I have the house to myself as D has gone up to Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee for a personal meditation retreat with Hagit. I was invited but didn’t feel like being in the proximity of thousands of Israeli weekenders. Although Tabgha itself is a more private place; it’s mainly a Christian pilgrimage center.
I do enjoy these weekends home alone though, and if I want to get out, there are lovely walks in this season. We had three days of rain now, which should bring lots more flowers. The poppies were the big surprise this week, and I took lots of photos of them.
Around the house, I have plenty to do if I feel ambitious – trimming hedges, which shoot up quickly in the springtime, and planting some lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora), which in Hebrew is called “Luisa”. From Wikipedia, I see why: it is named after Maria Luisa of Parma, wife of King Carlos IV.
D also booked a plane ticket yesterday to the UK, to visit neighbours / friends who are spending a year there. I probably won’t be joining her for that trip either. I don’t want to fly frivolously anymore, going somewhere for the hell of it, just for a few days. Unfortunately, the Europeans still seem to be encouraging lots of domestic flights with tickets that are cheaper than equivalent land transportation. Such flights should be taxed to a level that make it less worthwhile to fly. Trains and buses could be subsidized with the income from taxing flights.