Lazy Hazy Days

Hello Friends!

Glorious Summer has arrived! Much of the United Kingdom has basked in, or suffered {depending on your view} a heatwave of record proportions. Here in the west, the high, often stifling temperatures have been tempered by the soft Summer breezes that billow in from the ocean that surrounds the land I call home.

Warm days, often accompanied by warm nights, have kept us happy for days, and the odd sudden and sharp Summer downpours have been greeted as they cool us down and refresh the land.

I have been busy in work, so I have not been out and about enjoying the languid days as much as the people I serve in the information centre and shop, but I am happy meeting and greeting, and doing what I can to ensure others enjoy their visit to my home.

The garden pots have needed regular watering. As much as possible I use grey water.  The lawn is more yellow now than green, and I do not water it, but grass is tenacious and it will recover once the heatwave passes, as it surely will.  Laundry dries quickly, and bedding is strewn on airers in the garden to freshen and puff up in the bleaching sunlight and fresh breezes that blow. Those same breezes make the Verbena Bonariensis and Wind Anemones sway and dance delightfully, bringing soft rhythm and colour to the borders as the earlier blooming flowers fade and turn to next year's seed.

Yesterday was the birthday anniversary of Beatrix Potter, a particular heroine of mine. To me, she is so much more than the authoress of Peter Rabbit and other children's books, the tales of which many of us grew up with. She was a born countrywoman, with an unsurpassed natural love of the land, the countryside and it's ways; she was an illustrator whose work leaves me in awe; above all, she understood the importance of land management and her bequest to the National Trust left a legacy from which strong foundations were built, making the National Trust the respected organisation it is today.  Her legacy was so important to the Trust that they have named their  Central Offices in Swindon Heelis {her married surname} in honour of her.  

A few years ago I painted this little water colour, copied from one of her own, in her honour.

A parish fundraiser caught my eye, so off I went for a Strawberry Cream Tea treat. I arrived in good time for I wished to beat the crowds that would later pour in.   It was a delightful afternoon, and a perfectly lovely spot to sit and enjoy some refreshment.

On my way home, I stopped a while amongst the old and ancient stones that mark the silent resting places of the sleeping people of the parish gone long before, and glancing through the shady trees I saw the old part of the new cemetery and the former Cathedral caretaker's house, Sunny Bank.

The sudden Summer burst of colour in the garden is slowly winding down, but here's some of what is still doing well in my cottage garden.

The blackberry vines are in full flower and already many sprigs of berries are formed, so if we have a good and heavy rainfall soon then the crop should be a bumper one this Autumn.

On Thursday next the calendar turns to August 1st ~ how, my friends, has this come around so quickly? Soon we will be hurtling into Autumn, my most favourite season of them all.  Fruits to be foraged and harvested, Winter stores to prepare and put up!  A busy time in the kitchen coming soon.

Until next time
Deborah xoxo

Slipping into Autumn ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ a very quick dip in and out today ~~~ and a warm welcome to all the new followers who have joined in the last two weeks! I hope you enjoy my ramblings, and help yourself to tea and cake ~of course, all cake is calorie free here~

Here in The Shire Summer simply has not happened, and is more like a damp squib. Until a fortnight or so ago it was more Spring~like, and even then not as warm as Spring should be. The truth is, I am still having the heating on very first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening ~~~ yes, it is that chilly!  Sturdy breezes and stiff winds have blown almost every day, so there has been no respite from my hair flying about my face each time I step outside my cottage door. One major benefit, though, is the winds dry lines full of laundry in record time! Hurrah!

Vintage Table Linens Blowing Dry on an Early Spring Day at the Cottage

Here is a video of the sounds of the relentless winds blowing around the shrubs trees in a neighbouring garden to the Cottage ~~~

{isn't that buddleia magnificent?}

So, for the past fortnight or so, as the sun now sinks noticeably lower in the sky, the evenings already draw in, and the lights are switched on an hour earlier now than a month ago, my thoughts turn to Autumn. Each morning, as I step outside, the air is cooler, the light is softer, and there is that certain feeling to the air that words cannot describe, but my heart knows that Autumn is a knocking at the door, gently reminding Summer that her days are nearly over for another year {but Summer went on holiday, didn't she? So, Autumn, come on in!}

The bees are buzzing lazily about the garden, flitting from bloom to bloom, gathering the pollen for the hive ~~~ and I find I cannot wait a moment longer to begin unpacking my Autumn boxes ~~~ so away to Spider Village I go {the attic} and bring down the first one, the one that contains the Autumn mugs.  I will hold off for another month before I decorate, for I know it is too much for some ~ and the mugs are a subtle introduction that make me happy, and few will realise that I'm slipping into Autumn mode today {~~~shhh! it is our little secret}

