We are on edge. Every speeding motorcycle, a car revving up or changing gears, even the wind howling in the trees, can make you jump up ready to make a run move with urgency to the bomb shelter or safety zone (i.e. under the stairs or other such safer areas). You can imagine how a police or ambulance siren taunts us. As of this weekend, the ambulances have switched to ice-cream van music instead of a siren. This could pose another sort of trauma to mothers with toddlers but this is possibly the lesser evil. Or not.
We have silent radio stations (The Silent Wave). There are wavelengths for each city that you can tune into and they only sound the air-raid siren when it occurs. Some areas have fewer or quieter sirens it seems. It's also hard to hear if you have all your double glazed windows shut, the A/C on, and music (not from the radio) on in the background. On Shabbat when many people don't listen to the radio or tv at all, they leave the silent wave on all day. Deep sleepers are also advised to use it at night.
And of course you can download the siren app to your ipod or smartphone.
No-one steps into the shower without first hanging a towelling robe on the back of the door. Slippers or sandals are placed next to beds. Pyjamas are back in vogue, even for the young and sexy. I won't go into other toilet issues but it's not relaxed.
Jokes in our house have become topical. On our way downstairs this morning DD joked: It would be funny if the siren went off now when we're already on the stairs and half way to the shelter.
Me: Yes that would be funny. We could say, ha ha we were coming down anyway!
DD (giggling): Yes, ha ha we were nearly there anyway!
I can hear the children in the school playground opposite. By far the best and most popular game is to imitate the sound of the siren to see if anyone is fooled. What a hoot eh? (Pardon the pun.)
Yesterday evening we had our third siren in Jerusalem. DD was half way down the stairs before I'd even put down my laptop. As I descended I heard my neighbour call her away from the front door and into the shelter. "What were you doing by the front door," I asked her when I got there, "did you forget where you were going?"
"No, I wanted to see if I could see a rocket."
We have silent radio stations (The Silent Wave). There are wavelengths for each city that you can tune into and they only sound the air-raid siren when it occurs. Some areas have fewer or quieter sirens it seems. It's also hard to hear if you have all your double glazed windows shut, the A/C on, and music (not from the radio) on in the background. On Shabbat when many people don't listen to the radio or tv at all, they leave the silent wave on all day. Deep sleepers are also advised to use it at night.
And of course you can download the siren app to your ipod or smartphone.
No-one steps into the shower without first hanging a towelling robe on the back of the door. Slippers or sandals are placed next to beds. Pyjamas are back in vogue, even for the young and sexy. I won't go into other toilet issues but it's not relaxed.
Jokes in our house have become topical. On our way downstairs this morning DD joked: It would be funny if the siren went off now when we're already on the stairs and half way to the shelter.
Me: Yes that would be funny. We could say, ha ha we were coming down anyway!
DD (giggling): Yes, ha ha we were nearly there anyway!
I can hear the children in the school playground opposite. By far the best and most popular game is to imitate the sound of the siren to see if anyone is fooled. What a hoot eh? (Pardon the pun.)
Yesterday evening we had our third siren in Jerusalem. DD was half way down the stairs before I'd even put down my laptop. As I descended I heard my neighbour call her away from the front door and into the shelter. "What were you doing by the front door," I asked her when I got there, "did you forget where you were going?"
"No, I wanted to see if I could see a rocket."
Oh God the ambulances making the voice of icecream vans is heartbreaking, and DD saying she was looking for rockets, is chilling.
ReplyDeleteI am so so sorry you are going through this. It can't be easy for anybody over there.
And here we are in the UK with our daily first world problems. I am going to quit moaning about anything now.
Love and hugs darling
Liska xx
P.S. stay safe! xx
I wish I could offer you safe shelter or something equally appropriate. Since I cannot, I remember you and your daughter and the rest of your people in prayer. I pray that your lives will be spared and that peace will reign soon
ReplyDeleteMyra from Winnipeg Canada. (This puts all my minor problems into perspective.)
It's so difficult to still be reading you're going through this again, so I can't imagine what it's like to actually be going through it. You're a brave lady and my thoughts and prayers are often with you xx
ReplyDeleteAnd there you were just commenting on my silly post about living in the countryside when all this is going on around you. You are a remarkable lady, please stay safe, I'm thinking of you x
ReplyDelete