At first, I thought I didn’t have anything to share: an unusual weather pattern has had us cool, rainy, and gray this week, which has the effect of making things feel monotonous and unremarkable. Then I realized that this is the point of these posts: to look a little closer at what seems unremarkable and find tiny moments that are notable. The animals are prowling: Each day I see a new cat in my yard or in its own yard while I’m out for a walk. I greet each one enthusiastically, of course! A raccoon made use of a mug of coffee left outdoors overnight: telltale foot/paw prints were left on the mug and the floor of the porch. And we cleaned the cement goldfish pond that was built at some point early in my 110-year-old home’s history (old for the southern US!) and the tree frogs have been throwing raucous parties in the fresh rainwater.
Jasmine! it's out and wafting evening blessings into my kitchen, where it meets with the stefanotis scent from the other room, what is it with white flowers and scent? no time to mourn the orange blossom;
Snails - with the welcome rain come the less welcome snails, my one runner bean plant is being devoured but I discovered where the munchers are hiding, under the base of my parsley pot, tucked up neatly in a hidden cavity - they have been re-homed over the bridge;
Warmth - the joy of wearing all those clothes usually reserved for trips to warmer climes, gives me the feeling of holiday at home.
My dad has noticed the bind weed trumpets on our allotment and was at first, delighted, then, horrified. My first thing is punts on the slow, lazy river winding through Magdalen college, Oxford. They have acres of parkland and we glimpsed deer peering out gently from behind trees and dragonflies skimming pink and white waterlilies as they mated (flying!). Second, a solstice swim which led us down a canal path, where we found wild cherries and wild strawberries. The wild strawberries became the topping of a strawberry and elderflower cake, along with a fine dusting of icing sugar and dog roses.
Third, making a pilgrimage of sorts - to pick rampant pink sweat peas from a very special spot near a train track. These went into solstice posies in jam jars for friends (As The Seasons Turn podcast recommendation!)
And an extra fourth (sorry very cheeky) Swallows and swifts screeching overhead every night into the pink dusk, making my heart ache, somehow they sound both joyful and wistful.
I get gripped by midsummer fever and feel I’m never doing ENOUGH to enjoy this special point in the year, but this community always makes me stop and take stock of all the wonderful things I have seen and done and it makes me very grateful. So thank you as always Lia 🌸☺️
After two weeks of no rain and blistering heat (for Scotland at least!) we finally got a storm. I could almost hear the garden and the fields sighing with relief. It reminded me of the Mary Oliver poem ‘At Blackwater Pond’ - oh what is this beautiful thing that has just happened? It’s the first real year of my garden so I’m relishing the blooming sweet peas and checking the currants for ripeness every day!
I celebrated the solstice via a silent disco at the community garden. We ate salad leaves fresh from the garden and danced at the plants. It was very silly, would recommend. My partner brought lemon poppy seed cupcakes glazed with elderflower cordial and topped with elderflower buttercream which went down a storm!
In other celebrations of the week, I got to visit my favourite green space in the city, an old cemetery which is a beautiful pocket of mature woodland. A kaleidoscope of green 💚
It was a dark and stormy week in central NC. So much so that one could have missed the longest day altogether. But the rain brought a flush of growth in the garden and we were able to harvest the first squashes and, in my own backyard, mulberries. I plan on having purple fingers in the coming weeks as I pluck my hard won berries before the birds can find them. I have been letting these trees grow for years not knowing if they were male or female, and now I have fruit. It is pure joy.
Our summer solstice celebration was also my daughters 5th birthday. Seeing a woodland full of barefoot four and five year old fairies climbing trees and searching for pixie doors was magical.
Spent the week on Anglesey, staying in a converted stable building on a farm. Met a kindred spirit near the ruins of a 4th century village, soaked in a warm tub of water with seaweed, painted with water from St. Seirol's Well, collected shells and rocks on the beach, soaked up the late afternoon sun at Bryn Celli Ddu and picked a few flowers from the most glorious hedgerow on the Solstice, and ate the most delicious locally grown strawberries.
Waxing crescent moon and Venus keeping watch from a purple sky, salads from the garden, sowing biennials, as this year's fade, with an eye that dares to peep towards next summer.
Our midsummer was glorious, I managed to get the teenagers out in the evening and we went for a walk along the river - oh my goodness, the frogs! There were hundreds of tiny frogs hopping along the path, I’ve never seen that before. Quite possibly there was a prince waiting to be kissed, my daughters weren’t too keen to try funnily enough.
A solstice evening spent around a fire with close friends as our kids start their annual move into their slightly feral outdoor summer selves; a wet, misty walk across the Downs to Devil's Dyke where the mist filled the void beneath the Downs like the sea; a walk through the enthusiastic chaos of hen parties, families down from London for a beach day, and teenagers and twenty somethings on the start of a night out that is Brighton seafront at 6pm on a Saturday in summer.
