Things of Interest – Page 2 – A Bit of This A Bit of That

November 29, 2016

Salutations

One of the things I love about Israel and the Hebrew language is that there is a greeting for everything and everyone greets everyone (well mostly, remember the grumpy old men?)

There are regular, every day greetings, good morning (בוקר טוב – boker tov) and evening (ערב טוב – erev tov).

There are greetings for the beginning and end of the week, good week (שבוע טוב – shavua tov) said from the moment shabbat has ended to the end of Sunday and shabbat shalom (שבת שלום) said anytime from Thursday through to the end of Saturday night.

Then there are greetings for High Holy days, usually happy holiday (חג שמח – chag same’ach) or the yiddish, gut yontiv (גוט יום־טובֿ – good yom tov).

My favourite though, is an alternative to good morning. It is usually said as a response to someone who says good morning (boker tov) to you.

The greeting is בוקר אור (boker or) and literally translates to ‘morning light’.

It really does lighten up my day!

November 2, 2016November 2, 2016

Sukkot

*** Right, so, I actually completed this post about a week and a half ago, thought I published it, and found it now in my drafts… So, ja, enjoy 🙂

The last few weeks has been a whirlwind of Jewish Holy Days, starting with Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year and ending with Sukkot, The Feast of Tabernacles (booths).

Sukkot is my favourite festival. The celebration has a double meaning, the first being the end of the harvest season and the second commemorating the years that Jewish people wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt.

One of the things I love about Sukkot is that it is a happy festival. There is no sadness to be found here. Only celebration.

We build temporary booths called sukkot (plural) and a sukkah (singular). There are a few requirements that need to be stuck to in order to make them kosher, they must have at least 3 walls, the walls can be fancy or plain, printed material or planks of wood. The skach or roof covering must be made of untreated, unvarnished natural material and you should be able to see the stars through it at night and it must be a temporary roof, not something that is there year round. Quite a few people use palm fronds either for the whole roof or as additional roofing along with a bamboo mat.

Once you have your sukkah up you can either leave it plain or you can decorate it. We chose to decorate ours this year with crepe paper pom poms (home made) and some crepe paper garlands (shop bought) as well as a few drawings from school that were holiday themed as well as some strings of plastic fruits.

One should eat all their meals as well as snack in the sukkah and some people even sleep in the sukkah (weather permitting).

I love sitting out in the sukkah in the early morning air with my cup of coffee and my book. Its just not the same when there is no sukkah up. I also love hosting people in my sukkah and having big, noisy meals with friends and family!

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016

#ZombiePrompts – My 5 favourite blogs

So a few days ago, Sam from Tech Girl mentioned on Facebook that she enjoys catching up on my blog, even though we don’t have that much in common.

It got me thinking and I remembered this prompt from #Zombieprompts. I have roughly 50 or so blogs in my feed reader at the moment. They run the gamut from mommy blogs to photography blogs to entertainment and lifestyle blogs. narrowing them down to 5 is going to be a tough one.

Harassed Mom

I met Laura-Kim online ages (and ages and ages) ago, and have been an avid reader of hers for all that time. Laura has a large family (4 kids!) and I love reading about how she manages her kids, home, work and passion for the blogging community. I especially look out for her awesome tried and tested recipes. When Laura isn’t blogging at her personal blog, she is over at South African Mom Blogs.

6000.co.za

His tongue is as sharp as a scalpel and he never fails to make me snort laugh. Mr. 6K is from the UK, living in Cape Town, has family (including a beagle) and in his own words ‘does science for a living’. Underneath his biting and often dark humour are harsh truths and eye opening facts. I always feel like I should grab a bowl of popcorn when one of his posts turns up in my reader. Oh, he also takes some awesome photos.

Tech Girl

I have to include Tech Girl on this list, not because Sam mentioned me but because her blog is a regular go to for me. Tech is one of the things we do have in common and I really enjoy how Sam and her team break down the latest trends, games and general tech stuff into simple, easy to understand posts. They post about everything from Pokemon to curling irons, to the ins and outs of blogging. They also review a HUGE variety of products, apps, games and gadgets. I particularly love the small glimpses we get into Sam’s personal space, furnishing her home and cooking up a storm(trooper) are my two favourite examples.

jewgal

Adina has a way with words that is spellbinding. She doesnt post often but when she does I make sure to have some uninterrupted time so that I can properly concentrate on her posts. Adina writes about her her religion and faith and how she stands up for what she believes in, never wavering from her path. She writes about her family and their adventures. In every post no matter the subject, she manages to weave her soul into the story and often leaves me with tear in my eyes.