Here they are, I now have four Emma Bridgewater mugs of Autumn theme, so it was bye bye to Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny, and Rose and Bee, my Summer mugs, and welcome Autumn patterns ~~~

~~~ Pumpkins, Foliage, Sunflowers ~~~
and a limited edition {centre front} sold to raise funds for The Woodland Trust

While I was washing them, I thought I'd take a photo of some of the marks that are put on the base to identify them as by Emma Bridgewater.  Look how many different ones there are ~~~ apparently, she designs different ones for each collection, and changed them every year! My goodness ~ there must be hundreds of different ones to know ~~~

Potter's Marks over the years

Do you decorate for Autumn? Do you have any special things you use, recipes, ornaments, traditions?  It is a time for many things I love ~ pumpkins, hot chocolate, reading, bonfires on the beach {wrap up warm, Thermos of hot soup} but here is a bonfire on the beach in August on Martha's Vineyard, for this is the August image for my Susan Branch 2015 wall calendar.

Summer on Martha's Vineyard  ©Susan Branch 

Soon there will be a new book too, by Susan Branch, "The Fairy Tale Girl" available for pre~order here.  I hope to have my copy in time for Christmas.

Well, Dear Friends, I did say this was a quick dip in and out today, and I have already overstayed my time! Until the next time ~~~

Sincerely yours
Deborah

Did Somebody Say Summer?

Gentle Reader ~~~ Can you feel it? Do you smell it? There ~~~ just a fleeting glimpse and it is gone for a moment, but will be here again shortly ~~~ of course, I am talking about Autumn, for I can barely contain my excitement that my favourite season of them all is nearly with us once more ~~~

Summer has barely appeared in the west, our temperatures struggled to break into the 60's and the wind has blown and the rain has rained ~~~ and most days the heating is on, especially in the late evenings, as the days begin to shorten and jewelled sunset, cloud~filled skies bedeck the horizon, with soft, rose~gold light welcoming the evening, bidding the day a fond farewell, and slipping into the rich, velvety purple of a moonlight night ~~~

I am not complaining! I cannot take the heat so this cooler, more tempered weather has suited me well, although a little less wind and rain would not have gone amiss ~~~

Regrettably, I did not complete the ICAD challenge this year.  I was unwell, then Mum was unwell, and over a week went by, and I fell so far behind in the daily challenge that it suddenly became catchup and a chore. Art is not about being a chore, it is all about pleasure, and that is why I'm not taking part for the remainder, but who knows what I will get up to next?  Thank you all for your very kind comments and encouragement, and maybe next year some of you will take part too?

So, how does my garden grow?  With all the rain it grows rather well, despite the lack of warming sun, it is quite lush and verdant, and as we might expect the weeds are doing exceptionally well ~~~ {insert hysterical laughter here} I even managed to miss one week of putting out the fortnightly garden waste collection, so shame on me!

Nature is quite a miracle, she keeps things ticking over, even during periods of neglect ~~~ here are some pictures of what flowered ~~~

The firey orange of the Crocosmia Lucifer which has done particularly well
this year ~~~

with the purple beauty of the dwarf clematis ~~~

The gentle, innocent, and daisy~like flowers of Feverfew ~~~

and the delicate pink of a cultivated Verbascum ~~~

or the feathery blue of a Nigella ~~~ Love in a Mist ~~~

a patch of borage, perfect to garnish your Pimms or G&T ~~~

Lots of different grasses bring interest, movement, and neutral colour to the garden ~~~

and my favourite, native Mullein {Verbascum}

Now I have a conundrum {yet again!} and we must wait and see ~~~ I discovered a beautiful, peachy pink poppy growing on the side of the drive ~~~ it has all the attributes of the wild field poppies that are strewn over my entire garden, yet it is this pretty, and very unusual colour.

At first, I thought a bloom had bleached out in the sun, but then successive flowers opened in the same colour, so I have tied raffia around the stem to mark it out and will harvest the seed heads separately in the hopes that it will come true again in the future. Fingers Crossed ~~~ I would love to know if you have any suggestions or thoughts on this too ~~~

Here is the sunset that graced our westering skies last evening ~~~

Can you see the animal {be it cat, dog, or maybe even a unicorn?} galloping across the evening sky?  Remember, don't look too hard at my garden, just see all the beautiful blooms, the raindrops, and the sunsets ~~~ and ignore the weeds!

Until next time ~~~
Sincerely yours ~~~ Deborah