The day begins, like all days, with the call to prayer from the mosque. While we, and I suspect the majority of our neighbours, do not observe it for its intended purpose, it still serves to punctuate the day, and during the months we lived in Famagusta it used to remind me to start preparing dinner. It’s somewhat like the medieval ringing of church bells for the Angelus, reminding those at home or in the fields to pray. (And, strange update, there is now apparently an iPhone app for the Angelus. Who knew?) And this morning there is another phenomenon sometimes associated with the call to prayer - a number of the village dogs have joined in, adding to the muezzin’s voice.
Finished our read aloud Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency book but now replaced it with an excellent read. Jonathan Kennedy’s Pathogenesis, on how germs shaped human history. Sounds too worthy, but absolutely riveting. Now possible to establish the DNA of bacteria and viruses found on human remains at archaeological sites and the results both elucidate and challenge historical assumptions. Keep wanting to buy copies to give people and the paperback isn’t even out until April.