2026 Summer session: Week 3

Hello everyone!

Hope the proverbial garden mulching and weeding and tending has gone well! I am on a big field trip in a lovely area for the week. It is 2 degrees, with horizontal rain/sleet, and foggy… Everything is still beautiful of course, and the actual subject of the trip is fascinating but the big views and wide open vistas are not quite as impressive as expected. So I thought I’d share a few pictures of tiny beautiful things I’ve taken in the last few days. It is still very early spring here so plants are just contemplating coming out of hibernation, almost nothing is blooming yet, and there are barely any leaves out...

 

The first picture is of some alder catkins, with tiny new leaves and flower spikes. The second is the ubiquitous juniper bushes with new berries, they will be dark purple in a few months. The third is a little patch of lingon berry flowers (called partridge berries here)… They will be bright red berries by the end of the season.

This week’s prompt… Did you notice any particular tiny beautiful things this week? Or, alternatively, what tiny things did you start this week that might bloom into something new by the end of the season?

Last week’s goals below…

DEH

-Write (or transfer) 3000 words for Overdue essay.
-Write or polish 1000 "real" words for First Conference Paper
-Contact last writer with reviewer comments
-regular PT exercises, gym x4 (swim x2)
-finish booking 3rd summer trip
-file travel voucher
-get mulch for veg patch
-review essay for journal
-make a cake

Daisy 

Take time to do project planning 
Polish and give talks and support students with theirs
Have fun catching up with people at conference 
Keep admin work going while away

heu mihi

1. Write 3000 messy words
2. Italian x 5
3. Sit x 3; exercise as usual
4. Start reading the Legenda Aurea (because why not?)
5. Catch up on some lingering leftover work stuff

JaneB

SELF-CARE:
* 3x20 intentional movement, 1 x making, 2 x small things with people, reading every day (with dinner, in waiting times)
** make a list of different making methods and projects I might play with this summer
HOME AND ENVIRONMENT:
* 75% of chores
** braindump the steps for the living room and clothes projects
** braindump smaller house and environment things I would like to get done this summer
** braindump where I want to get to with my personal finances
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
* assessment-related bureaucracy
* meet with the MSc by Research student who is furthest from submission
* one block of summer teaching tasks
* one block of time on Icky Admin Task
RESEARCH:
* submit small group paper
* continue calm systematic exploration of the laptop problem.
* write draft text for first two sets of results from modelling problem
* schedule meeting for teaching related project

 Julie 

1. At least two days on Big Article - write one section, plan out the rest.
2. Final sign-off on PhD corrections.
3. Submit request for funding for travel this summer and book if possible.
4. Two teaching meetings (one on assessment).
5. House/life admin: book more summer travel, travel insurance, organise and post parcel for book club swap.
6. Self-care/fun: run x 3, find weights or Pilates class, read, journal, theatre trip Friday.

Susan

1. Get through at least 3 microfilms
2. Empty storage unit / stop paying for it!
3. Attend meetings
4. Start on office clearout
5. Visit with friends
6. Deal with any lingering admin stuff on the condo purchase
7. Try to get more sleep