Creativity is a strange creature

I've spending a lot of time writing poetry recently. It's something I've done for many years on and off but never really had the will or the confidence to share it with everyone. 

I didn't write at all on the kibbutz as I didn't have the time or space on my own. To just sit and be with my own thoughts. Now I'm home and a little isolated with no car in the middle of the English countryside it's pretty easy to get things down on paper.

This is a first as I'm quite enjoying sharing my experiences with everyone I'm going to post something I've penned. Here's a tiny part of my soul exposed to the world, or that's what it feels like.
This is based on the following quote: 
"It was rather beautiful:the way he put her insecurities yo sleep. The way he dove into her eyes and staves all the fears and tested the dreams she kept coiled beneath her bones." Christopher Poindexter

The Knight of Humanity 

By Anna Noble

Sordid words arch through the sky, as they leave the bows of the mockery army 
Her wall is built and the defences hold strong. She is protected.
But behind those walls her fears and dreams long for freedom.

One man fights his way through the front line. Not with brutality and force 
But an aura of warmth and love. He sees past her fortress to the beauty of the land beyond
With determination and patience he valiantly steps inside her gates
Stares deep into her eyes and wills her to reach out.

With each gentle caress he slowly removes a brick in her wall
and cradles her trembling thoughts,  as they escape from her lips.
Each spoken exchange of trust and acceptance, her belief in humanity builds.
The wounded and the dying are finally put to rest and his nurturing heart 
means her dreams begin to flourish. 

If I still have your attention then you can probably see the Israel Hamas conflict and war in general has been playing a lot on my mind. Even though I'm not in the country anymore I feel a deep involvement in what's going on. My  friends and acquaintances are still living out there and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight right now, which is difficult to deal with. 

My friends wedding is on Saturday so I have that to look forward to later in the week. Aside from that I've a collection of books to read in the sunshine and a few things to do in my mum's garden.

My library finds

Home and the sun is shining!

Debra & I at Liverpool Docks

I am still wearing shorts and I am in England.  I am impressed.  It's a nice welcome home.   Everything is pretty much the same here, as I expected.  Back at Ein Hashlosha all my fellow volunteers have been evacuted to a kibbutz in the north or down in Eilat.  I have been following the conflict closely on the BBC and Times of Israel and feeling relieved that I left when I did. 

 I have just finished an application for a  job at a local garden centre so I am allowing myself to blog again.  A fair amount has been happening in my first week home.

I managed to catch up with Debra in Liverpool, the very first volunteer I met on the kibbutz, before she makes Aliyah (becomes an Israeli citizen).  We had a good catch up over a pub lunch and a nice wander around Liverpool.  She has now in Jerusalem and about to start learning Hebrew.  Good luck Debra!

On Saturday my best friend organized a BBQ with friends and with pork being the only meat on the menu!  To celebrate being home from the land of Kosher food.  Her slow cooked pulled pork was the best with homemade coleslaw, and the delicious sausages.  Thanks to Sam and everyone else who came along for the feast and fun.

Amazingly I still had room for a bacon sandwich for lunch on Sunday.   There is nothing quite like the taste of bacon even when you think you couldn't possibly eat anymore pork.

My aunt and uncle also stopped by to say hello on Friday afternoon. Unlike my previous ventures away I didn't have to spend ages explaining what I had been up to, all the while wandering if I'm just talking to much, as they had been following everything on here!  Not that everything makes it to a world wide web audience but it does make returning home simpler. 

Le hitra ot: never say goodbye

One of the kibbutzniks told me you should never say goodbye. You should say 'le hitra ot', see you later in Hebrew. So this is my see you later.

Thank you to everyone I have met in Israel. Those who I have worked with and been room mates with. Even those of you for the past 9 months who have just smiled and said shalom or boker tov every time we pass each other. It's been a pleasure living on the kibbutz with you and if I'm ever back in Israel or any of the many countries I have made friends from in the volunteer house, I will come and say hello. Similarly if any of you end up in England at any point in the future, you are more than welcome to turn up on my doorstep (assuming I'm still in the country  to answer the door.)

Unfortunately the situation  between Palestine and Israel isn't looking good right now. I've spent a lot of time sitting around in bunkers in my last few days here. To everyone I Ieave behind, especially those of you at Ein Hashlosha, stay safe and I hope this doesn't go on too long.

I have 24 hours in Tel Aviv to enjoy before I get my flight home, so that's all until I'm back on home ground. See you on the other side.

9 months in the volunteer house is a lot of group photos!

10 things I miss about England

I fly back to England in 5 days.  As my mum said on the skype the other day I am going from one place in the middle of no where (the Negev) to another place in the middle of no where (Garstang).  The big difference is having lots of people around here and almost no one back home. That shall be the challange when I get back doing plenty of things to keep my social life busy and fun. I am going to miss this place a lot so I thought I'd try come up with 10 things to stay positive about when I leave. 

1.  A CLEAN BATHROOM AND KITCHEN!!  I am so excited about finally having a shiny clean rooms and only having to clean up after myself (and occasionally my mother) not 18 other people, many with questionable levels of cleanliness.

2.  Eating non-kosher food.  Cheese and meat together! and bacon, sausages and all that deliciuous pork products.  I can finally have a pizza with pepperoni on it.  Oh real cheese.  Not the tatseless stuff Israel comes out with.  Mmm some Tasty Lancashire or Garstang Blue would be heaven right now.

3. Never thought I'd say this but i am missing the rain!  In 9 months here I think it has rained a grand total of 3 weeks if not less.  The sound of rain falling when your sta in the warmth of your home is one of my favourite sounds so it will be nice to see a few rain drops again.   The heat is also pretty intense here so I look forward to actually wanting to wear clothes again.

4.  My friends and family I havent seen in so long! My best friend is getting married, I've already missed the hen do so it will be great to catch up with her before the big day.  Of course my mum, dad and sister too. My mum came and spent a week enjoying Israel with me but everyone else it's been too long. A few of my friends have made families of their own in the time I've been away, so think I shall be meeting some tiny bundles of joy.

5.  Doing lots of different stuff such as:Yoga, Capoeira (if I'm in close enough proximity to a class), Zoomba, swimming, Samba drumming, paying Gregson Lane Folk Club a visit and generally keeping my self occupied. Probably not all at the same time though, not sure I have enough energy for that.

6. Applying for gardening jobs and finally feeling like I have a tiny bit of direction in my life.  I dont feel like I am just going to be flailing around feeling lost this time, unlike after coming home from teaching in China. 

7.  How incredibly green England is and the resultant lack of dust/sand that gets everywhere! Oh and no mosquitoes to feast on me!

8. Having a washing machine to do my own laundry. No more 258 written on everything and the black hole that is the kibbutz laundry service. 

9. Pints of real ale and or an ice cold cider when the sun comes out. Israel doesn't really have cider even though it has the perfect weather for it.

10. Researching and deciding which country to go and explore next? Hehe. Nah I might stick around for a while, we'll see how things go.

 Leaving this place is going be hard after 9 months here, but its time to move on and try something new. I hope my next adventure is filled with as much fun and fabulous people as I've managed to find here.