The difference.

Today was my writing group, at my house. It's the last day of May. I haven't been teaching, and more importantly, grading, or going to (many) meetings, or writing reports, for weeks. Which meant that last night, when I thought about what I might make for my writing group's lunch, I felt like this:

whee!

instead of like this:

guh!

Oh what a difference the end of May makes! (also: the poem-a-day project for April, the cruelest month, is a good one, because you always have a poem to bring to writing group. Just fyi.)

Well, anyway, I also had this thought, expressly shared with me by Jamie Oliver, and also his ten kajillion Instagram followers:

this is a personal message to me from Jamie O. He knows how I feel
about cake.

It is, and I quote, a 'proper classic school dinner dessert,' whatever that means, and also 'one of those loyal and humble cake recipes that is pure nostalgia through and through.' In other words, 'Jammy Coconut Sponge.' So good. It's a sponge cake made with butter and eggs, with freshly made blackberry jam, and coconut pressed on and all around it. It was fantastic--I highly recommend this loyal and humble cake. (We also happen to have leftovers.)

Also: Nicoise salad, and pineapple with mint sugar. And bread and cheese.

I got up early-ish and went to the store, bought all the ingredients, and in an unhurried fashion made the cake, the jam, and assembled the thing. I roasted the asparagus, beets, and potatoes for the Nicoise, and washed the lettuce and sliced the scallions and the radishes. I whipped some cream for serving the cake.

And printed my poem, of course.

We had a lovely time. And then I took some naps. Because that's how Sunday, at least today, the last day of May, rolls.