The Simple Life

A diary can be a voyage of self-discovery, or even a rediscovery of one's surroundings. This year I'm more mindful of my immediate locality, not just the village where I live, more the wider area. That has tended to be given a cursory glance. Rather than glance, and with the digital camera in hand, I have some excursions in mind. Sounds simple enough, however, I'm sure my powers of observation will be improved in doing that. What I want to achieve this year, is get the hang of using the digital camera. I enjoy using my Nikon D40x but I’m not a dedicated photographer. Not with the same passion I have for creative writing.

Many years ago on a train journey to Scotland, I chatted with a beautiful woman aged eighty. I asked her, "what's your secret for looking so young and healthy?" Her reply: Living a simple life, keeping myself busy. Never looking back, without looking forward. She had the power of positive thinking. A highland woman, she remembered when her cottage was lit by oil lamps. When she had to draw water from a well, and walked long distances to see her neighbours. She had a smallholding, and the land, she said, mostly gave her enough to live from. What she couldn't afford to buy, she made or her neighbours made. People had more practical skills then. They survived by sharing those.

Olives and Mezze

The terraces of olive trees, seen from the office window, one of my enduring memories of Bethlehem. When a friend’s husband had two olive presses shipped from Italy, I was keen to see those in action. The modern versions clattered like ships engines and stank of diesel. To the best of my knowledge, Palestinian olive oil is not exported. It is possible some finds its way into Israel. In which instance, the bottles are likely to have made in Israel labels. Just as some Israeli wines are made from Hebron grapes, cultivated by Palestinian families. As alcohol is forbidden to Muslims, it seems eminently sensible, selling the grapes to others for wine production.

The above came to me, when reading Carol Drinkwater’s book The Olive Route. I enjoy munching olives, especially with the variety of mezze to be had at the Philadelphia, in East Jerusalem. Middle Eastern cuisine, is mostly delicious. One of my regular spots the American Colony Hotel. Some less salubrious restaurants, have surprisingly good food. Décor isn’t always a guide to the quality of the cuisine.

Last night I found a superb web site by Matt Brandon, The Digital Trekker. His portraits of people in India, and elsewhere, are deeply touching. As a subscriber to webshots, I’m impressed by many amateur photographers there. Flickr another site, with superbly creative contributors.

Over the weekend, I had another wander in Castle Ashby Village. This thatched house captured my attention.