It was already rather hot at 06:00 a.m. this morning when I set out. 29 degr. C. and a humidity that really is making those temperatures heavy. Many thoughts went through my mind and heart again while walking and they are forgotten soon as I'm encountering a new experience on the route. Let alone by the time I get home. All those thoughts... they must have been billions by now and part of my life though I don't remember them.
I stood on my mezah and an old man (I am an old woman but still call others being slightly older as I am 'old', this will never die I will always stay 'the little chiild' for myself) came kayaking by and then returned paddling towards me. He just had to tell me he never in his life saw such a happy face before in his life. I was watching the sea and being absorbed by it so that's no big surprise. But... this was actually the very first time someone stopped and remarked about a happy face I have. In the past lots of people used to stop me and ask why I look so sad......
Beautiful Harry (hairy):
Blushing fly on the balustrade of the wavebreaker:
Unbelievably beautiful little curly-wurly's:
If you're a dwarph you have to unite:
This is the pale (tired from a night long transmitting energy in the form of light) moon early in the morning with the sun coming up on the other side of the skies:
Mr. Egret was eating a crab -though that can't be seen in the photo:
A windowwasher (or whatever it's called in English) of high buildings. Something I wish would be my job:
Two photos of tiny blue miracles blooming amongst the bushes I pass on route:
A dog sniffing at where there was a tree last week. Yes. They killed it. The municipality. Those Sesme (Indian) trees that had stood there for over 60 years have been murdered. It is my experience that one can never win a municipality or other burocrative institutions. I bet there is money involved here. Usually there is. For the municipality that is. HUGE SHAME on them!!!!!
Fluorescent veins in a dying flower off Fairytaletree:
Totally wild and gorgeous sea again:
Only part of the fishermen's catch today:
Small (not larger than a thumbnail) treasures of beauty:
I heard him arguing with other birds high in a tree and then, as he crossed the road in front of me, I thought it was a Jay as well but... it turned out he isn't. Don't know what he is then because although he looks like a Mynah the coloring is wrong:
The wind makes these leaves whisper in my ear as I walk past them on route to the Nemaal:
This flag must be as old as the house in which garden it stands:
And.......... Ms. Cat of course:
Met the old acquaintance again who I met last year as well and haven't heard from since then. It was nice talking. Then I went on to 'my fishermen'. I feel totally comfortable in their middle. I think I am slowly becoming 'one of the guys' :D
Note: Aroma's Ice-Yoghurt is delicious....
Here we go again: tomorrow the start of yet another strenuous week of work, work, work. Isn't there a nice, handsome millionaire reading this blog who wants to marry me? I want to become a Lady of Leisure :D
When do the Russian "immigrants" (quote marks because some are living in Israel for over 20 years already) finally start to talk Hebrew here?? I'm fed up hearing Russian all around me all the time. First, I think it is a super ugly language, real yaks and second, it is like they're a separate part of the population by obnoxiously keeping up speaking a language that doesn't belong here at all.
Any way... Met H. today (we don't see each other that much though we are good friends) and I promised we would enter the sea, and so we did. The sea was powerful. I could feel him pull me away from the beach (not at the Nemaal but near where a life-guard was situated because H. feel safer that way).
Bathing suits (let alone bikinis) I find impractical when swimming in the sea. They never stick to the parts of my body they should clang at so I would (I remember from the past) always be busy with puling at it in order to cover up again. So, I entered with my 'male' bermuda I wear when walking my walks and a tank-top. Still I didn't find that comfortable either. I am at a loss what would be comfortable though.
Photos are of
1. A Palestine Sunbird. He flew over my head and sat (rather high) on a tree right before and started singing. One day, during the past week, I had one female Palestine Sunbird (they're brown rather than black and blue) sit on my washing line and slowly proceeding towards Pinkie's cage. It was such a delight to see - they're so tiny and their beaks long and bend and so fragile. She then tried to get to the stick with seeds glued on it hanging from Pinkies cage and looked like a Kiwi (the bird) trying to stay in mid-air.
2. Some plants on Abba Hillel that I saw while walking in the already very warm weather (just after 06:00 a.m.) but looked like they had snow on them. They have a velvety white cover and that's what makes them look like that. The contradiction (when letting my imagination go - which isn't hard for me to do) is what struck me.
3. All the flowers I see on route to the Nemaal make me feel happy and lift my spirits but for long I haven't photographed the Bougainvillea though they are very much around and contribute to a cheerful environment. They're here in all colors but I photographed the red/purplish ones because I had to make a choice (can hardly photograph all of them).
4. The 'fire-flies' (their wings look like they're on fire under the rays of the sun) again. Not such a great shot but it transcends anyway somewhat the feeling how it is to see them.
