Today the first Christmas card of 2024 was posted through our door. It was from an old friend, who is clearly better organised than I am, at least regarding Christmas. And so, Christmas 2024 seems to be officially started. In addition I gave in and bought my first box of mince pies yesterday, from Marks and Spencer. I had gone to Marks and Spencer while in Manchester, hoping that M & S would have a nicer-looking Christmas cake than the ones I found in our local Tesco. They did! And at a price very similar to the inferior ones in Tesco.
In a perfect world, I would have made my own Christmas cake, probably back in October, but that was never going to happen. I spoke to a neighbour about this recently, she told me about the year she decided to make her own cake and the fact the ingredients had cost her far more than the cost of a shop-bought cake. Its rather like knitting your own jumpers, we agreed: by the time you have paid for the pattern, selected and bought suitable yarn, put in the time to knit the garment, it’s a lot more costly than buying even a quite pricey cashmere sweater. Of course, by making it yourself you acquire a unique garment, secure on the knowledge that nobody else has exactly the same one, but that’s a different matter. Personally I have always enjoyed knitting sweaters and sewing clothes but making my own Christmas cake has never quite fallen into the same category.
But slowly, slowly I am getting into gear to get the family Christmas under way. There are a few gifts tucked away in a cupboard, as yet unwrapped but I do have wrapping paper and labels. I have pigs-in-blankets (another food item I could make myself but which are really too fiddly to bother with) are in the freezer. I even went to a local place to see of I could find a small Christmas tree, ideally a rooted, pot-grown tree, for my “elves” to decorate later this month. When I talked Christmas trees with my daughter recently, she insisted on my “shopping local”, rather than resorting to the supermarkets.The local vendor, however, only had huge trees, far too big for my needs, and no pot-grown trees at all! I shall have to look elsewhere.
Oh, and I had my first ‘Christmas lunch with friends” yesterday, specifically lunch with my Italian conversation class friends.
Christmas 2024 is underway!
Out in the wider world, the tentative ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is holding, at least according to the media reports. Israel is still attacking refugee camps in “safe zones” in Gaza though. Really those “safe zones” need a new name!
Here is something from Aljazeera, posted on Facebook by Michael Rosen:
Israel’s Ben-Gvir hopes to do ‘big things’ in Gaza with Trumo’s support: Report.
After US President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House next month, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wants to present him with “a programme to encourage migration (of Palestinians from] and settlements [of Israelis] in Gaza”.
In an interview with a podcast of the Maariv newspaper, Ben Gvir said it would be the “moral” and “logical” choice for Trump to join “this endeavour”.
“It will also be good for the residents of Gaza who emigrate, voluntarily of course,” he claimed. “it will also do us good.”
“When have we defeated our enemies? It’s always been when have taken territory from them. When we liberated - they call it “occupied” I say liberated - the territory, that’s the thing that punishes them most,” he said.
Hmm! Interesting! Here is one of the comments about the post:
I'm sure the First Nation people of North America would endorse that. It sounds like the rationale behind the European migration across the Atlantic.
And here is another:
“Voluntarily of course”
“ it will be good for the residents of Gaza”
“It will be good for us too”
One of these statements is true can you spot which.
Meanwhile there is this, from the Guardian online:
“A report from Amnesty International alleges that Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip constitutes the crime of genocide under international law, the first such determination by a major human rights organisation in the 14-month-old conflict.
The 296-page report examining events in Gaza between October 2023 to July 2024, published on Thursday, found that Israel had “brazenly, continuously and with total impunity … unleashed hell” on the strip’s 2.3 million population, noting that the “atrocity crimes” against Israelis by Hamas on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war, “do not justify genocide”.
Israel has “committed prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction” with the “specific intent to destroy Palestinians” in the territory, the report said.”
Notice the language that the newspaper article uses - the report “alleges” that Israel’s actions amount to genocide. Careful legal words to describe what is patently obvious!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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