(no subject)
Wow, time flies!
Last Sunday I did as much of the laundry as I could, and some food shopping as we were off to spend two nights in the desert with N and her family plus two other couples, one of which brought their three kids. The kids did some of their Hebrew workbooks in the afternoon and we spent some time at the park. I managed to start the cooking in the evening and left the rest for Monday morning.
I was going to do a ditl on Monday, but things were a bit chaotic first thing in the morning so I decided not to. D took the tram to my aunt's on Monday to pick up the car while I finished the cooking and packing. The drive down to where we were staying was largely uneventful for the most part, though we did stop at Ein Gedi so that D and the older two could have a quick dip in the Dead Sea and I could sort out lunch for everyone from our stash of food. We pretty much drove down along the coast of the Dead Sea - B found it really exciting when the signs that we were below sea level began to appear. We eventually arrived around 2:30 or 3, I ran in and found N and then we began to unload the car.
So, a few words about where we were staying: This is a guest space (as opposed to a guest house) called Fata Morgana located on the outskirts of a settlement called Neot HaKikar which is located slightly south-west of the bottom of the Dead Sea. Fata Morgana comprises a bunch of Bedouin-style huts (well, they're huts from the outside, but decorated like tents in the inside) where groups can stay, plus a huge tent-style hall with cooking facilities, refrigerators for each tent, tables for dining (though there are low tables available in the individual tents), fixings for coffee and tea, etc. Our tent was actually the one that is connected to one side of the huge shared "kitchen" tent which was handy in some respects and a nuisance in others. We've never been there before so didn't really know what to expect, though from the photos it did look like each of the huts was free-standing which at least would keep J containable. I wasn't really counting on his ability to go through a doorway into the main hall and then out that door. D decided very quickly that it just wasn't going to work at all and started talking about staying for only one night instead of two. I wasn't thrilled because I really wanted to spend time with N. We tried to get J to rest in our 'tent' (we took over some mattresses in one corner) but he wasn't interested in the slightest, despite not having napped in the car. The next couple of hours mainly involved watching J and rambling around the main 'tent' and the outside (fenced, but with a huge gap for people to enter and exit, so not exactly safe for him to be on his own) while B and M got reacquainted with N's little boys (3 and 5) as well as the other two boys who were staying in the tent with us. We were four couples: us, N and her husband (and their two kids), another couple with three kids and a couple with a grown son who wasn't there. These 'tents' can hold up to 30 people, so it was very spacious for us. N eventually decided that she needed a shower and offered to have J in there with her. In the end, they showered and I hung out with them in the little shower room we were using (one side was for showering, one for dressing). Sadly, it was really the only time we really got to talk properly (it was a long shower) because J was contained in there with us and spinning around like a little naked wind up toy.
I gave J some dinner (I was largely in charge of the veggie/vegan options) and we attempted to bed him down just after six as he was wiped. No way, though. I'm sorry to say that he was awake till after nine and all of us eating (and talking) in our 'tent' didn't really help. One of us stayed next to him and observed the goings on at the table pretty much till he fell asleep. After that, the rest of the meal was very enjoyable. The company was good, the food was delicious and it was just really nice to be sharing a meal with a group of people. B and M were having a ball with the other kids. I felt really bad when D informed them that we'd be leaving the next day instead of staying till Wednesday :-(
We all seemed to wake up early on Tuesday despite the late night as the people in the other 'tents' were up and making noise just outside. Early on we figured out that many of the adults and some of the kids would go on a hike, and D, and N and I would take B, J and her three year old to the playground at the other end of Neot HaKikar. It was easily 35 degrees out and you could feel the heat coming up from the ground - I mean, we *were* in the desert! We took snacks and water with us and stayed for about an hour, then returned to Fata Morgana around noon. i organized a quick lunch and we packed up the car (and the rest of our food, because we didn't really have much at home, plus I couldn't exactly leave our pots there). D decided that it would be more interesting to drive via the Negev instead of returning through the West Bank. So it took longer, but at least J slept for a good hour and a half which including a brief stop for coffee and some hot chocolate for B and M. We got home, unpacked, loaded up the washing machine with our sheets (we had to take our own bedding and it was a bit dusty) and left B and M at home and walked to the old city for a bit. Back in time for a dinner of leftovers from the previous night, plus some rice and salad.
