer slips by and cooler autumn weather is creeping in, everyone is getting a final taste office cream before the shops stop selling it during the winter season. It's rather iconic. Summer isn't summer if you haven't had ice cream.

I stopped taking my aluminium/magnesium medication as it's not helping me stop the vomiting and diarrhea. It's back to the hospital soon to check up what's wrong. 

Autumn

Supermarket

The feel of autumn is in the air. Cooler nights, shorter daylight, heavy morning dew ... and the roses are throwing out their last blooms before we start pruning them for winter. I just hope this winter brings a lot of rain. We really need it as this year was very dry except for the one day of heavy showers. 

Climate change is affecting us ... El Niño warming of the seas has caused algae blooms along our coast; resulting in blockage of the desalination plants. Six of them have closed down and we're facing a water shortage. If everyone is more careful of using water, we'd be ok. This is the time when community effort and goodwill is needed to avert a crisis. It's something we can control. Be that as it may, prices of foodstuffs are still high. Lifestyles have changed to adapt to this economic situation. But what worries me is the price of medicines. While insurance covers most of my medications, the most expensive ones are not covered. That's a struggle we'll have to work on. 

Surprise rain

175th anniversary poster

 What a surprise we had yesterday! Woke up to rain falling ... in August! We had expected this unusual weather because a huge storm had struck Cyprus, bringing hail, rain, lower temperatures and strong winds. It did hit us ... but only after 36 hours. A rather slow-moving storm. It was a pleasant surprise as the air was cleansed and the heat wave was broken. But the humidity increased so the laundry on the rack could not dry. 

The old French hospital celebrated 175 years since its foundation. Built over the remains of the Lazarium - a hospital for lepers in the 11th century manned by the Hospitaller Knights - the modern French hospital serves as the only palliative care hospital in the city. Runned by the Sosters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, the Irish and Maltese nuns are now very old and replaced by younger Indian and Burmese nuns. On the festive posters, they have a lovely saying "We may not be able to add days to their lives, but we can add life to their days." That's the spirit of palliative care.

My blog just recorded 9740 views yesterday. The algorithm must have gone haywire ... or I'm being cyber-stalked.

Winter soon

Making communion
hosts

Sunrise is later now. I'm trying to get used to 5am in the dark. In the past months, the sun rose at 4am and the muezzin could be heard as early as 3.30am. Now it's still dark at 5am and the creeping feeling that winter would suddenly pounce on us.

Nights are not only getting longer, the humidity is also intense and lots of dew fall during the night. In the morning, the ground is always wet. It looks like it had rained all night. Hanging clothes out to dry overnight is no longer possible! The plants are liking it though.

Meantime I had to visit the Spanish convent in the Old City. It's been some time since I was last there. Sr. Pelagia was making communion hosts on the new machine, and it was fascinating to watch how the large wafers are cut into smaller rounded wafers. The mixing of flour and water was also interesting as it must follow certain rules in order to qualify as unleavened bread. Learning something new everyday. 

Summer almost over

Summer shade

The summer solstice passed and the days are growing shorter. Thank goodness for that because the heat and humidity is severe. At least the nights are a little cooler, with a breeze blowing over the city. 

My nausea and diarrhea is a little more controlled now that the hospital prescribed magnesium and aluminum peroxide. It's a foul combination that makes me sick even as I open the bottle .... but at least I won't wake up in the night vomiting. People are commenting that I'm being kept alive only by all these medicines. Sad reality.

The Jewish High Holidays are also earlier this year. Rosh haShana falls on Sept. 11 and Yom Kippur falls on Sept. 20. Sukkot falls on Sept. 25 to Oct. 2. Hopefully it will pass uneventful with no incidents. Too much has happened in the past 3 years .... we're all tired and want only some peace and quiet, and let everyone enjoy their feasts.

Rainstorm in midsummer

August 15 ... feast of the Assumption ... the weirdest thing happened. A tremendous rainstorm struck the central high country .... torrents and waves unseen in 150 years. Right in the middle of  August .... midsummer.

On one hand it helped cool the stifling heatwave hitting the region, on the other hand it helped a little in water rationing as we're in a drought year. Still it was an unexpected surprise. Even forecasters were caught off guard.

Processions for the feast day in and around the Tomb of Mary in the Kidron Valley were disrupted by the storm. The rain also washed down Bethlehem .... clearing the dry dusty air. 

Despite the suddenness and inconveniences of the storm, everyone was happy. A midsummer night's dream of sorts. We prayed for rain all winter ... and we got it in midsummer.

Flood in the Kidron Valley
(photo from internet - Global Times)

In memoriam

 Missing mum. It's been a year.