May is a busy month for me.  An unscheduled visit with my dentist; a telephone chat with my family physician; an oil change; a cardiac device check at the Ottawa hospital; an eye exam with my optometrist; surgery with my dental specialist; domaine name renewal; web hosting renewal; residential insurance renewal; car insurance renewal; numerous birthdays; a wedding anniversary; and winding up income tax reporting for another season. Whew!

McCann’s imported steel cut Irish oatmeal is my latest rage. And I have mastered its preparation.

Ireland is often associated with potatoes, but in fact, potatoes were only introduced in Ireland around 1590. Oats go back much further. Based on references to oatmeal found in the Great Code of Civil Law, the Irish have been cultivating oats since around 438 A.D. There is evidence that even before this date, porridge was recognized in Europe as a characteristically Irish food. Since then, Irish oatmeal has changed very little: the porridge enjoyed by Irish people centuries ago was quite similar to the hot oatmeal in your bowl today.

Breakfast, bicycling and motor vehicle rides continue to be the primary and perpetual diversions of my otherwise muted agenda. But this morning – the glorious day that it is – I diverted from the usual path by encamping myself briefly on the patio in the sunshine. My passion for sunbathing has all but evaporated yet I persist to have the occasional yearning to submit to pure radiance for half an hour. The somnolence and reverie are unmatched! It is a reminder that relaxation is a corrective element in life. It is akin to getting off a twirling merry-go-round.