We still had my aunt's car, though, and I was in two minds about when and how to return it. She thought we were coming back around lunchtime on Wednesday and I felt it was wrong to keep the car longer than necessary. However, we did have a text from her on Wednesday morning saying to take our time and make the most of having the car. So we decided to drive just outside of Jerusalem to the Soreq cave which is famous for its really amazing stalactites and stalagmites. I had J on my back for most of it, though sadly he really did want to get down and touch the "shapes" (as he called them). B and M really enjoyed the walk through the cave, and were appalled when another visitor in our group touched a stalactite! Not only that, but the entry fee is very reasonable and the four of us (plus J, who was free) paid the equivalent of what a single ticket would have cost in the UK.
From there we headed back to Jerusalem, stopping in Ein Kerem where D and I got married. I managed to remember the name of the street and locate it fairly easily. Sadly, it's no longer a wedding venue, though we may try to have a date there sometime and wander around up to the garden where the wedding took place. Lovely and picturesque and really not a good place to try to get around in a car. D dropped the rest of us at home - where I got lunch for the kidlets - and took the car back to my aunt's. The rest of the day was not terribly exciting, but did involve a trip to the playground and some shopping. D sat in a cafe for a while and worked.
Thursday was really nice out. D got B and M up early and took them to the Kotel to see the priestly blessing. I took J and did some shopping as we were having company for dinner - old friends and their two daughters, aged 11 and 8. We spent the early afternoon at the park, then came home to get the cooking done before our guests arrived. Dinner was vegan and heavily complemented :-)
Friday was, again, warm and beautiful. I took J out to the shuk for some shopping. D often takes B and M for a ramble on Fridays, but decided to stay in as there was to be a lot of activity over the following few days. I didn't buy as much as usual as we were invited out for dinner that night and were hoping to all go to my aunt's the following evening. I did, however, decide that I would cook a proper lunch on Saturday and bought something really nice to put on the rice: a combination of blanched almond halves, garlic and salt. The previous Friday I'd been at the shuk with J (as usual) and passed these bowls full of various toppings for rice (or fish, or meat) that you sprinkle on after it's cooked. The man at the stall gave me a small handful to taste, but I didn't know what it was. All I knew was that it tasted good! So I went back and told him and he pointed out the correct bowl. At 100 sheckels a kilo, it seemed quite reasonable. I bought 100 grams, which seemed more than adequate for the five of us.
Dinner was to be at 6:30, so we left the house just before six. It was a pleasant walk down to the Greek Colony. D hasn't seen these friends in nearly ten years - they stayed with us for a couple of days in Reading when I was pregnant with M - though I took B and M to see them at my friend's mother's house when we were all visiting Florida at the same time six or seven years ago. There was a little trouble as the floor was being mopped when we arrived and all J wanted to do was to push the little vegetable stand (on wheels) back and forth from the living room to the kitchen. D was not impressed and put him in the stroller. I was really torn at this point...but that's a whole separate issue. J did pretty well in there considering how unhappy he was (we found him some toys) and dinner was ready pretty soon after and we put him in his booster seat. B and M had a blast with some of the toys they found. I don't know what they're called but we've encountered them a few times since we arrived - sort of a maze with a ball bearing, but spherical - and generally got along with my friends' two boys who are 5 and 7.
