ISRAEL: PART I

Posted by: ann on: 28 December 2006

• In: thoughts
• 27 Comments

Heathrow was chaos… thank G-d for ElAl. They have their own area for check in, as we walked past queue after queue of p***ed off holiday flyers. Then ElAl has its own hand luggage x-ray thingy… bless them. “Are you ElAl… well come this way” Still an uneventful flight, which is how it should be, and we are welcomed at baggage reclaim by Lubavitch proferring doughnuts. So while my dear mother stands back stuffing her face, I’m practically being hauled onto the carousel trying to schlep off the luggage.

What a difference a week makes… see the difference in the weather from last week when we were there and the sun shone gloriously in Jerusalem and the pictures below taken yesterday…. their first snow.

Moriah enjoying her Tigger swing. We had a lovely time at the mall shopping at Toys R Us and I was so shocked when Bridgitte chose this as she is vehemently anti Winnie. I maintain she sees my beloved bear as a Disney character whereas it is one of my childhood favourites more down to A A Milne than Walt. I was even more shocked to see stencils of Winnie in Boaz’s bedroom, so she is coming round… at last.

Boaz picked himself out some Bob the Builder toy…. I know I took tons of stuff out with me, because the prices in Israel are astronomical, but a day at the mall in Chanukah is great fun and grandmas are meant to spoil their grandchildren, aren’t they? There are loads of fun activities for children set up as I squeezed my ample rear (or as Dewy would say, rounded assets) into a tiny little chair and played with lego. Bridgitte didn’t think I could get that low or fit in… I showed her!

On this day we were thinking of shopping, but the weather was so beautiful we headed off to the Biblical Zoo instead. I hadn’t visited there in eleven years and the place is still as wonderful, although we didn’t get that far round since we decided to take the babies on the choo choo train. If you can’t make them out, they are swans in the background. Boaz and I had great fun imitating the monkeys.

No that is not me and Bridgitte rushing for the train, it’s greatgrandma (not bad for 83) and grandma (not bad for ??) pushing the buggy… sorry… stroller. Who do you think is taking the pic…. Bridgitte of course.

Boaz was not too sure about the ride, but I enjoyed it. I know I don’t usually post pics of me, but since I’ve announced to the world that I am short fat and ugly, I thought I would prove it. My intention is to lose weight before the wedding, or sooner ‘cos I have to buy *the dress* so then I will just be short, less fat and ugly.

This was our hotel in Jerusalem… the Inbal. It’s excellent, always full of you yanks and it’s in an area called Yemin Moshe. You can see the Moses Montefiore windmill on the left. Ze lo rachok mi…. ooops sorry… it’s not far and in walking distance to the Old City and Ben Yehuda Street where I went to visit my lovely little Iranian friend. I only buy gifts from him, so if anyone is going to Israel, he has the best prices and he is charming…. unfortunately he doesn’t speak a word of English, so I’ll tell you how to say ‘Ann sent me.’

Yes this is Jerusalem (well a hillside on the outskirts of) yesterday. I have a very brilliant grandson… there aren’t many of 23 months who could build a snowman.

Do you like his Thomas the Tank hat and scarf (tallit as he calls it), although don’t tell me they’ve lost the matching gloves already. Of course I bought it for him… only £10 in Mothercare and he loved it. Now I wish they would pick up the snowjacket I sent over with friends a month or so ago, I think the little chap is gonna need it.

Aaaah, Moriah all snugged up as a bug in a rug. I know, I know I am biased, but she is an absolute sweetheart. Her photos do not do her justice; she is so calm and easy going and laughs and giggles all the time…

Well this is the first part… got more pics at the Dead Sea, so will bore you with those next week, but just to tell you I had some wonderful treatments; so well scrubbed, buffed and polished you could see your face in my shiny… mmmmmm.

Well that’s it for now other than to say I totally freaked out when I heard James Brown had died. I saw Lucy last night and she felt the same, since we only saw him strut his stuff about five weeks earlier at the UK Hall of Fame Awards.

Thank you blogger for being co-operative in the end. I have posted some REH and something called a sestina. Real poets will know what it is…. I didn’t, but I do now.

Have a lovely weekend, Shabbat Shalom and if I don’t post again (although I may since I have a question I want to ask my fellow vdo fans… one to start the New Year rolling… LOL) I pray you and yours are all blessed with a Happy Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

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