Hello there! I am rather cold. Is it definitely Spring?
Have you got your drink?
If we were having chai, I’d start by updating you on school. So we still have bugs and illnesses going round, meaning there were absences within the classes. Still, we chugged on, knowing we have only one week left until we break for the Easter holidays! The CEP of our Academy came for a visit on Tuesday which was lovely and terrifying in equal parts, but I think he left happy!
If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I work with some cheeky people! On Thursday, I was in the staffroom and told to close my eyes. When I opened them, I was greeted by the picture below. If you are British (and old) enough, you’ll know about singer Jane Macdonald. Well, now, I am apparently her doppelganger! And it didn’t end there, either! The next day someone put another pic of Jane up, which even made me do a double take! Lol! Still, all taken in good nature. We had a laugh. Now I just burst into the staffroom singing ‘Kiss Me’!
If we were having chai, I’d say there are definite signs of spring around us, even though we keep getting rained on, and the temperatures fluctuate so much, I can’t tell if I am getting a cold, or need to start taking my antihistamines for hayfever!
If we were having chai, I’d mention that I had a lovely evening with one of my special Tootie Frootie friends on Saturday, just catching up and putting the world to rights. It was definitely needed!
If we were having chai, I’d brag about my new tote bag! The last time I went to my Society of Authors local chapter meeting, I wanted to take a couple of things with me but realised that I have no totes that aren’t teacher related, so I treated myself. Call it self-care or a little splurge because I felt I deserved it, but I love my new bag! Just in time for my next meet which is in a couple of weeks time, as well as the London Book Fair which is coming up soon, too!
If we were having chai, I would apologise and say that there are no pics of Sonu Singh this week, but we have been giving him some extra loving, since he has been alone most of the week, with Hubby Dearest out all week, too!
I shall be battling through the next week, secure in the knowledge that we are off once Friday is done! The children are in until Thursday lunchtime, then we have an INSET day on Friday. I have also arranged a Bhangra workshop for the whole school on Wednesday as an activity to celebrate Vaisakhi which falls in the Easter holidays. I will also be attending a meeting as I am now a part of the EDI group in our new merged academy. (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) That should be interesting… The weekend I think I will try not to collapse, and I know I have lots of intentions, but I shall not put them out there, just yet, until I get to the end of the week!
And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!
“Self-care is not indulgence. It’s self-preservation.”
Audre Lourde
Thank you, Spidey, for another thought-provoking one.
There’s a difference between Self-indulgence and Over-indulgence, let’s get that straight, first off!
I have definitely been known to over-indulge… my belly is proof of that…
But self-indulgence is different. That is excessive or unrestrained gratification of one’s own appetites, desires, or whims. (Oops, might be a bit of over-indulgence there, too…)
Self-care is a different kettle of fish. There is an element of self-indulgence involved, but it is measured. Because you take the time to do something for you, rather than for the pleasure of others.
You get to a point in your life where, if you are a parent, especially, your responsibilities begin to lessen, a tad.
(The worry? That doesn’t go anywhere, but you lose a certain amount of control, so you have to accept it!)
Or, just generally, that point in life arrives, where you realise you don’t need to be living your every minute dancing to someone else’s tune.
It’s fine to abide by the rules.
No one is disputing, that, but there are times when you know it is time to switch off from the world and do what you want.
It could be the obvious self-care regimes, taking time out for a bath, visiting the salon or going for a walk, going window-shopping or reading a book until late in the morning with your cup of tea cooling by your bedside, or whatever you wouldn’t usually make the time to do.
Not selfish, or over-indulgent. Just time for you.
I’ve definitely reached that time, in that I know what I have to do, as well as what I can leave, in order to give me enough time for my family and their needs, as well as time for me.
It’s a wonderful age!
So, Peeps, do you indulge yourself once in a while? 😊
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “the last thing you emptied.” Think of the last thing you emptied or something you empty often and use it as your prompt any way you like. Have fun!
Right now, the last thing I emptied was my wallet…
Lil Man decided to leave a school trip acceptance until the last minute, leaving Hubby Dearest and me scrambling for the cash to pay for the trip!
Don’t you just love kids…
(Thank goodness payday was today, too, otherwise, my bank account would have been emptied too!)
Today I am bringing you a beautiful story written by Sarit Yishay-Levy, and translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffman.
The Blurb
A mesmerizing novel about three generations of women who have lost each other—and the quest to weave them back into a family. An immersive historical tale spanning the life stories of three women, The Woman Beyond the Sea traces the paths of a daughter, mother, and grandmother who lead entirely separate lives, until finally their stories and their hearts are joined together. Eliya thinks that she’s finally found true love and passion with her charismatic and demanding husband, an aspiring novelist—until he ends their relationship in a Paris café, spurring her suicide attempt. Seeking to heal herself, Eliya is compelled to piece together the jagged shards of her life and history. Eliya’s heart-wrenching journey leads her to a profound and unexpected love, renewed family ties, and a reconciliation with her orphaned mother, Lily. Together, the two women embark on a quest to discover the truth about themselves and Lily’s own origins…and the unknown woman who set their stories in motion one Christmas Eve.
Firstly, I want to say that translated fiction can be quite hard to read. Sometimes things literally get ‘lost in translation’. Phrases used commonly in the original language can sound strange when written to suit a different tongue. However, despite taking a little time to get into it, The Woman Beyond The Sea was a beautiful story about a daughter, her mother, and their relationships. Eliya finds herself in emotional turmoil after her marriage breaks, especially since she was warned against the union by her family. She goes through several unstable phases, including suicidal thoughts, which are not helped by her mother, Lily, who can’t seem to find love or compassion for her only daughter, Lily, herself, is a damaged creature with no stable foundations and far too much heartache, despite having the love of a good man forever behind her and beside her. Ultimately this is a story of discovering one’s self, and in The Woman Beyond The Sea, Lily and Eliya go on a bumpy ride to find out why they feel the way they do about one another and those around them. Sometimes there was repetition and more than one POV in a named POV chapter, but I was immersed in the story and spent an entire day in bed wanting to read more!
About the Author
Sarit Yishai-Levi is a renowned Israeli journalist and author. In 2016 she published her first book, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. It immediately became a bestseller and garnered critical acclaim. The book sold more than three hundred thousand copies in Israel, was translated into ten languages, and was adapted into a TV series that won the Israeli TV award for best drama series. It also won the Publishers Association’s Gold, Platinum, and Diamond prizes; the Steimatzky Prize for bestselling book of the year in Israel; and the WIZO France Prize for best book translated into French. Yishai-Levi’s second book, The Woman Beyond the Sea, was published in 2019. It won the Publishers Association’s Gold and Platinum prizes and was adapted for television by Netflix. Yishai-Levi was born in Jerusalem to a Sephardic family that has lived in the city for eight generations. She’s been living with her family in Tel Aviv since 1970.
About the Translator
Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann moved from Montreal to Jerusalem after studying theatre, literature, and communications at McGill University. Starting out as a freelance journalist, translator, writer, and editor, she became a feature writer at The Jerusalem Post and, subsequently, editor of the paper’s youth magazines. Later, during a stint as a writer at Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, she discovered how fulfilling it is to work for the benefit of others and moved to NGO work in East Jerusalem and the developing world. In recent years, she’s come full circle to her first loves and spends her best hours immersed in literary translation.
But I Smile Anyway... 
