Even sicker

Tisha B'Av at the Wailing Wall

So my canary finally died this morning. From today we're going to get proactive and rid the cats from our house. I guess it was fitting that it died on Tisha B'Av. Yesterday I saw lots of orthodox jews wearing slippers, sandals or barefoot in the streets as a sign of mourning for the lost of the Temple. At the Wailing Wall, they sat on the floor and read the Book of Lamentations. I've been reflecting on this tradition and how the Christian Church reinterpreted this - we read Lamentations on Good Friday when the Temple of His Body was destroyed. The physical building of the Temple was predicted by Christ to be fruitless and destined for destruction.

I'm sicker than before ... the fever is still high but it fluctuates between dreadful chills. A splitting headache. And a mother of all sore-throats ... I can't even swallow milk or yoghurt. I bet you I'm going to lose another 5 kg this week. I must go to the doc's today. This is really serious. This morning I almost fainted twice because of the pain. Managed to call Rani's mum at the pharmacy and she prepared several types of medicine. Firas went to pick it up. The medicine tasted nasty but it reduced some of the pain and fever. But I still feeling terribly sick.

Israeli lychees

Yesterday Buscemi (he's back for a couple of weeks) bought some lychees and gave some to me. Knowing how heaty lychees are, and me being sick, I didn't dare eat them. But here's a photo - Israeli grown lychees. They're not very sweet, in fact they're quite tart. The pulp sticks to the seed. And the rind is like a plastic covering, it literally snaps off bit by bit. More genetic engineering required I guess.

The cramps are killing me again. Gotta roll up in bed and scream.

Sick

Normally bustling Jaffa Street
is reduced to silence on
Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av clash with Ramadan - Extremist Jewish calls for a "provocation" in the Dome of the Rock Mosque (where the jewish Temple once stood) has led police to close off the muslim site to all jews. Police and soldiers are everywhere.    http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=279271   Meanwhile observant jews today are either going barefoot or wearing slippers as a sign of mourning. They'll fast for 24 or 25 hours. And no sitting on chairs allowed. They read the Book of Lamentations.

My dying canary

And talk about lamenting - it's been 36 hours now that I'm sick. Headache, nausea, stomach cramps (really strong), dizziness, sore-throat, aching joints. I must have caught it from one of the workers a couple days' back ... he was sick just like that. We painted a room in the library and since there were no windows and he was coughing throughout the day .... I'm sure I caught it from him. There was a high fever last night till this morning. Ami my friend called and offered to bring me to a doc, but I think I'll wait for another day.

Update on my health - the virus is really bad. The fever is soaring, I'm getting dizzy because of it. And my throat is really painful. And all my joints are aching. I may need the doc tonight. I'm flashing between chills and heat.

And more laments - the canary that had the wing and leg broken by the cat is dying. He's a beautiful yellow singer. But I can see it's his last hours. I hate cats.

Tisha B'Av postponed

Tisha B'Av or the 9th day of the month Av falls on Saturday/Sabbath today, hence the 25 hour fast can begin only tomorrow. It's a day of mourning and penance for jews - a day to recall the two destructions of the Temple on the same day 650 years apart, and all the other calamities in jewish history (check out wikipedia).

Talking about calamities, the workers didn't show up today. They came to work on Tuesday and yesterday only. So what am I to do? I'm so stressed out this morning my stomach cramps are killing me. I'm just doubled over with pain and can't do anything. Deciding to stay in bed today.

Baskets of geraniums at Ben
Yehuda Mall

And more calamities. The cat(s) have attacked the nesting cages of canaries again. 1 dead, 2 seriously injured and all the nests and eggs destroyed. Will someone get rid of the cats?????

Thanks to the Volunteers of Suffering, the Caveros, Cheng Bik Lin, Kath Malone and the Lam family. Received everything.

Here's a little relief from all the calamities ... nice baskets of geraniums at Ben Yehuda Mall.

Friday

So the US dollar has reached 4.06 shekels today .... after several years of dangling at 3.5-3.8. Bt we think it's only because Obama is coming to visit ... following the footsteps of Clinton who came last week ... to pull the jewish vote.

Herod's Gate police block and
checkpoint

First Friday of Ramadan. Unimaginable crowds getting into the City to the AlAqsa Mosque. But police have blocked off the City Gates. Only muslim men over 45 yrs are allowed to enter the City and Mosque. That raised alot of tensions. Nevertheless the people allowed in were still considerable. And as usual in Ramadan, beggers flock the City for alms.

This evening Tisha B'Av begins. Going to be tighter security than ever. Going out anywhere is going to be quite bothersome.

It was a nice surprise that Sr Regina and Sr Maria showed up today for a visit. They had not seen me for quite some time and wanted to see how I was doing. I've known Regina for almost 18 years. She's from Tanzania and Maria is Mexican. They belong to the Spanish congregation of Calvary. We chatted for a while and the usual comment - "You're thinner than before" popped up. Well actually yes. Yesterday at the doc's I was weighed and found out I'm now only 60kg. Lost 3 kg somewhere along these few months. Scary. I'll probably disappear altogether. And a polish friar I met in Jaffa yesterday also said the same thing; as did the superior of the Visitation the day before. Boy, this is serious.

