The Simple Woman’s Daybook – May

Hello Friend,

Here we are in May already! In this little corner of the world, Spring is at last raising her head from her winter’s slumber. We don’t have blossoms yet, but I have seen tiny green buds on the trees, and the crocus has made its appearance too. It’s time. Time for spring!

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The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.

Josiyah Martin

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Please have a seat here in the sun by the window, and help yourself to these whipped shortbread cookies, half-dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. A delectable find at the bakery today. Just looking at them makes me want to serve them with milk. You’re welcome to milk, if you like, but I do have English Breakfast Tea, “produced for the United Kingdom from pure Ceylon Teas packed in Sri Lanka.” There’s a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the tin so it must be the real thing (tea-hee).

Now, won’t you sit back and relax as I share my daybook with you?

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For Today

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Looking out my window …

A breeze moves the smaller branches on the old tree in the middle of the lawn. This tree is usually one of the last ones in the yard to leaf out fully. But there is beauty in her bare branches too. Her bones stand straight and strong, her sturdy limbs clothed in a lacy cloak etched against the sky.

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I am thinking …

About new beginnings, and hoping our world will soon be welcoming new beginnings. New face-to-face meetings with dearest, long-loved friends, being captivated by the way their hands move when they talk, and surprised by the curve of their chin. Those things were always there, but now for some reason they’re important.

I am wearing …

A dress that I bought for my niece’s wedding two years ago. What with this thing called a pandemic and all of the isolation, my dresses were being neglected. So, I’ve decided that once a week I will wear a dress. Today’s is a silky flower print in soft pinks, peaches and sage, with an asymmetrical hemline and three flounces down one side.

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I am creating …

a quilted storybook for the next baby soon to arrive in our extended family.

I am reading …

Lark Rise to Candleford, by Flora Thompson. It paints a finely detailed portrait of rural English life at the turn of the nineteenth century. She describes the countryside and communities of her childhood.

In the eighteen-eighties the hamlet consisted of about thirty cottages, and an inn, not built in rows, but dotted down anywhere within a more or less circular group. A deeply rutted cart track surrounded the whole, and separate houses or groups of houses were connected by a network of pathways. Going from one part of the hamlet to another was called ‘going round the Rise’, and the plural of ‘house’ was not ‘houses’, but ‘housen’.

Flora Thompson
[Lark Rise to Candleford]

Not only is the story captivating, but the book itself is delightful. I don’t usually order hardcover books, but this time I did. What a surprise upon opening the box to discover the book to be only the length and width of my hand! Under the book jacket, the cover is soft blue with tiny flowers and leaves imprinted on it. The pages are almost as thin as those of a Bible, and edged in gold. I can’t tell you why, but I am so delighted with this little book. Every time I look at it I smile. 

I am listening to …

Babe’s latest composition, Beginnings.

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I am hoping …

For a bit of a breeze on this laundry day when I get to do one of my favourite things – hang wash on a line.

I am learning …

That there is comfort in routine. My days and weeks during this year of restrictions have fallen into a kind of pattern, and I’ve found that when that pattern is greatly interrupted, or I’ve gone off routine and suddenly at a loss for what to do next, I get anxious. It is a side effect of our current world situation, I expect. And so, my daily and weekly routine is something affirming to come back to.

I am thankful …

That I found my dress for the wedding. Unlike Sweetie’s and Peaches’ weddings, I’m having a dress made to order this time.

The hardest decision about the dress was whether to order in cocoa or cafe, but I’m excited about it. I may even wear a fascinator in my hair. It’s the last daughter to get married, and I’m going out in style.

In my kitchen …

A new mini vacuum hangs on the wall, ready to sweep up any crumbs that dare touch the floor.

In my garden …

Two little tulips, striped yellow and red, are flowering in the backyard flowerbed. Every year I watch for the tiny shoots to first appear, and then it’s a daily check for the bright flowers. It’s always a joy to discover them.

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Shared Quote …

Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.

Anita Krizzan

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Closing Notes …

I’m so glad you stopped by today. I wish you joy and new beginnings in the weeks ahead. Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay