We picked strawberries in Hankey

I am way behind on my blogging.  Like in "get Dr Strange in here with the Time Stone and send me back 6 months so I can try to start and catch up" behind.  Life is getting in the way and life is made up of work, family, kids, sport, etc, etc, etc...  That plus having a teenager in the house that occupies my laptop all evening, which have now conked out for the third time in a year. The laptop, not the teenager.  Freekin hell, please remind me never to buy an Acer computer again.  That is if I ever have money to buy a laptop again with what Miggie's indoor cricket is costing me.  Anyhow... We picked strawberries in Hankey, in January, which is a good 4 and a half months ago already, but I would really like to share it with you. 

Madele' Ferreira has been growing strawberries outside Hankey in the Gamtoos Valley for over 20 years and for the last few years they have managed to produce strawberries commercially all year round.  With over 12 hectares covered in strawberries and supplying some of the biggest retail chains around, the Mooihoek strawberries have probably crossed your lips at one stage or another, but only from the shop to your table to your mouth.  Although they have had many requests from people to come and pick their own strawberries they have never been ready for the public to do so.  That was until Madele's daughter was looking to earn some extra money during the summer holiday and it was decided to allow the public to pick for a limited time only.  The response? Overwhelming and so much more than they ever imagined.

I headed out to Hankey with the family in tow and two teenagers who weren't very excited about the outing, mainly because they had no idea what they will get to do.  Yes, they knew we were going to pick strawberries, but I don't think they even knew how the fruit was grown and what you actually have to do. 

On arrival we bought our punnets at R30 each and received the simple instructions.  You can pick as many as you can fit onto the punnet without leaning it against your body.  Pick away!  And pick they did.  Them and many others who arrived on just this one morning.  Apparently, the farm workers could not understand why people would want to come and pay to pick strawberries in the summer sun when you can just buy them in the shop.  Nobody told them that these days it's all about experiences and not just looking at things anymore, but rather doing.

I sure hope they will open the field for picking at some stage again and perhaps on a more permanent basis as it will do wonders for tourism in the Gamtoos Valley.  For now, I can only stare at my pictures from the day and remember the taste of those sweet red strawberries, most not even making it home with us. 

World Veterinary Day today

.

Happy World Veterinary Day!

Let's appreciate the veterinarians who keep our livestock and pets healthy.

I don't have either, but I really admire vets (and for years wanted to be one). 

These are some good-looking cattle at a private farm not too far from my place. 
They also raise goats and we go there to buy creamy yogurt, tangy labaneh, and wonderful cheeses. 

Enlarge the photos and you'll spot the new concrete security wall just across the road.
Less than two years ago there was only a rather useless fence. 
On the other side you can see Palestinian villages in the West Bank. 
. 
(Linking to Camera-Critters.)
.

Interlude

Spring in the Missouri Botanical Garden. The structure in the center is the tomb of Henry Shaw, who founded the place. I''m backed up on editing the pix from the Chinese cultural festival that too place on the day I shot this.     

Some People Were Happy

Nothing like a street full of sloppy bubbles to brighten your mood. I wonder what makes this so attractive. I'm sure it reminds people of fun times in childhood, but children are instantly attracted to bubbles without a reference point. My granddaughters sure are.     

Poof

There was a stage at the end of the color run where a crowd gathered. Thumping rock music blasted from huge speakers and an MC whipped up the stained runners. Staff passed around packets of the colored powder and every 15 minutes, on cue, people hurled it into the air. I wonder if the Environmental Protection Agency was okay with this.       

ANZAC DAY today

.

Today is ANZAC Day, which Wikipedia explains as

 a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served".

But the ANZAC troops are also remembered in other countries, and especially at the Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Israel and Gaza.

Here in the Negev we have the beautiful Beersheba War Cemetery. 
The administering Commonwealth War Graves Commission says that 

The cemetery was made immediately on the fall of the town, remaining in use until July 1918, by which time 139 burials had been made It was greatly increased after the Armistice when burials were brought in from a number of scattered sites and small burial grounds. The cemetery now contains 1,241 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 67 of them unidentified.

 A Jewish officer's tombstone says
FAR FROM HOME, CLOSE IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO LOVED HIM. 
The pebbles on top are left as a traditional sign of respect by visitors to his grave.

Written in Welsh.
And a little LEST WE FORGET cross.

The traditional red poppy on the cross and one stuck in the ground.
HIS DUTY DONE.

A trooper from New Zealand.
Someone added the Kiwi's photo.

An Australian from the famous Light Horse brigade.

A New Zealander from the Mounted Rifles.

The unidentified ones are the saddest.
AN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR
KNOWN UNTO GOD

"In memory of a Ballarat boy.  Trooper Thomas Bell was aged just 16 when he died of wounds received in the charge*.
All gave some, some gave all."

[* i.e. the mounted charge on the Turkish trenches, to liberate Beer Sheva. ]

 
The tall white structure is the Cross of Sacrifice, standard for all Commonwealth War Cemeteries around the world.

The Visitors Book, with lots of information, in the wall near the always-open entrance gate.

In the background is Beer Sheva's new and wonderful ANZAC Memorial Centre.
More on that in a future blog post.

One of the dedicated and caring Arab gardening team planting more flowers. 
.
Thank you, brave ANZAC soldiers, for turning the tide of World War I down here in the Negev desert that I now call home.   Your memory will live on! 
.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

-- fourth stanza from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, 1914

(See more about this cemetery and about commemorations in Beer Sheva in 3 previous posts and also my posts about ANZAC Day in Jerusalem.)

.