The jasmine in my garden has flowered and I’ve spent evenings this week reading in bed with the window open and the scent of jasmine drifting in. Also have noticed that the peonies sold in supermarkets are decreasing in price (from £20 at the beginning of their seasons to “just” £6 now) so have lots of them in vases at the moment. And finally, leaving the house for the day at 8am without a jumper - a classic summer feeling!
What a gorgeous place to swim 😍 I’ll have to try and find it next time I visit my mum.
This week it’s been about music with le fête des la musique taking place on the solstice, lovely to emerge from the stilling metro to be greeted by a jazz band on the street. Watermelon and cherries have arrived at the market and both are beyond delicious, I would eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner but my family demand more robust meals 😊
And finally the Jasmin is still having its moment. the torrential rain we had on Tuesday really released the scent - heavenly 🥰
It has taken so long to “get into the groove” this summer-the world is mad and offensive and the winter seemed to last far too long
This evening I climbed into my very old but favourite jeans that have rips everywhere and had the nicest walk with the sun on my back and the gentle wind blowing in my face and my greyhounds (there is always a greyhound) coat was shining like ebony as she stopped to sniff at the flowers and the scents along the way. This was the first truly relaxing walk I have had for the longest time
I met the man that lives along the road from me who takes his cat out on a harness and lead and all was for once right with the world
Here in South Florida, the Royal Poinciana trees are still brilliant red and orange in bloom. The rainy season is upon us and it is rainier than usual, and every late afternoon lately thunderstorms roll in, making this brightest time of year rather dark, oddly enough. It's like St. Swithin's Day, all the time, and the dark gloominess is making it feel almost like the opposite of Midsummer, save for the heat. A Midsummer Eve fire in the copper fire bowl tonight (weather permitting!); Swedish Midsommar feast tomorrow!
It was! I thought there would be leftovers... but no, we ate it all! I hope you'll tell us all about your feast. It looked really beautiful from the photo I saw.
At first, I thought I didn’t have anything to share: an unusual weather pattern has had us cool, rainy, and gray this week, which has the effect of making things feel monotonous and unremarkable. Then I realized that this is the point of these posts: to look a little closer at what seems unremarkable and find tiny moments that are notable. The animals are prowling: Each day I see a new cat in my yard or in its own yard while I’m out for a walk. I greet each one enthusiastically, of course! A raccoon made use of a mug of coffee left outdoors overnight: telltale foot/paw prints were left on the mug and the floor of the porch. And we cleaned the cement goldfish pond that was built at some point early in my 110-year-old home’s history (old for the southern US!) and the tree frogs have been throwing raucous parties in the fresh rainwater.
Love this. Thank you for contributing even when it isnt all sparkly and easy!
Caffeinated raccoon, yikes!
Jasmine! it's out and wafting evening blessings into my kitchen, where it meets with the stefanotis scent from the other room, what is it with white flowers and scent? no time to mourn the orange blossom;
Snails - with the welcome rain come the less welcome snails, my one runner bean plant is being devoured but I discovered where the munchers are hiding, under the base of my parsley pot, tucked up neatly in a hidden cavity - they have been re-homed over the bridge;
Warmth - the joy of wearing all those clothes usually reserved for trips to warmer climes, gives me the feeling of holiday at home.
I loved that you rehomed the snails 🐌 we have also been part of Snails Moving and Co. this week
Gorgeous
My dad has noticed the bind weed trumpets on our allotment and was at first, delighted, then, horrified. My first thing is punts on the slow, lazy river winding through Magdalen college, Oxford. They have acres of parkland and we glimpsed deer peering out gently from behind trees and dragonflies skimming pink and white waterlilies as they mated (flying!). Second, a solstice swim which led us down a canal path, where we found wild cherries and wild strawberries. The wild strawberries became the topping of a strawberry and elderflower cake, along with a fine dusting of icing sugar and dog roses.
Third, making a pilgrimage of sorts - to pick rampant pink sweat peas from a very special spot near a train track. These went into solstice posies in jam jars for friends (As The Seasons Turn podcast recommendation!)
And an extra fourth (sorry very cheeky) Swallows and swifts screeching overhead every night into the pink dusk, making my heart ache, somehow they sound both joyful and wistful.
I get gripped by midsummer fever and feel I’m never doing ENOUGH to enjoy this special point in the year, but this community always makes me stop and take stock of all the wonderful things I have seen and done and it makes me very grateful. So thank you as always Lia 🌸☺️
Ah that's gorgeous, thank you Ella. Beautiful things!
After two weeks of no rain and blistering heat (for Scotland at least!) we finally got a storm. I could almost hear the garden and the fields sighing with relief. It reminded me of the Mary Oliver poem ‘At Blackwater Pond’ - oh what is this beautiful thing that has just happened? It’s the first real year of my garden so I’m relishing the blooming sweet peas and checking the currants for ripeness every day!
