There has been plenty to keep me busy around here this week, although things still look pretty bleak regarding Day Camps applications ☹️
We finally sorted out how to publish the latest edition of CTM’s quarterly newsletter and on Thursday morning I happily hit the “publish” button.
During the week I have been also putting together PowerPoint slides for the upcoming Team Gathering and will continue to add bits as we receive them. At present there are 14 people signed up to attend and committee member, Mikaela, is doing extra badgering. I sent out another round of emails to alums and next week will put fresh reminders on FaceBook and Instagram.
Periodically I go into Google Drive and add more documents to the folders we have prepared for 2021 Day Camp Programs but it is hard to see them sitting there forlornly with no one signed up to receive the resources. At this point I really cannot imagine that we will have any applications, despite my best efforts to advertise as broadly as possible, since a number of provinces are still under the sort of restrictions that would impede communities from hosting these types of gatherings this summer. On the one hand I totally understand but on the other hand it is hard to see why no one is interested in the Virtual Experience package.
Outside of office hours there was a meeting of Diocesan Council on Tuesday afternoon. It was a LONG meeting, the first of a new Council since our Synod took place in mid-May. As of Thursday I managed to complete the draft minutes (SEVEN PAGES!!!) and have sent them off to my partner the Clerical Secretary who is a whiz at formatting and will no doubt find plenty of corrections to make .
This week I finally broke out the Moomin jigsaw puzzle that my dear friend Michelle sent me from the UK last Christmas. Mid-week we had several days under a heat warning so Thomason and I had to restrict our outdoor times a bit and sitting on the porch was impossible once the sun was on that side of the house, so I spent some time “puzzling” at the dining room table, and have made fairly good progress 😊
No matter how hot it is I still take an hour or so early each morning to whiffle around in the garden. We really do need rain already as the grass and plants are looking rather crispy for so early in the summer. The peonies are in bloom at present and I’m enjoying the lovely perfume from a small bouquet in the living room.
Next week, once the jigsaw puzzle is complete, I need to get the sewing machine back on the dining table and do some work on baby sewing as my sweet friend Sarah’s baby is due very soon and since he or she will be a summer baby I would like to sew rather than knit a first gift. No matter the season I always have some knitting on my needles and am presently enjoying making stripy scarves using up small quantities of the organic yarn with which I knit Newfoundland Mittens
This morning it is not too too hot so I just finished mowing the lawns and will soon begin the weekly baking! And as this post is getting a bit long and rambling we had better close off.
Earlier this spring I discovered how to bake homemade Digestive Biscuits. When I was a child we always had a tin of Digestives on hand for snacking and they are great with a piece of cheese. The recipe I found on Pinterest was I think from the UK and so was all in grams. Not having a kitchen scale any more, I’ve done a bit of converting and am pleased with the results. Do give them a try!
Digestive Biscuits
- 1 cup whole spelt flour
- ¾ cup oatmeal
- 6 Tbsps. Earth Balance or butter
- ½ tsp. each baking soda & baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 4 Tbsps. maple syrup (or golden syrup!)
Combine the dry ingredients and cut in the butter or margarine. Add the maple syrup and gather the mixture together into a ball. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about ¼” thick and cut into circles. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 340º oven for 15 minutes or until crisp. Makes about 18 biscuits.