5. Fish-scales (who scrapes them?) on the balustrade near the pond.
6. An arm-chair near the pond. "Take a seat".
7. There was an exposition of photos children who are placed in orphan homes had taken. Its intent is to have people donate. This photo I really liked. It was taken by the photographer who took photos of the children themselves.
8. Walking back from the beach later on I again saw this man (of whom I tought last year he had the most sweetest smile in the world) but what caught my attention more this time were the two children who were watching him as if in trance. They were totally mesmerized by him. And... he was throwing kisses at them ;-)
Although waking up early didn't leave the house until at least (didn't look at the time so don't know for sure) 6:30 a.m. I think. It was already stuffy hot but the sun didn't have a lot of power yet so that was nice (though I love the sun).
I played some games online the night before which I shouldn't have been playing and I didn't feel all that happy with myself this morning - quite confused actually. So I decided to put an end to that for once and for all. I make many decisions I don't keep but it depends on how much I stand behind them when deciding those decisions - this one is a definite decision. It was nice though. And flattering. And helped my self-esteem. But it was wrong. Now it's over. I so decided.
(1) Again I 'met' an Israeli Woodpecker. Sooo cute to let me hear him first so that I could prepare the camera (and still got an awful photo) and picture him. (2) The beautiful purple flowers that are decorating a dust-bin site on Abba Hillel were in the process of opening up this morning. Like people: they were waking up from sleep (closed during the night, open during the day). (3) Over the Yarkon I saw Mr. Lapwing (but more probably Mrs. Lapwing) was still sitting there like she didn't move since last week in a brooding pose. Could it be that she has an egg under there? (4) When I wanted to put my camera back in my backpack a Pied Kingfisher flew supersonically fast from under the bridge up the river. The photo isn't all that good but I like it the way it is. (5) A car parked under a tree looked like he just had a flowershower so that's enough reason for me to photograph it as well. (6) When I got to Fairytaletree I noticed someone had cut into two one of the fruits that had fallen off the tree. The photo shows exactly how they look like inside and when I smelled on it I noticed they have a faint mellon smell, very 'fruity'. This particular one was about 25 cm long... (7) And, of course, I can't do without a photo of Fairytaletree's blooms. So here it is a-g-a-i-n! :D :D (8) A sideways parked mini-car drew my attention and I thought it so 'cute' that I made a photo of it. (9) The yearly (so it seems) triathlon was being held again at the Nemaal. Last year I enjoyed it and made quite some photos but this year I found it a nuisance. I couldn't walk the path I always walk near the pond and that angered me a bit. (10) I found a dead little fish on the wavebreaker and though two fishermen whom I know made jokes of it I decided to try to give it to Ms. Cat because in that way the fish wouldn't have died for nothing. But.... Ms. Cat started playing with it. Probably it had been in the sun for too long already. Must again say that I thoroughly enjoy our moments together. She is definitely THE cat I like most. She's such a character! And, it seems like she understands what I am talking to her about as well. Gorgeous little creature... (11) Then, there's a photo of a spider's web woven in a Jasmine shrub near the beach - but the photo didn't turn out like I would have want to - (12) and a photo of a photo that's one of many photos the Tel-Aviv municipality has put up through town in honor of its 100 year existence. This photo shows the beach in past times.
In the sherut back home people were talking about the fare (they charge 70% on top of the usual fare because it's Shabbat) and that evolved into talking about jews and how they all were not 'straight' but.... nobody can blame them because in this country people cannot survive if they don't make use of 'combinot' :D :D I didn't participate in the 'discussion' but noticed a huge smile on my face when I accidently saw myself in a mirror :D
I have not been to the Port of Tel-Aviv today. I wanted to "finish work quicky"- so it wouldn't be on my mind all day - early this morning but it dragged on. Then it was too late (read: too warm) to feel comfortable walking up to the Nemaal. I cancelled my 'date' with Hana and just relaxed at home all day doing 'whatever' - but, in any case, NOTHING I 'should be' doing. It feels great.
Tomorrow I won't be working at all (I decided that way) and hope that I will be setting out on my usual route as early as possible (and photos will be taken, that's for sure - unless my camera will be playing up again).
Today stands in the sign of Michael Jackson's death. I had the time to devote to why I feel so sad about though I couldn't stand to look at his deformed face and hear about him lately.
It is because of 'him'. He was a lovely child that got exploited by his father and turned into a hit producing machine but..... one can not deceive oneself. I honestly think that's why he turned into the incomprehensible person he turned out to be later on in his life. After all I am a solemn believer in people not being able to understand ever what goes on in the heart of other people...
When I was child: he was child -When I was a teenager: he was a teenager. When I was in my very early twenties and started living in Israel: he had hits that were played in the old-fashioned (disco) clubs in Jaffa and environment of that period in time and on my 'one of a few only in Israel' color t.v.'s in those days. He sorta 'accompanied me'. The icons who colored my path in life are slowly dying and they're not even that old. That's what makes it so sad for me. Not for them. I solemny believe that they don't know and feel sadness anymore - but I feel sad for the ones that stayed behind.