The food was really got and there was a lot for me to eat. There were two versions of a cauliflower soup - one vegan, one with milk - and a spectacular vegan pesto (!!!) which I'm completely addicted to. Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and shallots, Macedonian Salad, regular vegetable salad - in other words, I didn't exactly starve. The dessert was vanilla poached apples :-) I felt that J did really well considering it was a late night. D, on the other hand, needed some convincing. B and M did really well and B managed to charm my friend's sister in law, who is visiting Israel for the week. We didn't leave until nearly ten and were all in bed by about 11.
Of course, the problem with J going to sleep so late is that he stayed asleep until nearly ten on Saturday morning. D had gotten himself, B and M up early to go to the Mount of Olives - you may remember that this had been the plan for the previous Saturday. I probably should have gotten J up, but it was so nice to stay in bed in the semi-dark and read. I eventually got J up and breakfasted and we went out for a long ramble in the park. J has gotten really good about staying with me and not running off and will usually tell me of his attention to listen to me as I unstrap him and let him down. D called at some point and I decided to take J home and get lunch started. He wasn't keen to leave the park but I did give J the option of holding my hand and walking home and he did really well :-) Lunch was tofu, rice with that lovely topping - which was a hit, by the way! - and salad. B remarked that this was a meal he was completely happy with (more on that for another post).
Unfortunately even with that long walk through the park, J didn't nap. He did rest in bed for a while till it was time to go. The walk to my aunt's took about an hour (I can do it alone - or with J in the stroller - in about 45 minutes) and at one point we thought J might be falling asleep...but no. That it was warm outside meant that J could run around on their huge balcony. He had a great time out there with Gramma's walker ;-) Nice to spend time with two of my cousins who were there. One, the youngest (the twin boy) is newly back from South America. Another cousin was staying over with her family, though her husband had taken their two older kids for a walk and she was there with her baby. We had dinner with them and D accepted a ride home with J from my cousin, who was going to drive to pick up her husband and kids from the old city. B, M and I helped my aunt wash the dishes and generally tidy up and then had a ride home from her and my uncle who were on their way to visit an elderly relative. I was pretty tired when I got home and crashed straight after a hot shower.
And I'm going to end this now, because if I don't post it more time will pass....
Last Sunday I did as much of the laundry as I could, and some food shopping as we were off to spend two nights in the desert with N and her family plus two other couples, one of which brought their three kids. The kids did some of their Hebrew workbooks in the afternoon and we spent some time at the park. I managed to start the cooking in the evening and left the rest for Monday morning.
I was going to do a ditl on Monday, but things were a bit chaotic first thing in the morning so I decided not to. D took the tram to my aunt's on Monday to pick up the car while I finished the cooking and packing. The drive down to where we were staying was largely uneventful for the most part, though we did stop at Ein Gedi so that D and the older two could have a quick dip in the Dead Sea and I could sort out lunch for everyone from our stash of food. We pretty much drove down along the coast of the Dead Sea - B found it really exciting when the signs that we were below sea level began to appear. We eventually arrived around 2:30 or 3, I ran in and found N and then we began to unload the car.
So, a few words about where we were staying: This is a guest space (as opposed to a guest house) called Fata Morgana located on the outskirts of a settlement called Neot HaKikar which is located slightly south-west of the bottom of the Dead Sea. Fata Morgana comprises a bunch of Bedouin-style huts (well, they're huts from the outside, but decorated like tents in the inside) where groups can stay, plus a huge tent-style hall with cooking facilities, refrigerators for each tent, tables for dining (though there are low tables available in the individual tents), fixings for coffee and tea, etc. Our tent was actually the one that is connected to one side of the huge shared "kitchen" tent which was handy in some respects and a nuisance in others. We've never been there before so didn't really know what to expect, though from the photos it did look like each of the huts was free-standing which at least would keep J containable. I wasn't really counting on his ability to go through a doorway into the main hall and then out that door. D decided very quickly that it just wasn't going to work at all and started talking about staying for only one night instead of two. I wasn't thrilled because I really wanted to spend time with N. We tried to get J to rest in our 'tent' (we took over some mattresses in one corner) but he wasn't interested in the slightest, despite not having napped in the car. The next couple of hours mainly involved watching J and rambling around the main 'tent' and the outside (fenced, but with a huge gap for people to enter and exit, so not exactly safe for him to be on his own) while B and M got reacquainted with N's little boys (3 and 5) as well as the other two boys who were staying in the tent with us. We were four couples: us, N and her husband (and their two kids), another couple with three kids and a couple with a grown son who wasn't there. These 'tents' can hold up to 30 people, so it was very spacious for us. N eventually decided that she needed a shower and offered to have J in there with her. In the end, they showered and I hung out with them in the little shower room we were using (one side was for showering, one for dressing). Sadly, it was really the only time we really got to talk properly (it was a long shower) because J was contained in there with us and spinning around like a little naked wind up toy.
