Though it was late on a Monday morning, I saw lots of people on my walk to the garden. Specifically, lots of women and children. Each park I passed was filled with women playing with their kids, sunbathing while their infants slept next to them, and pushing strollers.
My host told me about a recent policy that assigned children to state childcare starting in September. Over the past couple of years, everyone has adjusted by timing the birth of their children to be around August. That way parents have a year of time off and can then sign up for childcare when they return to work. Armed with this new information, I was on the lookout. Indeed, most of the children I saw were either very very young or else older than a year.
I can't imagine what it will be like growing up for these children. Almost every birthday party will fall within a few weeks of the year. Will there still be exchanging of presents? Will it be easier for schools to adjust teaching materials for kids who are all closer in age? Will kids not born in the summer months think they were accidents? Anyway, *important* questions.
Stepping across a pond.
I spotted a bush of these white berries(?), which I call 'white poppers' but don't know the real name of. If you step on one, it pops, and that somehow feels really satisfying. It's almost like nature's version of bubble wrap.
The greenhouses were closed that day but it was still fun to look inside and imagine what it would like to visit them in winter when everything is dark and cold out.