We (our generation) have gone from 45-tour vinyls and 33 tour albums to cassette tapes and dvd's - we have seen the record player turn to a cassette player and later to a video tape recorder and then... to dvd' recorders - and God knows what other inventions have been made since then - like the MP3 player, the MP4 player and so on and so on.... We have come a long way together. Me and my generation. My generation though is slowly dying out :(
My mother's birthday - Last year I saw the white balloon high in the skies (as I wrote about as one can see that entry for that day) - but nothing so coincidental or uplifting today... Just a bit sad. Having deprived her of her only daughter in her direct environment for a jerk. Oh well.
Crab producing foam out of his mouth, a wasp sunbathing, a few of the literally hundreds (if not thousands) of fish over-populating the Yarkon river and sticking their heads out above water and.... of course Ms. Cat :-) Her yawn on the photo looks more like she's about to eat me any minute, LOL.
All fishermen I know I saw today - most of them at my mezah.
HAVE to get up early.... Have to, just have to. Gotta walk the "prison" out of me. Got to go into "myself mode" and FEEL myself again. Not the person who's sitting up and nod while smiling when required because that's what society expects from her. Society expects her to live in "dignity" (have a reasonable place to live in and not look "poor" because materialistic "poor" is seen with a view looking down upon you......... besides, there isn't much else one can do in order to put bread on the shelf and a roof over one's head).
So, Having complied with how so-called humanity has laid out the design of how we should act in obedience, I NEED to get rid of all those artificial attitudes applied during the week that paint a picture of the one marching along while she doesn't have a choice really.
My heart breathes oxygen and my feelings go afloat - I feel like I'm soaring thru the air - when I close the door of my apartment behind me and set out as "me" (not walking to or from any destination I have to appear at in the course of duty)....
The first thing I caught this morning (besides the magnificent calls of the birds when I woke up as if saying: "heyyyyyyyy go, go, go... get out of that apartment already") are a flock of flowers having fallen of a hedge not far from where I live and highlighted by the upcoming sun:
The warmth in my heart can't be described in words when I saw this :-)
The next "stop" was the usual one: on top of the Yarkon river on the Gesher Ha-Halacha. I stand near a pavement stone which says "Gilad Shalit" and hope that somehow I can telepathically convey him the feeling of freedom when looking upon what nature has to deal with us people harming it in any way we can. I pick out the beautiful scenes and disregard those ugly ones - and hope somehow it will transpire to him. And to all people feeling locked up and afraid.
This morning's sights were mainly the Egrets that have returned. I suppose the pollution that had the Yarkon river in its grip the last months has somehow cleared because there were so many Egrets (and one VERY possesive of his place Lapwing) around. My camera doesn't picture things as I see them and want him to show but the following photos do give an impression of what the scene was like this morning. I'm still stunned the fish in the Yarkon seem to feel they're 'safe'. They swim around unabashed on the surface of the water like they want to say "I'm from a polluted river, you don't wanna eat me anyway, so I'm not worried you fish for me" :D
The Egrets were watching the fish and further on one can see how they 'walk on the water and stick their heads in it'
On Rabbit Hill, while photographing (for the umptieth time) the rabbits a cat looked at me as if to say: "what about me, mate?" So.. here he or she is:
Fairytaletree has lost almost all of his flowers that bloomed so abundantly the last few weeks - but... there are some (not too many) new buds and blooms:
On a tree in Tel-Aviv a flower just bursting out in bloom seemed to cry out "I am coming out to see the light" :D Sweet, huh?
One of "my" fishermen I saw of late again and so again today. The others seem to have disappeared... He had 'life bait' and those curling little disgusting looking creatures still somehow made me feel sorry for them, shrimps:
The Port of Tel-Aviv stood in the sign of donating to children with cancer: people could 'buy' table tops and paint on them in return for a donation to this good cause. I know I am horrible but it somehow put a shadow on my otherwise happy day. Children with cancer is something nobody would really like to think about, at least not I :(
Even the wavebreaker looked fancy with dainty white tables and bar-chairs:
Mr. Mynah watched me from a lamp-post and looked so mean at me :( I suppose he wasn't having a particularly good day - perhaps he had no luck in love?
Following are Mr. Egret trying to impress me by looking 'streng' (look up what that means in English, it's Dutch) and particularly charming :p and a video clip of a crab. Yes.... that simple, primitive form of life on earth that has caught my mesmeration. How many animals are able to bring food from their hands to their mouth - motorically designed to eat in such a sophisticated manner while looking looking like a shell with 'hands', hey? This particular crab saw me and was cautious of me but DID come out of the hole he was hiding in and let me 'film' him... The cutie :-)
