Sunshine and water

We had a bit of rain again yesterday. Surely we cannot complain. The trees and plants are happy with this kind of weather and the melons are growing. We are enjoying the ‘tooty’ (mulberries). Each day, we go and pick the ripe berries and eat them instantly, getting our hands and mouth all red, as they are very juicy.

Zakaria loves finding fruit in the garden and trying it. Some he likes and other kinds he spits out again.

During the day he is all dry and clean now (potty trained). He is having the time of his life with his Papa being at home every day. They often set off together to go and buy something in the mini shop nearby and stay away for hours, chatting and playing with cousins and nephews that they meet on the way.

Zakaria’s favourite nephew is Mohamed Khaliel. They differ in age 2 years, Mohamed being only 10 months. They love playing together and enjoy each other’s company.

Mohamed doesn’t see many people around. His mother is not from the village. She is from Aleppo. People from Aleppo have the habit of staying inside the house, closing all windows and doors.

Her husband, Khaliel, has pushed her into starting a garden. He bought some fruit trees and planted some flowers.

The first thing she told me when I started visiting again after the winter is that she doesn’t like the work in the garden and that as soon as she comes out of the house she starts getting a head ache.

When we visit, she feels obliged to come out of the house and sit outside with us, as she knows we spend a lot of our time in the garden and we often tell her Mohamed needs sunshine every day.

Last week I saw a young tree in the garden without any leaves or anything, just bare as if it were winter. Although I knew it very well to be a pomegranate, I asked her what it was. She answered : ‘It is dead’. ‘No, no’, we told her : ‘you have to water it every 2 days. Young trees need a lot of water’. She looked at us in amazement, as if she thought trees grow all by themselves.

Olive and fig trees do, when they are older, but even they need to be watered a lot during the summer the first 2 years.