Lousy pic of pigeon
feeding her chicks by
my window

Anyway had a session with my physio yesterday. It was good as I had my neck and shoulders adjusted again. Moran my physio prohibited me from carrying anymore heavy things (impossible as we're renovating the library), and get a higher chair for my writing table (because the ultra low chair is ruining my shoulders and neck). But we had a real funny time because he kept joking and we just laughed off two whole hours while he tortured me. But he could do nothing for my arthritic fingers. There was a mother pigeon with 2 chicks nestling by the window while my physio came to do me. He was amazed and took several photos as the mother curdled milky stuff to the chicks to eat.

So it's going to be a tough summer for me ... gotta start enjoying life now before I disappear altogether.

Solidarity

The saga of the tiny and besieged Christian community in Gaza continues. It's not enough that you just pray for them. You should be doing something pro-active!
Gaza Christians fear the end of their tiny community - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Majed and family with the Iftaar
meal of makloubeh

Last night Majed our doorman invited me to his home for Iftaar, the evening meal that breaks the fast of Ramadan. He lives in a tiny apartment behind our house with his wife and 5 sons. His wife cooked a fantastic makloubeh and we ate it in traditional arab style - dipping your spoon into the huge communal dish. Makloubeh is one of my favourite dishes: it's rice cooked with chicken pieces and/or vegetables, topped with pine nuts. There was also arab salad (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and parsley) and laban (yoghurt). For drinks, I was served Karob syrup (my favourite), then almond syrup, then lemon syrup (all these are typical Ramadan drinks) and ending off with Coke Zero. Majed's 5 sons had a great time. I brought a Black Forest cake and 10 chocolate balls for them, but the boys are not used to eating black/bitter chocolate.

Walking back home, we passed very crowded alleys with children dressed in their best, people eating everywhere, teenagers firing crackers and fireworks. It was very festive. But I can tell you I was very nervous walking through. Majed accompanied me to his house and back because the neighbourhood is tough and pretty anti-christian. I had stares and sneers along the way home ... though no one spat at me ... or threw stones. I was glad Majed and his eldest son Majd came along.

All in all, it was a lovely dinner and meeting with Majed's family. It also showed that there are some muslims who are very friendly to christians in the midst of a largely anti-christian muslim society. I can fully identify with the Gaza christians' situation. In a lesser way, I'm living it here in the Muslim Quarter.

More canaries dead

Groups packing the Way
of the Cross

So I'm very very hungry because I've been trying to finish alot of backlog work. And of course, the workers never showed up today. More backlog.  Found some fish fillet leftover from lunch ... something I usually avoid because it's practically smothered in oil ... but hunger got the better of me. Ate two pieces, and then was terribly sick. Stomach cramps and dizziness.

Despite the heatwave, groups are slowly picking up. Not as many as usual, but then the economic crisis  is certainly playing a decisive role in pilgrimages and tours. Groups are making the Way of the Cross in this awful heat .... good penance.

Arthritic fingers again

My fingers after still awfully and painfully swollen. Don't know what triggered the arthritis. But it's pretty crippling and hindering me from doing alot of things. I wonder what else I can do to relieve the pain and reduce the swelling. Chop it off?

And the cats somehow have got into the school - killed 2 canaries, turned over several nests and wounded 2 other canaries. The birds are totally traumatised. We must find some way of getting rid of these cats. I keep the canaries indoors in the school because it's cooler and the cats cannot get inside the building. Well I was wrong - somehow they found a way in and been on a killing spree these 3 nights. Everyone is upset by this. But we don't know what to do.

Work and sweat

3 meter shelf collapsed

Work in the library continues under this dreadful heat. It gets pretty stuffy because we must close the windows otherwise the hot air from outside blows in, and the place gets even hotter. A small fan helps to circulate the air. Shelves were dismantled from the walls, refixed in new rooms, holes had to be covered up, ... tomorrow we'll start painting. One of the tallest shelves fell when books were stacked on it. Disastrous. Hidri cut his hands trying to hold it up. Needed 3 stitches. Workers said they'd coming at 9am today but they showed up only at 11am. The whole circus is driving me crazy. I was supposed to go to Ramat Gan to see my physiotherapist to adjust my neck and shoulders this evening ... but had to cancel it because the workers haven't finished their work. It's a bloody circus!!!

My marigolds 

The heatwave is still hitting us like a tonne of bricks ... though as I said, the evenings are alot cooler. One thing for sure ... some flowers enjoy the heat. Cacti are flowering and petunias and marigolds are flourishing as long as they have some water at noon. So are the portulacas.

This Saturday is Tisha B'Av or the commemoration of the burning of the two Jewish Temples on the same day 600 years apart. It'll be pretty tense here in Jerusalem. Jews are expected to fast for 24 hours while muslims are in the Ramadan fast. That makes things very jittery. Let's see if the heatwave will make a positive or negative effect this Saturday.