The Color Run

The Color Run is a traveling show that goes around the country putting on these 5k events in which people voluntarily dash through dense clouds of tinted powder, get it all over themselves and think it's fun. White tee shirts preferred. Time is a little short right now and I will explain more with additional posts.            

Fireworks for 70th Independence Day

.

Like every year, when night came, the heavy day of remembering our fallen soldiers and our victims of terrorism gave way to the joy and exuberance of Independence Day celebrations. 
Last night I watched our town's fireworks display from my place.
Enjoy the little video and its sounds!
Happy 70 years of independence, my dear Israel!  
I am fortunate to have lived here for 50 of those eventful years. 
. 

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us

You know the reference. Me, Mrs.C, Emily and Ellie on our 44th anniversary at Pere Marquette Lodge. We wouldn't have needed help to keep us occupied if the weather hadn't been so rotten. Spring seems to be poking it's nose in this week.     

Stamped on our memory

.

Israel came to a standstill this morning during the 2-minute memorial siren at 11:00 commemorating our 23,646 fallen members of the security forces and 3,134 victims of terrorist attacks. 

Israel Post describes the new stamp issued for Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day: 

This stamp features a poppy/red everlasting flower and a military dog tag engraved with the words "we shall always remember" [lenetsach nizkor] against the background of a tombstone with small rocks placed on it by loved ones who visited the grave.
The tab features the official IDF symbol and the symbol of the Ministry of Defense Families and Commemoration Dept.

May their memory be for a blessing and may God console the many bereaved families. 
This https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_casualties_of_war information is so interesting. But sadly, so long.
.
For more about Yom HaZikaron please see my previous posts.
. 

Gazebo - Downtown Spanish Springs

Bored police horses

.

In Jerusalem I would from time to time see mounted police riding around, usually just outside the Old City (e.g. as in my posts here, here, and here).
Today was my first time to see a police horse in Beer Sheva.
He was just standing in the shade near the Central Bus Terminal.

On the vehicle towing the horse trailer is written Mounted Police Unit, Southern District.
Wait! -- Is that horse in the drawing wearing a gas mask??
THAT I've never seen, but I guess it would be needed in riot control.
Actually, maybe it's just my imagination working overtime, maybe he just has a black nose.

I walked in back and discovered a second horse.
Really wanted to ask the officer in charge if I could talk to, I mean pet, one of the nice horses.
Alas, he was in the middle of an animated conversation on his phone and didn't even notice me.
.
(Linking to Camera-Critters.)
.

Pere Marquette Lodge

Pere Marquette was a French Jesuit explorer who founded the first European settlements in Michigan and explored much of the upper Mississippi. He's a big name in this region.We spent the night at Pere Marquette Lodge, about an hour northwest of our home. It is just across the road from the Illinois river and about an hour northwest of our home. Children, more than serious adult players, love the giant chess set.       

Renewal

It's an old observation that spring is a time of renewal, the season when the earth starts another cycle. Something like that is happening in our home: it is Mrs.C and my 44th anniversary. Two people from about as different backgrounds as Americans could have, a farm in Kansas and an apartment in New York, have held together a long time. We are looking forward to many more years together.

The two of us, our daughter and our granddaughter, are taking a quick weekend trip to Pere Marquette Lodge in Illinois, on a bluff overlooking the Illinois and Missouri rivers. Photos starting tomorrow.        

Almost Like Being In Japan

Except that I could read the signs. We've been to Japan a few times and the only characters that stuck in my head are the words men and women (as in restrooms), entrance and exit, Tokyo and Kyoto, and oddly, the symbol for the possessive because it looks like the Western @ sign. The Japanese garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden is large and gorgeous, particularly on a cloudy early-spring day.         

Water Tower - Village of Spanish Springs, The Villages

Mosaics of the Magdala side chapels

.
Greetings to the many Orthodox Christians who are celebrating Easter Monday today.
It might be the right day to give you the final installment of my description of the new Magdala Center on the Sea of Galilee.
(My previous posts are under Magdala.)

Thank you, people of Singapore, for donating this side chapel.
In the reflection is the main Boat Chapel.

I will quote the descriptions from the official website, since they explain it best.
You can click on the photos to greatly enlarge them and enjoy the details of the wonderfully colored tesserae.

Each of the four chapels are home to a mosaic that illustrates events from the public life of Jesus and each mosaic is an open window inviting us toward the infinite love of God in the Gospel. Each chapel has enough room for up to 30 people and an expressive mosaic depicting a biblical event near the Sea of Galilee. They are realistic representations in dialogue with the original sites and invite us to meditate the Gospel scene in its authentic context.
The first chapel facing the lake is the Walking on Water Chapel, representing the story in Matthew where Peter’s faith was tested by walking on water with Jesus. “‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?'” Matthew 14: 29-31 NIV

The second chapel facing the lake is the Fishers of Men Chapel, representing another story in Matthew where “Jesus Calls His First Disciples”. “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”    Matthew 4: 18-20 NIV

The other is dedicated to the daughter of Jairus. This holds great significance because she was the only woman whom Jesus raised from the dead. In this we see the Magdala messages woven together. “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.”     Mark 5: 41-42 NIV

 

You might enjoy the story of Jerusalem's 1867 school called Talitha Kumi.

Our tour group was in such a rush that I somehow missed the fourth important chapel, so you will have to see the photo at the Magdala website.

One of these chapels is of course the Mary Magdalene Chapel, where we remember the story in Luke of Jesus casting out demons. “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out.” Luke 8: 1-2 NIV

Magdala is a Catholic spiritual center being built by the Church of Mexico.
They are doing a really good job.   Do stop in if you are in Israel.
.
(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday, Monday Mural,  and Our World Tuesday.)
.