I was calmly eating a baked potato with my kids yesterday afternoon when all of a sudden Jojo jumped up and yelled “mummy mummy there’s smoke,” we’re used to people burning rubbish here so I didn’t register immediately. But I soon noticed that the smoke was creeping up the cliff right up to the back …
I’ve always been a big fan of insects. Not really something I discuss in social situations but somehow my love of spiders, beetles etc has been passed on to Jojo. He’s very into animals, has an extensive knowledge of birds, sea creatures and creepy crawlies but most especially, he loves scorpions. He goes on scorpion …
After 5.5 years of living in the holy land, we have finally moved into our home. Having lived in some fairly questionable accommodation these past years – freezing winters, black mould covering walls, cramped kitchens and our last house had a salon so small you couldn’t swing a cat (and believe me I tried, I …
We thought we had experienced all possible brit options – first one a small event in our home in london. Number 2 celebrated in shul on rosh hashanah with about 100 Olim. Third one on our yeshuv with an open invite. But this baby was born on shabbat. Which means a shabbat brit. Slightly more …
Well, after much delay with our foundations (I thought I would spare you all the details) the frame of our lovely new wooden house is finally going up. And not before time. Our rental is getting entirely too cramped for 3 small boys. Well, actually they are just fine. We release them into the wild …
The Eshchar Pub opened a year ago, and is one of the best creations of our off-the-beaten-track, pluralist, anything goes, slightly tree-hugging yeshuv. It’s basically an outdoor pub hangout, smack bang in the middle of the Pinat Chai (kiddy animal corner), with a tiny bar (shack) and a load of benches made from old wooden …
Pre-pesach, the country seems to go through a moodiness phase. I am not kidding. I saw friends of mine, usually happy, chirpy people wandering around looking seriously miserable before the chag, and I wandered what on earth was wrong with them. They just seemed so down! The minute the chag is over, kids are back …
I don’t even remember what I used to do on Purim in London. It all seems so long ago. I think I went to a largely unmemorable megillah reading. The odd rubbish party. I remember having fun shpieling (aka door-to-door chugging) as a teenager in Golders Green. One especially memorable year we dressed up as …