Once upon a Wednesday

Hubby was doing his exercises

at four o'clock in the morning .... as the snow descended outside.

And as I looked through the window at the little church roof and the black and white mosque covered in pristine sheets of white on a distant hill, along with the Jebal al Qala'a, the Citadel, that looks eerily beautiful, I thought of the people of Gaza without electricity and little heat, not to mention food ... and hoped it was snowing in Palestine too. For snow tends to bring out the best in people in the harshest of environments.

Hubby was not in a talkative mood that day as he listened to the radio lying flat in his bed.

There were no flying olives across a breakfast table, no animated debate. Just a smile and a touch of a hand as we contemplated the next move and watched eastwards, mesmerized by the unusual sight outside.

So I ventured out in the snow, driving at 20kmh; I was touched by the waving policemen, the jolly shopkeepers with smiles on their faces and the kids playing with snowballs. And then the car got stuck, a few hundred metres from the house and along came three good shepherds who pushed the car to safety, and a complete stranger in a 4x4 who took me home.

Funny how a little change in the weather can bring out the best in people.

Long may it continue, I think it will .... more snow is expected this week. J