ABC Wednesday, K for Kibbutz

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 10 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with K.


A kibbutz is a collective community based on acriculture in Israël. The first kibbutz, Degania Alef, was founded in 1910.

Men and women had to work in the fields, and factories. The children were playing and later studying under the supervision of trained nurses and teachers.
Everything was shared. People didn't get payed for their work, but they had everything they needed, like board and lodging, education. Meals were taken together

In addition to its 350 cow dairy herd, crop fields, almond orchards, banana, date and avocado plantations, Degania Bet industrialized in the 1960s with Degania Sprayers, now a green industry; in 1984 it opened the Degania Silicone factory. An additional source of income is its kibbutz cottage tourist accommodation, and it specializes in organized bicycle tours. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism. In recent decades, some kibbutzim have been privatized and changes have been made in the communal lifestyle.

On our trip to the north of Israel we stayed in the kibbutz Deganya Bet and from this place we took dayly the bus to visit the sights around the Sea of Galilee.
Our group consisted of 44 members.



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ABC Wednesday, J for Jerusalem

From Israel I send this post with thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with J.


Wikipedia says:"Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since King David of Israel first established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified in 33 AD and 300 years later Saint Helena identified the pilgrimage sites of Jesus' life. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city. It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi), the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE, making Jerusalem one of the oldest cities in the world. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger by Jordan in 1982".

All photos are borrowed from Wikipedia and others.

ABC Wednesday, I for Israel

Last week I went away for a short holiday to Israel, where I am staying at a lodge belonging to Dina's neighbour. Dina met me at the airport and we are going to see first the surroundings and lateron Jerusalem. All photos are not mine as I haven't got the chance to file them in my library yet.
Wikipedia says:"The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.

Following the 1947 United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared Israel a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine."

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with I.

I shan't be able to answer comments until the 23rd or 24th March because of this holiday in Israel. We shall be in northern Israel this week and there will be no time to work on the computer. So dear friends I hope you'll excuse me for the time being. My posts are scheduled.


Deze foto van Israël This photo of Tel Aviv is provided by TripAdvisor
Deze foto van Israël ( This photo of Capernaum is provided by TripAdvisor)

Our World Today Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, H for Hope Vale in Queensland

During the Second World War, Cooktown became an important base for the war effort. The civilian population of Cooktown was encouraged to evacuate in face of the Japanese advances and by 1942 the vast majority had left. The Aboriginal people of the Lutheran missions at Hope Valley and Bloomfield were forcibly removed - most being taken south to Woorabinda in May, 1942, while some of the elderly people were sent to Palm Island. The senior missionary, Pastor Schwartz (known as Muni to the local people), was arrested and placed in internment as he were suspected as being an enemy sympathiser,but he was not an enemy sympathiser, he was German, highly respected and loved by the Aboriginal people, who have been greatly thankful for his efforts to give them a proper home and work and education. The Aboriginal people were not allowed to return to their homelands until 1949, well after the end of the war.They got a new region to build their compound, which was more in the west of Hope Valley. This new abode of the Aboriginal inhabitants is called Hope Vale. Many Aboriginal people died when moved from their traditional lands, and many Aboriginal and white families never returned from their exile.
Yet many of the elderly people are without feelings of revenge. One of the elders once said to me:"I don't feel that I am a VICTIM, I feel that I am a VICTOR".

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our new logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar.

Australia is part of my world too for my youngest daughter lives here, and she has written down the lifestory of one of the uncles of her first husband in a book called: "Cockatoo", My Life in Cape York. See http://www.creativespirits.info/resources/books/cockatoo-my-life-in-cape-york

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with H.


Below Hope Vale with its spacious streets and houses, all built after 1949. To see more details you can click on the photos.

The Reconciliation or Acceptance Story.

Willie Gordon tells:"In the 1930s there was a decision made by my clan to accept a little girl, my Auntie Ruby, into their midst, even though she had a lighter coloured skin. We called this event the Reconciliation or Acceptance Story.

First of all my Auntie Ruby, when she was old enough to understand, was asked to put her handprint in a cave to symbolise her acceptance into the clan. A hand stencil was made to give the hand's true shadow and to record that she was there. (Aunt Ruby's hand is the first on the left.) The stencil was made by blowing ochre through a hollowed bone to create the spray effect. Thagu, the left hand, was used as this is generally regarded as a person's signature, and because it is the peaceful hand; whereas nganhthirr, the right hand, is generally the first used in anger.

Then the artist and the story-teller sat down to document the event. They had to find a symbol they could paint to represent the story. So in a cave close to the handprint cave, they painted a big fish to symbolise the good decision made.

The reason they painted a fish is because when fish are swimming they sometimes turn and reflect the light. This is called gandal. Light has always been the symbol of spirituality, where good spirits are found. Darkness is where the bad spirits linger. So the reflection of the fish reminds us of how we should be accepting of all people, regardless of skin colour or culture".

Cooktown & The First Reconciliation
The Aboriginal Family: Moieties & Marriage
Yirmbal, the Creation Story

www.guurrbitours.com

This is what Willie and Judy wrote to me:"Wil - Wonderful to see all your lovely photos again, and to know you remember your time with us. We remember your visit well, and hope we'll see you again some time soon :) Stay well and happy. Willie & Judy".

The Netherlands, Royalty News

Two weeks ago Prince Johan Friso, the second son of our Queen, got a terrible accident due to an avalanche. He was buried for more than 20 minutes under a thick layer of snow while he was skiing in the neighbourhood of Lech, Austria, and then resuscitated for 50 minutes, which is too long and normally not done.He suffered massive brain damage. He will probably never regain conciousness. Our thoughts are with the royal family. Queen Beatrix was still in Lech and Friso's wife Mabel and two little daughters too. The Queen and Mabel visited him daily. Today we heard the news that the prince has been taken to a special hospital in London, where he and his family live.

Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, G for Guurrbi Tours and Willie Gordon

A few years ago I was in Australia, staying with my daughter. We decided to do the Guurbi tour. Our Aboriginal guide was Willie Gordon,who takes guests to his ancestral rock art sites, set in stunning countryside high in the hills above the Aboriginal compound of Hope Vale. Willie Gordon is an impressive guide, who tells his stories with a lot of humour. He knows how to involve the children in such a way that they are fascinated by his stories. He showed us the use of herbs and other plants.Willie Gordon is now listed as one of Australia's Ultimate Must-Do Experiences. With his great smile and infectious laugh he gives you an amazing insight into Aboriginal society and will have you thinking about your own relationship with the earth.







In the caves of Hope Vale are these rock paintings to be found. This is an interesting tour along the caves and through the forest, where our guide Willie Gordon showed us the use of various herbs, and bush medicines.
Willie Gordon says:"My country is north of Cooktown, in Cape York, Far North Queensland. It's on The Bama Way, an Aboriginal trail through Guugu Yimithirr and Kuku Yalanji country, which people can follow today, identifying places of historical and cultural significance along the way.
In the past our spirituality was woven into every level of our existence;it made us strong helped us to make good clear decisions, governed our laws.Our laws took into consideration all living things: animals, plants, birds as well as human beings. The laws were there to ensure the survival of all of my people, and the environment in which they lived. So in the past these two S's -Spirituality and Survival- were central to our existence."

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our new logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with G.

Sky Watch, Moonshadow by Cat Stevans

You can see by the shape of the moon that this photo is taken at a place not far from the equator.In this case in North Queensland ! The farther you move from the equator the more the moon takes a vertical shape like ) , or (.







Sky Watch is hosted each week by the Sky Watch team of Sandy, Wren and Sylvia. And this week as every week, we remember Klaus and know that he joins us in spirit! .
Thank you so much for this great meme, it's always a pleasure to participate, and see all the other skies around the world. If you want to see other skies please click on the logo in the side bar.

ABC Wednesday, F for Friends for Ever

The owner of the huskies got the fright of his life when he saw a huge polar bear coming to his dogs. He saw that the animal singled out one of the dogs to play with. The dog and the polar bear played for a while, and fortunately the owner of the husky could take all these photos! I got these pictures from one of my e-mail friends and I enjoyed this little story! Hope you also like it.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 10 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with F.

Sky Watch, Autumn and Winter

The same spot, but always different.

Sky Watch is hosted each week by the Sky Watch team of Sandy, Wren and Sylvia. And this week as every week, we remember Klaus and know that he joins us in spirit! .
Thank you so much for this great meme, it's always a pleasure to participate, and see all the other skies around the world. If you want to see other skies please click on the logo in the side bar.

You can enlarge the photos when you click on them! Have a great SWF!