Bloggsy Malone

I’ve never met Dave IRL, but one day when I do meet him, the first thing I’m going to do is give him a great big hug! You see, Dave is one of the most inspiring people I have come across. He is a recovering addict, who writes honestly and openly about his experiences. His frankness and willingness to share his journey is a treasure. Dave is a wonderful writer with a fantastic sense of humour,he also takes awesome photos of CT. Oh, he also loves cheese. No really, he LOVES cheese!

So those are the 5 blogs that really stick out for me at the moment. What are some of your favourites?

July 6, 2016

Did you know?

I learn something new everyday.

Today was all about bergamot.

You know, the flavour in your Earl Grey tea? Or in your favourite body wash?

Well, I always thought that bergamot was a herb/flower. And it is. But that’s not where you get your Earl Grey, fragrance or skin care products from.

No, you get that from an extract of the oils in the skin of the Bergamot Orange. This little citrus is similar in size and shape to an orange but the colour of a lemon. It smells similar to the herb and flowers but all the scents and flavours you get in your products such as tea, perfume, body lotions are from the citrus.

The herb, also knows as Crimson Beebalm, is part of the mint family and has a pretty red flower and is used in traditional medicine, in particular it is used for its antiseptic properties. Although it has been used as a tea, specifically to help with throat infections, no Earl Grey here.

By Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6691558 — By Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6691558

The flower, which is technically WILD bergamot is ALSO known as Bee Balm, and it has a small cluster of white flowers and is also part of the mint family. It is also used in traditional medicine as a medicinal tea in treating colds and flu.

So, now I know and you know, unless you already knew. Did you?

March 23, 2016

Rainfall – A Book Review

I requested and received another book from Coral-Leigh to review last week. I was already in the middle of another book so I waited until the beginning of the week to start this one.

I requested another Melissa Delport book, Rainfall. Here is my review:

Twists and turns and a gripping story

I usually don’t like 1st person books. I find it difficult to immerse myself in them and it always takes me a while to get into the story and this was the case with this book too. That being said, the story itself drew me in. Its not something I have read before and I was thoroughly intrigued by the psychology of the main characters. Not just Adam and his D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder) but Paige too. I love her happy go lucky attitude and her total dedication to the man she loves.

As I continued reading and became more immersed in the story and the characters, clear favourites started to emerge (no pun intended). I love Adam and Paige and was rooting for them from the start. I just wanted to hug Jacob and smack Simon. And Kyle… Lets just say he will always have a place in my heart.

I had heard so much about this book before I started reading it. I knew there were twists and turns and that it would be something totally out there. I did manage to guess the big twist but even though I knew what was coming, I still held my breath and lets out a frustrated ‘Nooooooooooo, it cant be!!’ when I read it.

Grab a box of tissues, a glass of wine (or two) and set aside a weekend to read this book. You wont be disappointed.

*If you would like to buy the book, hop on over to Amazon here.

*If you would like a chance at reading review copies of more awesome books, hop on over to Read & Review here to become a reviewer.

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016

Word Origin…

Mediterranean.

20776844762_6a7efd73a6_k — A picture of the gorgeous Mediterranean sunset off the Tel Aviv pier by Paul

Sometimes we take the words we know for granted. They just are. We don’t really think of their origins or their actual meanings.

In my last ulpan class we learned the word for middle, אֶמצַע (emtza), we were talking geography, far east, middle east etc… While explaining the word to us, our teacher said ‘middle east, like the Mediterranean sea area.’

It suddenly clicked, Mediterranean means in the middle of the land. The sea in the middle of the lands. From the Latin medius “middle” and terra “land, earth”.

I had never thought about it before. But suddenly it made sense. Funny how in a Hebrew lesson I learned something new about an English word.

