It Could’ve Gone Either Way
“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord – the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.” Jeremiah 31:12
We are pretty and good and pretty good photographers and pretty good models and pretty good socialites and we have to do them all at once and we find it difficult being pretty good gardeners. Enter now the little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, and the gier eagle. Nature abounds at HaYarkon Park, the green lung breathing life into northern Tel Aviv. This wild and previous landscape, treescape and dreamscape hugs the pioned and twill brimmed banks of the River Yarkon – that molten mirror of gently rippling silver amalgam. Six gardens amidst the rolling riparian parkland include the four hectare Rock Garden filled with over 3,500 plant species as well as raucous birdsong. Hoopoe, Hooded Crow, Laughing Dove, White Throated Kingfisher and Black Crowned Night Heron all join in the dawn to dusk chorus. There’s more.
Come closer, draw nearer. An enigmatic sculpture in the middle of HaYarkon Park stretches our visual vocabulary. White concrete cylindrical and wave forms tip three metres at their tallest point. Berlin born Slade School of Fine Art London trained Yitzhak Danziger became a leading 20th century Israeli sculptor. His Serpentine sculpture was erected in 1973, just four years before he died aged 61. Expand your view, broaden your horizon.
There are certain certainties. There are certain things we are certain about. There are certain uncertainties. That is to say, there are things that we are certain we are uncertain about. But there are also uncertain uncertainties. We are certainly certain that we’ll never be pretty good gardeners but that doesn’t stop us loving HaYarkon Park. As Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata of the Bakwa Indu People of the Luba Empire Kasaï Democratic Republic of Congo once reminded us, “It’s a beautiful day to be alive!” And butterfly jewellery artist Wallace Chan whispered to us at the British Museum London, “Embrace every fleeting moment.” This is our summer of content and we mean content.
“… and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.” Amos 9:14
(Extract with alternative imagery from the bestseller SABBATH PLUS ONE Jerusalem and Tel Aviv).
