A who's who

Two posts in one day don't know what has come over me. But I thought that it would be good to post something on who all the people I keep talking about are: So friends, the people who I am going to talk about most are; Daisy, Mandy, Terri, Samuel, Matthew, and Elliot. As for family there is mum and dad little sister (Who is no longer all that little) her partner and their new baby. Then there is Helen (bigger sister) and Rosie (even bigger one). And friends from way back when who I am likely to mension at some points are Sarah and Anika. So I met Daisy and Mandy and Matthew at an interfaith conference in Ammerdown. 'The three faiths Summer school

New Arrivals

Hey there any readers lots has been happening at my end, the results of which mean that I am very very busy! (For more details see my other blog ‘rabbi to be’)…in my real life if I can put it that way, is that my little sister has had her baby, so I have a new nephew!!! He is just so beautiful a really lovely baby boy, he doesn’t seem that interested in visual things…but then I am not sure that baby’s eyesight is all that great…although mum says that when I was a baby I was interested. He certainly likes singing and already has his favourites: including ‘swing low sweet chariot’ and ‘yom zer yisrael…’

The birth was quite dramatic but both mother and baby are well now, and Said has returned so all is well…Helen (big sister is coming down) at the weekend and Rosie has been really helpful as well ringing lots and lots…but as you can imagine things have been really really mad here, most of it has fallen on mum but I have also been rushing about like a mad thing…I am trying to sort out my accommodation in J-lem, it is still proving difficult but I am have found some flatmates, which is nice but now all I (we) need is a flat :)

I am much calmer than when I first found out that I was meant to be in J-lem sooner than I had thought, I have made lots of progress with thesis and may actually finish it by my new deadline which would be a real achievement because this is over a year ahead of my uni deadline…and I actually think that my thesis is going to be quite good.

I am also revising hard for my HUC Hebrew exam which I have organised to take at Menorah in May (mid-may) so still some time for more preparation yet. I haven’t had an exam since my MA modals end so quite a few years now…but lots of meditation is keeping me calm.

It has really brought home to me what fantastic friends I have :) especially Terri who was a complete wonder when I first found out what a tight place I was in phoned her up and I was completely freaking out and she really calmed me down and was just great, but not just Terri but Mandy and Daisy and Sam and Mat. I am so so lucky in my fantastic friends.

I am really pleased that I got to meet with most of them before this all happened and I hope that I will be able to met with Mandy and Daisy and Terri before I had of to Terra Sanacta. I also really need to link up with Anika and Sarah from school. So lots and lots to fit in.

I should also say that it hasn't all been work, rush, work, rush although mainly it has...I did find time to go into Uni and meet Dawn (a facebook friend) which was nice. But having a beautiful new nephew is the best thing that has happened recently.

so many sisters

Hey the business continues as all of my bigger sisters are here, although we do not over lap for all that long, Helen and Andrew (and their dog came this morning. I am not all that fond of dogs, but this is a peaceful dog. After I had had a time of nap Rosie, Bob and Alice have arrived. So we are having a fall house…and for complex reasons we are having our second sader on the eight night. Largely so we can all do it together. I am looking forward to it.

Finnal York Posting

When we had walked along the walls we head off along the narrow streets to the Minister Mandy and Daisy wanted to go into all the charity shops we past so it took a bit of time, not that I mined as I had really switched to holiday mood. We finally got the entrance of the cathedral and as it turns out Matthew was right about there being a charge to go in a full eight pounds which I thought was rather a lot. We all went in nevertheless and Mandy and Daisy went off on a guided tour while Samuel, Matthew and I sort of did our own thing. There was lots to see including new carvings and status and the like but I am not sure it was worth the eight pounds. Afterwards we had lunch and we returned to the hotel to play 'class struggle'. The next day we only really had time to go to the viking museum and have a picnic before it was time to return home. It is now chol mo'ed paseach so I am as always missing all the things I cannot eat. I am also really pushed with my thesis. but the brake in York was really what I needed.

Yet More about York

So after being chased by geese and failing to go into Cliford's tower we all headed off along the walls of York towards the Minster I was confident that there would be no charge for entry but probably a suggested donation, Matthew who is a Catholic was less than certain that I was correct in this assumption because Anglican cathedrals often charge for entry. Walking on the walls was lovely the views were great and we actually had some sunshine. We were all chatting away and having a fab time we had some lovely views of the Minster in the distance as we approached it.

So more about York

It had been a very long time since I was last in York (Longer in fact than I am going to admit in this blog) and I had forgotten how beautiful in a tumbled down sort of way the castle ways are or quite how expensive the museums and other attractions are. Often our route from the hotel to whichever part of York we were going to took us past Clifford's tower, which is not a happy site for Jews as there was a massacre there in 1190 when 150 Jewish men and women were surrounded by a mob; they chose to kill themselves rather than be captured, this really marked the start of the declined in quality of life for English Jews ended in the expulsion in 1290 under Edward the first. (A first of many expulsions that would follow. The current tower made of stone is not the same as the one on the site at the time, which was made of wood and was badly damaged in the riots. I had wanted to go inside and say kaddish (The memorial prayer) but the coast of entry was rather high. So I contented myself with staying on the outside. So after we had all decided not to go into Clifford's tower, we head to the museum of York and Castle life, before moving on to that though I should mentions that there is a memorial stone at the foot of the keep, we all found the entry fee for this museum to high as well. As we were about to leave I noticed a goose sitting on top of a bin when we got near we could see that she had made it into her nest and had no less than eight eggs and was if a goose can indeed be this very pleased with herself and she showed us her eggs before settling herself back down. Most of the geese around about the centre of York were less than friendly and so hurried along by advancing geese we head off to walk along the walks towards the Minster in the hopes that this would be an economic way of enjoying ourselves in York.