I hope all my American readers enjoyed their long weekend. We’re still in lockdown around here… But moving on, here are a few things I’ve been up to lately.
Read
May was a bit disappointing on the reading front. I read (and discussed) Hamnet and Judith, a novel about the death of Shakespeare’s son. Reading Goodreads reviews was interesting; some people hate the writing, some people think it’s beautiful. I didn’t hate it but the subject (death of a child) wasn’t very appealing and I wanted more about Shakespeare and the play Hamlet.
I got some useful ideas from Better Together. I’ll be looking back at my notes as I plan next school year and even as I “design my summer,” in the words of Gretchen Rubin.
I read aloud the fourth (and last) Detective Gordon book to my kids. They are short, amusing novels about animal police officers, translated from Swedish.
I came across I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus, a book of poems that are funny but not obnoxious, and enjoyed reading them to the kids. (Similar to Shel Silverstein.)
I also had fun looking at cookbooks, specifically Cook This Book and One Good Dish. So I guess it wasn’t such a bad month!
Eat
We made piñata cookies full of Skittles instead of birthday cake this month.
Do
Not surprisingly most of our May activities were outdoors: beach afternoons and hikes. (Thankfully there are many lovely places to hike around here.) I also talked to my sister on the phone while walking several times. Here’s a sunset picture I snapped while walking on the Tom Thomson trail in Owen Sound.
Listen
My current favourite church song: “Speak, O Lord”
Meditate
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
– John 15:12
My favourite for May was I finally was able to get a crop of spinach safe from critters and bugs, by growing it in a large container on the deck. It is delicious. (I would say that even if not true. But it is true.)