May in review
May was all about the book launch. THE book launch.
The box of twenty author's copies arrived on the 4th, and I'd forgotten how incredible the smell of a freshly printed book can be. We launched at Tiny Stories bookstore in Kortrijk on the 9th, and it went better than I dared to hope. The morning of the launch I dropped my favourite handball player at training. He had absolutely no problem announcing the event to every parent in earshot. He even recruited a mum who was at the training for the first time and didn’t know us at all, she came along and bought a copy for her son. We had a full room by the afternoon!
I've also been slowly updating Fionn's room into something more big-kid. Budget is tight, so there's a lot of thrifting and DIY involved. But it's coming together nicely. For his Lego (the undisputed favourite) I ordered a chest of drawers from IKEA and we painted it mint green. I had my doubts about the colour, but Fionn loves it, and honestly it's much more cheerful than what I had originally in mind.
This month I finally met up with my friend Michel (from Growing a Meal), who brought along the most delicious drink. The recipe is beautifully simple: apple juice (organic, already sweet enough, no added sugar needed), a little elderflower and rose syrup, topped with sparkling or still water. Add fresh roses and mint from the garden if you have them. It's really worth trying.
We also visited BRUSK, Bruges' newly opened museum, which is already showing two remarkable exhibitions. The first features Refik Anadol, the Turkish-American digital artist known for large-scale AI-generated installations. His first-ever show in Belgium. The second, Breedbeeld, explores medieval Bruges as a crossroads of the world, bringing together over 250 objects from institutions including the National Gallery in London and the Vatican Library. Both exhibitions are genuinely stunning.
For the Sinksten in Kortrijk the weather turned very warm. Fionn and I went to some of the family activities and did the flea market. He's been wanting to learn chess, and we found a travel set (still in its original wrapping, never used). He was thrilled.
In June, Fionn's class will celebrate their groeifeest, and I've been helping put together some games for the day. I've spent a few weekend mornings making start and finish signs (with turmeric dye) and cutting out the memory cards. There are photos of the process below.
Work was quiet towards the end of May, but I finished a small illustration commission which I can share: a child sitting on a flower, just what you needed to see today! The printer was so fast that I picked it up by bike and delivered it the same day. I've included a concept sketch as an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek. A proof that I'm also good at drawing stuff that are not wind turbines!
