All is fine

I am getting emails from all over the world : of campers that have been here, of tourists that have travelled with Mohamed, of tourists that are coming to the country and of tourists that are too afraid to come, of friends that I haven’t read for a long time. All of them very worried about our welfare and security. I wonder what the news about Syria is like in Europe and the US. Probably the recent events in Egypt and Tunisia and the war in Libya are making the viewers overreact. It is true that some demonstrations went on in Damascus and there was some trouble near the Jordanian border, but that seems to be all. As far as I remember the troubles in Egypt and Tunisia did not last for more than a week and Libya is such a different story. Moreover, this country is very far from where we are. It is much closer to Europe. All I want to say is that I am deeply touched by the kind words of many, but there is no reason to worry. We are fine and in good health and feel very safe. The garden looks great. The weather is nice, though a bit fresh still with the recent snow in the mountains. I have made kilos of marmalade (bitter oranges) and am enjoying it at breakfast every morning. The swallows have arrived. I haven’t seen the storks fly over. This may be because they find it too cold still or because I am not looking at the sky at the right moment. The tortoises have come out and the coloured lizards too. The black ones are waiting until it is hotter. Zakaria is enjoying the garden and the good weather. He has got no time to ride his bike because he has to work in the garden. This usually means running around with some tools in his hands, because as soon as he starts using it, I scream out he has to leave the flowers and trees alone. When he is fed up with that, he turns towards the wild flowers (he knows the difference) and starts picking some to offer them to me with a loving “this is for you”. This year I left weeds growing in a rectangle next to the onions. The tortoises and Zakaria enjoy it. It adds some colour to the garden. The sunflowers started coming out. So do the lavender and rosemary, 2 new seasoning herbs in the garden. And the mint wasn’t dead. It started growing again after the winter rain. I’ve moved some next to the water tap, close to its sister herbs. Finally, some non producing pomegranate trees had to go to make way for a new prune tree and new rose bushes were added.

Safe and secure

It was a bit boring the last few weeks as we were waiting for the rain to stop and it has. Today I have been working the whole day in the garden and am especially focused on weeding.

This year I will have finished soon, as the preparation that I was able to do in January is paying off.

I will soon put in some sunflower seeds. They always give a special feeling.

Zakaria is over the moon with the good weather. This was his first day without socks. He has now the habit of doing his own thing in the garden while I’m doing the real stuff. Once in a while he brings me flowers and gives me a hug and a kiss. That’s new.

He seems to be much happier. Winter is not a good season for him. Too boring, too cold, too dark.

Tomorrow I will harvest some “chobbès”, a weed that very much tastes like spinach. I’m very lucky to have plenty in the garden. Other women have to go and look for it next to the road or in the fields.

It seems like all trees have started. Campers reported Cherry trees blossoming near Saint Simeon’s. They are blossoming before having leaves.

The house is warming up. We now have now 15,5°C without heating.

Between 15° and 33° I feel comfortable. Not so Mohamed, who is always cold until it is hot.

People often write me to ask whether it is safe over here. I guess it is normal to have this question as in many countries in the region there is uprising. I have to say that in Syria everything is still as before. It is a secure and safe place to be and life hasn’t changed over the winter. I’m sure that the ones that will come and visit will enjoy their stay as much as many others did before.