In Jewish tradition there is a period of three weeks which is a time of disasters. Interestingly, each year I find that it’s not just Jewish people who are in trouble at this time.
Historically, there are a string of disasters going back into biblical times and right into the modern period.
Sunday, 29th July 2012 was the culmination of this three week period. It’s called the 9th of Av (or Tisha B’Av) in the Jewish calendar.
In the biblical era it was the time of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem first by the Babylonians and then the Romans. It was the date of the expulsion from Spain under the direction of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. In more recent times it was the beginning of World War I which led directly into World War II.
In our little nomadic world these last few weeks have been a challenge too.
Firstly, one of the dogs who live here had to be euthanased. This was very sad. Even though they’re all old and ailing they still have interesting personalities and are very easy to get attached to.
A couple of days ago it was decided that another one had reached the limit of his stay here. He’s blind & deaf and has clearly not been doing well of late. This is particularly sad as he belongs to one of Katy’s children & his family.
In addition, there’s been a planned visit of one of Katy’s vet friends to come & check out a recent addition to our little family. Each time she’s been due to arrive there’s been some crisis which has prevented her turning up – so we’ve had a few afternoon teas and dinners prepared with no guest. The latest postponement was due to a crisis with a “blocked cat” (you really don’t want to know).
Apart from that we’ve managed to break a few things (including what felt like a couple of fingers although happily not), messed up some important commitments and have generally found it to be a stressful time. Fortunately, nothing was irretrievable or unrepairable but it certainly has been touch and go for a while.
Have you found the last three weeks to be a challenge? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that things should now improve – the main pressure is off.
So until next time – travel well.