I gave J some dinner (I was largely in charge of the veggie/vegan options) and we attempted to bed him down just after six as he was wiped. No way, though. I'm sorry to say that he was awake till after nine and all of us eating (and talking) in our 'tent' didn't really help. One of us stayed next to him and observed the goings on at the table pretty much till he fell asleep. After that, the rest of the meal was very enjoyable. The company was good, the food was delicious and it was just really nice to be sharing a meal with a group of people. B and M were having a ball with the other kids. I felt really bad when D informed them that we'd be leaving the next day instead of staying till Wednesday :-(
We all seemed to wake up early on Tuesday despite the late night as the people in the other 'tents' were up and making noise just outside. Early on we figured out that many of the adults and some of the kids would go on a hike, and D, and N and I would take B, J and her three year old to the playground at the other end of Neot HaKikar. It was easily 35 degrees out and you could feel the heat coming up from the ground - I mean, we *were* in the desert! We took snacks and water with us and stayed for about an hour, then returned to Fata Morgana around noon. i organized a quick lunch and we packed up the car (and the rest of our food, because we didn't really have much at home, plus I couldn't exactly leave our pots there). D decided that it would be more interesting to drive via the Negev instead of returning through the West Bank. So it took longer, but at least J slept for a good hour and a half which including a brief stop for coffee and some hot chocolate for B and M. We got home, unpacked, loaded up the washing machine with our sheets (we had to take our own bedding and it was a bit dusty) and left B and M at home and walked to the old city for a bit. Back in time for a dinner of leftovers from the previous night, plus some rice and salad.
We still had my aunt's car, though, and I was in two minds about when and how to return it. She thought we were coming back around lunchtime on Wednesday and I felt it was wrong to keep the car longer than necessary. However, we did have a text from her on Wednesday morning saying to take our time and make the most of having the car. So we decided to drive just outside of Jerusalem to the Soreq cave which is famous for its really amazing stalactites and stalagmites. I had J on my back for most of it, though sadly he really did want to get down and touch the "shapes" (as he called them). B and M really enjoyed the walk through the cave, and were appalled when another visitor in our group touched a stalactite! Not only that, but the entry fee is very reasonable and the four of us (plus J, who was free) paid the equivalent of what a single ticket would have cost in the UK.
From there we headed back to Jerusalem, stopping in Ein Kerem where D and I got married. I managed to remember the name of the street and locate it fairly easily. Sadly, it's no longer a wedding venue, though we may try to have a date there sometime and wander around up to the garden where the wedding took place. Lovely and picturesque and really not a good place to try to get around in a car. D dropped the rest of us at home - where I got lunch for the kidlets - and took the car back to my aunt's. The rest of the day was not terribly exciting, but did involve a trip to the playground and some shopping. D sat in a cafe for a while and worked.