It makes me wonder how many other words I take for granted. Have any of you had a word origin epiphany?

February 28, 2016

The Cathedral of Cliffdale (Guardians of Summerfeld Book 1) – A Review

The amazing Coral-Leigh from Cupcake and Fysh has started a site where authors and readers can come together in a mutually beneficial environment. Readers get books and authors get reviews. Win/win right?

So my first book to review was Melissa Delport‘s The Cathedral of Cliffdale (Guardians of Summerfeld Book 1). It took me 2 days of reading and left me wanting more.

Here is the review I left on Amazon:

Werewolves and vampires and unicorns, oh my!

Let me just say, right off the bat, that I loved this book. I loved the characters and the utterly unique take on the fantasy genre.

Quinn is a Guardian who has lost her way, torn between her destiny and her family. The story takes us along with Quinn as she starts to reconcile the two parts of her life. Quinn is so completely relatable, she could be me. I followed her highs and lows with baited breath and I can’t wait to see how her story unfolds.

I am intrigued by all the characters Quinn interacts with and the relationships she has with them, her father, her mentor, an ex-lover and an unlikely friend. I can tell that not everyone is as they seem and I’m keen to see how each of these characters reveals their true selves to Quinn over the course of the story.

I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of this series and I hope that we get to see more of the wards of Summerfeld in the next book, the giants and the dwarves and the grumpy old troll.

*If you would like to buy the book, hop on over to Amazon here.

*If you would like a chance at reading review copies of more awesome books, hop on over to Read & Review here to become a reviewer.

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016

קרמבו/Crembo/Krembo

However you spell it, in whatever language, the result is just delicious.

It also heralds the arrival of winter in Israel. Summer is just too hot for this amazing sweet to survive.

Basically a Crembo is a biscuit (cookie for my US/Israeli friends) base with a soft vanilla or mocha flavoured marshmallow fluff topping covered in chocolate. A bit like a Sweetie Pie in South Africa.

Crembos are an Israeli institution and are pretty much the nation sweet.

How you eat a Crembo is highly subjective. Do you eat them as is or do you freeze them first? I freeze them. Do you start at the top or with the biscuit or do you eat off all the chocolate first? I tend to start at the top and work my way down and I’m in good company, according to a study by Strauss (the makers of Crembo) 69% of people start at the top.

Crembo can be found in a lot of popular culture too. I’m waiting for Aaron to reach the part in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (Hebrew translation) where it’s said that Dumbledore’s favourite sweet is a Crembo (instead of a sherbet lemon).

And now I’m craving Crembo. I think I will pop into the store on my way home and stock up before summer arrives.

October 26, 2015

Join, switch or cancel…

I’m talking medical aids.

Along with a few others, I wrote a bit about my experience in cancelling our South African medical aid before we left for Israel. You can read about it over here on the Hippo blog.

October 16, 2015October 15, 2015

A Titanic competition*.

*This competition is only open to people living in South Africa.

Who doesn’t love a good saga? Even before Titanic was released in theatres I was entranced by the story. A huge ‘unsinkable’ ship, so many passengers from all over the world. The opulence of the 1st class passengers. The tragedy of it all.

For the first time in South Africa, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be shown, first in Johannesburg and then in Cape Town.

Those attending will find out about the lives of South Africans that were on board Titanic, learn about passengers and crew members and relive the events of that fatal night.

There is plenty to do and see for all ages. You will be able to see actual artifacts that have been salvaged from the wreckage, recreations of some of the rooms aboard the ship and also learn about the efforts that are taking place to preserve the wreck for future generation.

The organisers have offered me a set of double tickets for myself and a set for my readers to win but since I won’t be able to attend they have kindly allowed me to add my own tickets into the competition. That means I have TWO double tickets to give away to readers in Jozi and Cape Town.

All you have to do to win is tweet the following “I want to win tickets to the #TitanicExpo with @GNat_J & @TitanicExpo!” before the 20th October 2015. Its as simple as that.

Two winners will be drawn randomly and you can either visit the expo in Johannesburg at TheZone@Rosebank from now until 8th November 2015 or in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront from 27th November 2015 to 14th February 2016.

Good luck!