May 1, 1707 - Great Britain was formed from a union between England and Scotland. The union included Wales, which had already been part of England since the 1500's. The United Kingdom today consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
May 5th - Celebrated in Mexico as Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday in remembrance of the Battle of Puebla in 1862, in which the outnumbered Mexican troops of General Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III.
May 10, 1994, Former political prisoner Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of South Africa. Mandela had won the first free election in South Africa despite attempts by various political foes to deter the outcome and was the country’s first black head of state until 1999.
Held on the first Sunday in May, World Laughter Day raises awareness of laughter and the many healing benefits it provides. Even psychologists and medical doctors say there is truth to the saying, “laughter is the best medicine.”. Tell someone a funny joke, post a funny picture on social media or watch a comedy to participate!
Europe day on May 9th recognises the diversity of the world’s 2nd smallest continent. While the most commonly spoken language is English, Europeans speak 200 languages there, 24 of which official. More than half of all Europeans are bilingual, and many Europeans speak 3 languages. Celebrate by watching European movies!
On May 19th, World Baking Day inspires us to gift baked goods as a token of appreciation. Bread baking goes back to 600 BC in Ancient Greece, while the Egyptians were the first to use yeast in it. Today baked goods are popular all over the world. Some favorites include apple pie, black forest cake, baklava, cannoli, Yorkshire pudding, rye bread, brownies, and pretzels.
On May 21st, International Tea Day promotes ways to sustain the production and consumption of tea. Every second, people consume 25,000 cups of tea, 2.16 billion cups of tea per day.
According to legend, Emperor Shen Hung discovered tea when leaves from a tree blew into his pot of boiling water. The best way to participate is to drink a cup of tea and try a flavor of tea you’ve never had before.
This 2023 American drama is loosely inspired by Mary Kay Letoutherneau scandal in 1996 Washington. Middle aged Gracie lives a happy, well settled life with her husband, whom she met when he was her 13-year-old student, but that is all in the past for her now. The couple opens their home to movie actress Elizabeth, who is doing research in preparation for her role as Gracie in a movie being made about their romance. Gracie is understandably weary about Elizabeth uncovering some secrets from her past and some skeletons being revealed, as we follow the couple buckle under pressure twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation.
Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
Cut an extra-large orange melon (cantaloupe)in half, remove all the seeds and fibers, peel and cut into smaller cubes.
Add ½ cup of orange juice, 1 cup of Greek yogurt, ¼ cup of honey (or to taste) and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and puree in batches with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Adjust sweetness with honey and add a pinch of salt to taste. Serve garnished with orange slices and basil or mint.
You can even play around with the flavours by adding mango, cinnamon, ginger or vanilla.
This recipe can be made up to 2 days prior to serving.