Here we are at the start of a new month. May can be still quite cold and wintery but it can also feel like summer, so in a way we have a month ahead of us that is just as wild a rollercoaster as life is on a daily basis for everyone in the world right now 😊
Despite remaining alone in lockdown the week has been full with plenty of projects both within the world of Day Camps and also around my house and garden.For Day Camps I have been going over the minutes of our most recent committee meeting and looking at all the good suggestions that were made. We want to try to look upon this year of enforced cancellation also as a year of Grace and use the time mindfully. In the months ahead we want to continue the conversations and to come out of this season with some innovations and improvements that will serve Day Camps moving forward.
First of all I have been updating (for 2021!!) the Team and Host Community application forms so that Jillian can work on the project of making them “fillable” online, something we have talked about for the past few years.Then I’ve been deep diving into the Program Manual for summer 2022 to see which elements we can begin on now, while some of us have extra time to devote to this type of work.I’m also looking at including some special blog posts this summer, which will focus on a bit of Day Camp program content for “camper-aged” children in the space where I usually share news of our Teams out on the road. There are positive ways we can use this difficult time, without in any way glossing over the misery, pain and loss currently occurring in millions of lives around the world.
Outside of Day Camp work I have painted a panel of the back door, cleaned all my pantry shelves, washed the living room chair covers, finished sewing two cute little outfits for baby Serena and enjoyed a couple of “virtual visits” with friends. There are three more “visits” scheduled for today, tomorrow and Monday and I am so grateful to the friends who have made time to chat with me as conversation full time with a puppy can be somewhat limiting 😊
Over the span of a few afternoons I also took time to paint a rainbow, which is now hanging in the transom window above my front door. It was good to get out my paints although sadly I have no more watercolour paper so I guess I’ll have to wait a while before I can use them again. Since I’ve been working in the garden all morning and am joining a friend over FaceTime this afternoon I’ve decided not to bake today but someone is waiting for his walk so I had better hurry up and finish this post 😊
Thursday evening for dinner I made a quick dish with my favourite cheese-Haloumi. It is a Middle Eastern cheese and can easily be found in Syrian or Iranian grocers.
Fried Haloumi with Couscous and Roasted Red Peppers
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup wholewheat couscous
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Za’taar
- 3 Tbsps. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 8oz. Haloumi
- ½ cup plain yoghurt
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, spices and 1 Tbsp. oil. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for 10 minutes.Meanwhile blot the Haloumi to dry it out and cut into ¼ thick slices. Heat the remaining oil and fry the Haloumi until golden, turning once.When the couscous is ready, fluff with a fork and stir in the tomatoes, peppers and cilantro. Divide between two bowls and top each bowl with half the Haloumi slices. Garnish with a big blob of yoghurt and a drizzle of lemon juice.