Shavuot on Saturday

I met Tom at Baobab today, nice coffee here (see pic) and date scones are good too. The day is fine and cool but really the weather has been impeccable really.  The Saturday's news is usually all bad, especially the front page report of ongoing child abuse by parents resulting in an horrific murder. Is it just that the small country tells about these atrocities, or are are they more prevalent here?

Below excellent coffee at Baobab

Police now shooting people in the back, makes you think of racist hatred in the South of the US.

More than twice the Kiwis were victims in Gallipoli than originally thought, what a disaster was Gallipoli!

Annie Leibowitz gets in on the Queen turning ninety, and does a great job on making Liz look pretty decent while getting Phil to smile.

Even Turkish PM comes to Ali's funeral...

What is happening to the 'normal' sex drive, one can only wonder?

Tonight I am going to the big Jewish feast of Shavuot to celebrate the giving of the Torah, the book of Moses. I have prepared some humous to take but it will probably go unused, although they did say to bring a plate. It will be interesting to experience the local Temple of Sinai for the first time and take part in this important Jewish ritual. I don't think Eckankar will be invited to take part in the ceremony, but I will be prepared just in case. Afterwards I will go to watch another religious Kiwi festival, this time of the   Rugby denomination, with the All Blacks playing Wales at Eden Park, either that or the Wellington Jazz festival, I may even do both.

Last night at the Italian Film festival the movie misleadingly entitled 'My nephew, the idiot' was really quite memorable, in its simplicity and reality, it was also a feel-good movie. The boy who played the 'idiot' nephew was extremely good and was a great foil to his bumbling alcoholic uncle Paolo.

So much going on tonight I also hope to catch up with Julian and his Mum Heather who are going to hear the New York band,' Snarky Puppy' which Julian loves, being a guitarist himself

Local couple arriving for lunch at Café Baobab

Ths great jazz group from the South island played a gig in Cuba Street. Fantastic all original jazz!