Sundays are great; Mondays, not so much.

Sunday went very well; I had left the slugabeds at home and headed off to the Sunday market alone to look for some nice mussels for dinner, a few vegetables, bread, and of course 50 tulips for 10 EUR, a perennial (haha) favorite. I arrived in time to discover that the grey skies had disappeared and it was a clear blue sky, 10 degrees... of course that calls for fresh oysters and a glass of white wine at a little makeshift cafe in the middle of the market, doesn't it?


When the fish merchant proved to be out of mussels I opted instead for an assortment of different fish, to try to make bouillabaisse for the first time. If you've never had it, you are really missing out; it was delicious (and I'm eating the leftovers up right now), and frankly dead easy to make. The combination of the delicate stock, the licorice flavours of the fennel, the rouille of roasted red peppers and garlic, the garlicy toasted bread and the assorted fish and seafood flavours were sublime.

I also so noticed that the strawberries were in, and I picked some up for dessert with ice cream, something that Maggie and Duncan welcomed with great enthusiasm:


The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the sun, with different family members doing as they wished: variously, enjoying a good book, playing, writing, and getting ready for Monday morning...

... which dawned grey and cool, with a small accumlation of snow on the cars and rooftops! We were surpised, given the spring weather of the day before, but I got the boys off to school without incident, sat down with satisfaction to a second cup of espresso, and began to plan my week in the silent comfort of home, sans enfants. Ahhh, peace and tranquility! I sang through a few arias, tried out the new piano, and generally was enjoying myself until I got a call from Maggie, saying that he'd hurt himself at school.

Apparently Duncan's class was doing a science demonstration, and he was running, and tripped over an extension cord, bashing his head on a chair. They put ice on it, and asked him if he needed to go home; he opted to stay. I don't think there's any lasting damage, but he has the look of a prizefighter:


It's crazy! You bring your kid home from the hospital after an operation, feed him soft cool foods, make him rest, cover him with a blanket, help him to heal, and the first day he's out of your sight for a couple of hours, he bashes his head against something. Sigh.

After this mini crisis, the day ended positively, with a visit to the doctor to have his ears checked out. Everything seems to be healing nicely, and he got the green light to get water in his ears, have an immersive bath or a shower, go swimming, etc. He's pleased, he's a water baby for sure.

Now it's back to work for me. Have a good week!