Spring is for wool-gathering, and other new knowledge from May

It's been another quiet month on the bloggity blog. I haven't been sick, or even overly busy, just stuck in receptor mode. Reading was always more attractive than writing; gazing out the window so much better than staring at a screen. And with glories such as these to see, can you blame me?

There's so much life to absorb here the spring. After months of bare branch monotony, buds burst and leaves unfurl faster than I can reflect upon them. I didn't want to look back at that first hint of green if it means missing the last of the lilacs. So I've kept the laptop closed and my eyes wide open, tucking away a lifetime of seasonal scene-setting in the process. No time for developing plots to follow them - that would pull me too far from the present.

It was hardly a guilt-free decision. I missed May's Quicklit and April's round of learning. My brain knows that joining a link-up is entirely voluntary, but in my heart of hearts, I felt like a truant. The highschool keener is strong in this one. And here I thought I'd left her behind. 

There were other pleasures besides the foliage. My eldest had her first dance recital, and this nervous performer learned how to sit back and enjoy without playing auditorium-seat adjudicator. My daughter's dance studio is community based and non-competitive, but I didn't know until the recital that the teachers volunteered their time, that modern dance could be something I'd love to watch, that pop songs could still stir my soul. I knew the students were grouped by age, not experience, but hadn't realized they'd thrown out the nonsense about the ballerina body type as well. It was wonderful to see girls who normally would have been told they'd grown too tall, or too heavy, or too busty to continue up on stage in their pointe shoes, dancing along with confidence and grace. 

I also learned that my favourite bakery has become everyone's favourite bakery, thanks to a certain article hailing it #4 in the world's best back in April. I took my family there when they visited us over May long, and we arrived to empty cases and an apologetic staff. Apparently the line out front of the Duchess has stretched down the street before they open every morning for weeks and doesn't disappear until they've sold out of basically everything (usually 3pm). The remaining five business hours seem to be reserved for making drinks, repeating explanations, and waiting for more prudent customers to pick up their orders. Moral of the story: call the night before and take your pick off the website. Fortunately, the walk there was still lovely and the sole baked item left for sale was scrumptious. We'll see if the hype extends to the next visit.

And, lastly, it appears I've learned how to hack a "what I've learned" post that isn't a listicle. Go me.

May beauty continue to greet us as the seasons unfold, even if it takes away our words.

Linking up with the lovely Emily at Chatting at the Sky.