There might be something more gratifying than making a little child laugh really hard but we don't know what that might be. This is really simple. Take some paper, make an airplane (or several) & do what comes naturally. You won't get them to go as high as the ones in the photograph (probably) but if there's a bit of breeze, you never know. (See here to review the physics of flight & good for you. Just don't be a nag about it. This is for fun.) 
If you’ve been watching the western sky after sunset, you’ve seen the planet Venus. It looks eerily bright now – brightest in the evening sky for all of 2012! If you haven’t seen it yet, look outside shortly after sunset, and you can’t miss this planet. It’s an eerie light in the western sky. Venus’ brightness will surprise you if you’ve never noticed it before. ~ From EarthSky Tonight
It's really too early for local berries & so guilt sets in about buying them. But just a few, right? And then pop them on to lemon tarts (make the lemon curd, it is so easy). These are on the to-do list this weekend. Back later tonight...it's that kind of week (month). Cheers. Update - back on the weekend.
GG's editor is re-doing the home office space wall. While we admire the geometry of so many examples, the photograph above is more our style (click through below to see larger format). Tina's Decor link on English Muse provides more inspiration. (Anyone want to paint the wall for us? Clean the chandelier?) And if you'd rather eat peanut butter cookies than have anything to do with decorating, this is the recipe to make. It was a favorite even before Joanna featured it today.
While we don't know William Shakespeare's actual birth date, he was baptized on the 26th of April (1564). Common practice had baptism at three days after birth, so happy birthday, Will. 
Writers like Orwell, Proust and Churchill liked doing it. Could it have been because writing in bed can help access the unconscious? ~ The advantages of writing in bed. The Guardian
It's a rainy day (we need it!) & a sleepy one, too. Off for coffee & to write some letters. If you already read Letters of Note, you are dismissed. If you don't you might want to explore the archives. Here's a beautiful letter from John Steinbeck to his son, Thom, on the subject of love. It is worth bookmarking.
Running (late), tax prep, all manner of annoyances on a Monday. And yes, we'll add another complaint: it is 87 degrees. Off to run about outside while Giulia hides in a box in a darkened air-conditioned room (she has asthma).
Free botanical illustrations are available at The Graphics Fairy. There are two sizes, one for framing & another to make cards. It's true that ink/toner is far from free but the price is still right. The tulips are lovely but we are a bit stuck on lilies, as always. 
It's National Library Week. Visit the website to learn about activities surrounding the celebration. Maybe you've moved recently (or not so recently?) & don't have a card yet. The website is user-friendly & will help you find what you need. No matter where you live, visit the Library of Congress website. It's a resource that everyone with internet access can use, which is yet another valuable thing you can find at your library (most likely). 
A gentle, early reminder in case you need materials &/or ideas for Earth Day celebrations. If you have a Flickr account, making NASA Goddard Photo & Video a contact is a good idea - whether you are doing any Earth Day projects or not. 
If you happen upon some larvae (or by this late in the spring, tadpoles) don't interrupt the process. (Check your local & state laws.) But if you see some danger to them, you could try to raise them. Giulia's editor raised three tadpoles to froghood some years back. They looked much like the teeny frog in the photo. They also had cute stripey legs that were très chic, honestly. (But that's not why they were adopted...catching all those insects was a total pain: you've been warned.) When they grew up, they were returned to their native area.
We have a holiday overload situation. Just caught up with wonderful Adrian Higgins & last week's column about putting more scent into your life. If you don't have a garden, then make your cat work so she can buy you flowers. Preferably of the scented variety. Until tomorrow.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend, whatever you celebrate. If it's spring, that's good enough for us. We dye eggs, light candles, make a more elaborate recipe than usual (often baking, not our strongest suit), walk through blooming DC, watch movies. Who knows? Maybe this year we'll add burning sage & chants to the list in the interest of inter-religious pluralism. Have fun!
You're thinking, "It's a little late for that. It starts in a few hours." Calm down, this is for Passover guests, who may not have been to a Passover seder before (or it's been awhile). Not a lot of our fellow bloggers even realized it's Passover week. Everyone has (or will) say, "Happy Easter, if you celebrate." Then, while traipsing about town on pre-Easter errands, GG's editor overheard someone worry about going to his first Passover. 
If you use Picasa & haven't updated lately, you ought to. There are many new features & if you don't have Instagram, these (& Pixlr-o-matic) can prevent you from going crazy until you can have a smartphone like the other cool kids. 
We'll spare everyone about how the world conspires to keep us from posting until late in the day (of late) & even then, just a link or two & a photograph. 
Poke around the fridge & pantry before you replenish egg dyes this year. You just might have everything you need on hand or you can add items to this week's market list. 
Monday is not going so very well (& it is early evening). So GG & her editor are blasting a Françoise Hardy playlist & trying to stop pouting (faire la moue). Do pop over to YouTube & play Noir sur blanc. Lovely. Top tip: Visit Rachel at Black Eiffel for Music Monday (& much more).
It's Sunday & that means Mad Men but we watch it on Mondays via iTunes. So what to do? Especially if you're not feeling very well? Watch Enchanted April (1992) on Netflix Instant (or in a pinch, on YouTube). It's a rather leisurely film & there are complaints about that but it feels quite right today. Honestly, we aren't feeling well enough to write much but if you're not sold by Italy + 1920s + amazing cast, read this review.