It was the first warm friday of the year.Spring is already in the air.The hills are green and the soil red,poppy flowers are already in bloom,street side vendors have their vegetables stacked up in high piles so attractively,carrots,radishes,cauliflower and tomatoes.A festival of colors along the way .We all know how dear Jordan's spring is. If you've ever lived in Jordan,you know this won't last for long.The heat will suddenly increase and grass will be yellow and brown before you've had the chance to enjoy it.We went on a short trip to Madaba,and it was splendid.Everyone was yearning for the sun , the airport road was filled with picnickers,their hubbly bubblies and their barbeques.I was reluctant to tag the kids along since we were going on a not-so-close family visit ,but I was glad we did.Stopping at a traffic light,there was a camel carried around in a pick up truck ,right next to us.This is the closest that my two-year-old son got to a live cattle animal,and he just loved it,with the camel's big eyes gazing at him and his mouth chewing right and left.Sheep grazing in the fields,and if anyone knows how soon this grass will dry,it's them.Donkeys basting in the sun,enjoying a lazy friday that doesn't come too often ,and even pigs(in the relatives farm)playing around in the mud.It was nature at its rowest,and I loved how the kids enjoyed it.I wish we have a proper zoo in Jordan,where you can take the kids and enjoy your day,without having a poor quality tape recorder screaming out George wassoof's songs at its loudest ,and without the cheap entertainment park rides close by,singing poorly recorded chinese songs to the same tune, over and over again,but that's a whole new post.Well,it was a very enjoyable trip.The realtive's hospitality was overwhelming,their love genuine and true,even my kids felt it,I can tell because they were really at ease,and they actually allowed me to sit with the grown-ups while they played with the older kids most of the time .We went back to Amman,bought a lovey yellow cauliflower(zahra baladieh)that I made into a magloobeh for today's lunch,and will make a big effort to enjoy all the upcoming sunny weekends in trips around Jordan.I wanted to urge everyone to go out and enjoy the spring,but,I just looked outside and it is now raining!Well,maybe next weekend!