Thursday was really nice out. D got B and M up early and took them to the Kotel to see the priestly blessing. I took J and did some shopping as we were having company for dinner - old friends and their two daughters, aged 11 and 8. We spent the early afternoon at the park, then came home to get the cooking done before our guests arrived. Dinner was vegan and heavily complemented :-)
Friday was, again, warm and beautiful. I took J out to the shuk for some shopping. D often takes B and M for a ramble on Fridays, but decided to stay in as there was to be a lot of activity over the following few days. I didn't buy as much as usual as we were invited out for dinner that night and were hoping to all go to my aunt's the following evening. I did, however, decide that I would cook a proper lunch on Saturday and bought something really nice to put on the rice: a combination of blanched almond halves, garlic and salt. The previous Friday I'd been at the shuk with J (as usual) and passed these bowls full of various toppings for rice (or fish, or meat) that you sprinkle on after it's cooked. The man at the stall gave me a small handful to taste, but I didn't know what it was. All I knew was that it tasted good! So I went back and told him and he pointed out the correct bowl. At 100 sheckels a kilo, it seemed quite reasonable. I bought 100 grams, which seemed more than adequate for the five of us.
Dinner was to be at 6:30, so we left the house just before six. It was a pleasant walk down to the Greek Colony. D hasn't seen these friends in nearly ten years - they stayed with us for a couple of days in Reading when I was pregnant with M - though I took B and M to see them at my friend's mother's house when we were all visiting Florida at the same time six or seven years ago. There was a little trouble as the floor was being mopped when we arrived and all J wanted to do was to push the little vegetable stand (on wheels) back and forth from the living room to the kitchen. D was not impressed and put him in the stroller. I was really torn at this point...but that's a whole separate issue. J did pretty well in there considering how unhappy he was (we found him some toys) and dinner was ready pretty soon after and we put him in his booster seat. B and M had a blast with some of the toys they found. I don't know what they're called but we've encountered them a few times since we arrived - sort of a maze with a ball bearing, but spherical - and generally got along with my friends' two boys who are 5 and 7.
The food was really got and there was a lot for me to eat. There were two versions of a cauliflower soup - one vegan, one with milk - and a spectacular vegan pesto (!!!) which I'm completely addicted to. Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and shallots, Macedonian Salad, regular vegetable salad - in other words, I didn't exactly starve. The dessert was vanilla poached apples :-) I felt that J did really well considering it was a late night. D, on the other hand, needed some convincing. B and M did really well and B managed to charm my friend's sister in law, who is visiting Israel for the week. We didn't leave until nearly ten and were all in bed by about 11.
Of course, the problem with J going to sleep so late is that he stayed asleep until nearly ten on Saturday morning. D had gotten himself, B and M up early to go to the Mount of Olives - you may remember that this had been the plan for the previous Saturday. I probably should have gotten J up, but it was so nice to stay in bed in the semi-dark and read. I eventually got J up and breakfasted and we went out for a long ramble in the park. J has gotten really good about staying with me and not running off and will usually tell me of his attention to listen to me as I unstrap him and let him down. D called at some point and I decided to take J home and get lunch started. He wasn't keen to leave the park but I did give J the option of holding my hand and walking home and he did really well :-) Lunch was tofu, rice with that lovely topping - which was a hit, by the way! - and salad. B remarked that this was a meal he was completely happy with (more on that for another post).
Unfortunately even with that long walk through the park, J didn't nap. He did rest in bed for a while till it was time to go. The walk to my aunt's took about an hour (I can do it alone - or with J in the stroller - in about 45 minutes) and at one point we thought J might be falling asleep...but no. That it was warm outside meant that J could run around on their huge balcony. He had a great time out there with Gramma's walker ;-) Nice to spend time with two of my cousins who were there. One, the youngest (the twin boy) is newly back from South America. Another cousin was staying over with her family, though her husband had taken their two older kids for a walk and she was there with her baby. We had dinner with them and D accepted a ride home with J from my cousin, who was going to drive to pick up her husband and kids from the old city. B, M and I helped my aunt wash the dishes and generally tidy up and then had a ride home from her and my uncle who were on their way to visit an elderly relative. I was pretty tired when I got home and crashed straight after a hot shower.
And I'm going to end this now, because if I don't post it more time will pass....