Fabulous, well done on the sweet peas
I celebrated the solstice via a silent disco at the community garden. We ate salad leaves fresh from the garden and danced at the plants. It was very silly, would recommend. My partner brought lemon poppy seed cupcakes glazed with elderflower cordial and topped with elderflower buttercream which went down a storm!
In other celebrations of the week, I got to visit my favourite green space in the city, an old cemetery which is a beautiful pocket of mature woodland. A kaleidoscope of green 💚
solstice silent disco sounds so fun!
It was a dark and stormy week in central NC. So much so that one could have missed the longest day altogether. But the rain brought a flush of growth in the garden and we were able to harvest the first squashes and, in my own backyard, mulberries. I plan on having purple fingers in the coming weeks as I pluck my hard won berries before the birds can find them. I have been letting these trees grow for years not knowing if they were male or female, and now I have fruit. It is pure joy.
Oh so lucky, mulberries are delicious
Our summer solstice celebration was also my daughters 5th birthday. Seeing a woodland full of barefoot four and five year old fairies climbing trees and searching for pixie doors was magical.
Fun! What a wonderful solstice
Spent the week on Anglesey, staying in a converted stable building on a farm. Met a kindred spirit near the ruins of a 4th century village, soaked in a warm tub of water with seaweed, painted with water from St. Seirol's Well, collected shells and rocks on the beach, soaked up the late afternoon sun at Bryn Celli Ddu and picked a few flowers from the most glorious hedgerow on the Solstice, and ate the most delicious locally grown strawberries.
How perfect
Waxing crescent moon and Venus keeping watch from a purple sky, salads from the garden, sowing biennials, as this year's fade, with an eye that dares to peep towards next summer.
beautiful
Best thing this week was picking first couchettes
Hooray!
Our midsummer was glorious, I managed to get the teenagers out in the evening and we went for a walk along the river - oh my goodness, the frogs! There were hundreds of tiny frogs hopping along the path, I’ve never seen that before. Quite possibly there was a prince waiting to be kissed, my daughters weren’t too keen to try funnily enough.
Such a win when you can drag the teenagers along!
A solstice evening spent around a fire with close friends as our kids start their annual move into their slightly feral outdoor summer selves; a wet, misty walk across the Downs to Devil's Dyke where the mist filled the void beneath the Downs like the sea; a walk through the enthusiastic chaos of hen parties, families down from London for a beach day, and teenagers and twenty somethings on the start of a night out that is Brighton seafront at 6pm on a Saturday in summer.
You paint a beautiful picture
The jasmine in my garden has flowered and I’ve spent evenings this week reading in bed with the window open and the scent of jasmine drifting in. Also have noticed that the peonies sold in supermarkets are decreasing in price (from £20 at the beginning of their seasons to “just” £6 now) so have lots of them in vases at the moment. And finally, leaving the house for the day at 8am without a jumper - a classic summer feeling!
Yes it got to about 10pm the other evening before I realised a jumper might be nice!
What a gorgeous place to swim 😍 I’ll have to try and find it next time I visit my mum.
This week it’s been about music with le fête des la musique taking place on the solstice, lovely to emerge from the stilling metro to be greeted by a jazz band on the street. Watermelon and cherries have arrived at the market and both are beyond delicious, I would eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner but my family demand more robust meals 😊
And finally the Jasmin is still having its moment. the torrential rain we had on Tuesday really released the scent - heavenly 🥰
Beautiful!
It has taken so long to “get into the groove” this summer-the world is mad and offensive and the winter seemed to last far too long
This evening I climbed into my very old but favourite jeans that have rips everywhere and had the nicest walk with the sun on my back and the gentle wind blowing in my face and my greyhounds (there is always a greyhound) coat was shining like ebony as she stopped to sniff at the flowers and the scents along the way. This was the first truly relaxing walk I have had for the longest time
I met the man that lives along the road from me who takes his cat out on a harness and lead and all was for once right with the world
That sense of peace... sounds gorgeous
Im so glad you found that groove now
Here in South Florida, the Royal Poinciana trees are still brilliant red and orange in bloom. The rainy season is upon us and it is rainier than usual, and every late afternoon lately thunderstorms roll in, making this brightest time of year rather dark, oddly enough. It's like St. Swithin's Day, all the time, and the dark gloominess is making it feel almost like the opposite of Midsummer, save for the heat. A Midsummer Eve fire in the copper fire bowl tonight (weather permitting!); Swedish Midsommar feast tomorrow!
What a beautiful photo today, Lia!
Hope the feast was delicious
It was! I thought there would be leftovers... but no, we ate it all! I hope you'll tell us all about your feast. It looked really beautiful from the photo I saw.
Wow, what a brilliant description! Hope you get to enjoy your fire.
Turned out to be another rainy night, Anne. But we had a lovely dinner and two lit candles on the table... it was just right.