Are you reading away isolation?

Books have always been my go-to when I have nothing else to do, or even where is just too much to do and I don’t know what to do next. They are answers, rewards,

And nowadays, like so many others, I am also reading for escape, and for comfort. I read about how humans have survived things worse than what we are going through today, in history and in fiction, and that gives me the strength and the hope that we are going to be all fine and better.

The grim statistics or breaking news which only seem to be more about you-know-what (Harry Pottery?) are on side, and on the other – the worlds within books. They are always there, waiting for me to read them, to seek a way to pause, to relish those words. I identify with the characters as they go through the stories within those pages, and live their lives with them.

Disappearing into the worlds – fictional or real – takes us away, even if only for a little bit, and that is simply nice! So while we accept the new normal with its restrictions, reading provides an easing of those restrictions while staying where we are (which we have to anyways!).

So, yes, Reading Away Isolation!!

Poetic Sundays

Alphacouplet

An alphacouplet is a type of a couplet(1) with alliterations. I could not find any origins or creator information for this with my searches so far. If any of you have an idea, do let me know!

1 – A couplet is a pair of successive lines in poetry that rhyme and generally have the same metre.

What is the Alphacouplet poem and how to write it?

As mentioned earlier, the alphacouplet is an alliterative couplet. Here are its features (rules for writing one):

• A poem of any length, consisting of rhymed couplets.
• The final word of each couplet’s first line must be a noun.
• And the noun is preceded by three alliterative words (adjectives, for example).
• The second line rhymes with the first (well, of course, you say!)
• You can have multiple such couplets, all with the same rhyme, or different ones. For example: aa or aaaaaa or aabbccaabbcc or aaaabbbb or so on
• There are no specific rules for metre or length for the alphacouplet

h/t

• poetscollective
• darksideofthemoon

My Example Alphacouplet

Well, right now, this says it all:)

My befuddled, bewildered, baffled brain
..not ready to rhyme, simply trying causes pain!

Last Week

On My Blog and Home-front

I completed the challenges(UBC and AtoZBlogging) I was working on for April, along with many other bloggers! So congratulations to one and all.

As far as the garden, I feel like Mistress Mary in the nursery rhyme, with my roses all in a row! Now I am hoping the vegetables comply equally well.

Elsewhere

I am inspired by this bird feeder that one of my favorite UBC bloggers made with her great granddaughter and hope to get to it soon. And I am thankful for the tips from the FreckledCalifornian that are definitely helping me deal with the many roly-polies in my raised bed.

My Most Recent Posts

• Get Caught Reading
• April Wrapped Up
• Z is for Zest 
• Y is for Yugen
• X is Xenodochial 
• W is for Wonder
• Sunday Scribblings #30: Return to a Better World 

MyPhotoADay

Here are a few selections from my insta-feed this past week.

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Day 28: In my yard . “There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson . . . #rebelsunitedapr2020potd #rebels_united #rebels_nature #rebels_colors #gramoftheday #gotd_2543 #ladyinreadwrites #backyardgarden #rosesofinstagram #rosesmakemehappy #mybackyardgarden #theperfectrose #ig_greatshot_plant #ig_greatshot @rebels_united @gramoftheday @ig_greatshot

A post shared by Vidya (@ladyinreadwrites) on Apr 28, 2020 at 4:46pm PDT

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Day 30: Something Old ; Day 121, 2020: Where stones speak…. . . The Chennakesava temple is a Vaishnava Hindu temple on the banks of the river Kaveri in the southern state of Karnataka and was completed in 1258 CE. . . #rebelsunitedapr2020potd #rebels_united #ladyinreadwrites #canonpowershot #mycanonlife #traveltales #somanathapura #templesofsouthindia #templesofindia #templesofkarnataka #somethingold #iloveindia @rebels_united #chennakesavatemple

A post shared by Vidya (@ladyinreadwrites) on Apr 30, 2020 at 3:53pm PDT

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Day 2: Portrait; Day 123, 2020: "I know a girl, she puts the color inside of my world." – John Mayer . . . #rebels_united #rebelsunitedmay2020potd #treasuredmoments #cherishedmemories #timefliessofast #ladyinreadwrites #photoaday #mycanonlife #canonpowershot #canonpowershotsx50hs #yearsagobutfeelslikeyesterday #rebels_bnw #bnwportrait @rebels_united

A post shared by Vidya (@ladyinreadwrites) on May 2, 2020 at 11:58am PDT

Upcoming

On My Blog and Home-front

I will be celebrating reading this month, in many different ways. You might be thinking, doesn’t she always!? Starting with Children’s Book Week this coming week.

And those celebrations…

There are many fun celebrations this coming week. Here are a few for you

• May 4 is National Candied Orange Peel Day. I am going to have my dd make some more of these treats! Pictured below
• And step out for a hike and do some bird watching as we celebrate Bird Day on the 4th of May.
• I recall working with other parents in my kids’ classes to put together something nice to show our thanks to their teachers each year. This was in the elementary school years. And this year, we get to do it in a whole different way. Give your thanks to all those wonderful teachers on the Tuesday of this first full week in May, which is National Teacher Appreciation Day.
• Say obrigado to the teachers, the word means thank you in Portuguese as we also celebrate World Portuguese Language Day on the 5th of May.And May 6 is another opportunity to offer gratitude to these tireless frontliners – the nurses – as we celebrate National Nurses Day
• May 8th is World Red Cross Day, a day to celebrate and honor the many volunteers across the world, whose services to humanity are countless.
• Craving dessert? How about some brookies, also called Butterscotch Brownies on May 9th? National Butterscotch Brownie Day

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, this was it for my Sunday Scribblings. I would love to hear your comments on my post and if you had any favorite from the posts this week. And which of these days do you plan to celebrate (or any other)? Any thoughts about the return to a better world?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon.