Monday, June 02, 2014

Giddy for Summer



Ten friends. A south-facing patio. A warm late spring evening. Good food, good wine, laughter. Conviviality. A recipe for a wonderful time. 



The practicalities involved inventing a table that would seat 10 - this involved a sheet of plywood over our round table, covered with a tarp (so any spills wouldn't mar the future project made from the wood) and a tablecloth. A mix of chairs. Meal prep was shared - we, as hosts grilled flank steak and I made a couple of Potato, Zucchini, Tomato Tians. Others brought appetizers, salad, bread, and dessert. Hospitality made easy. 

We lingered long over tea and coffee. The sun slipped away behind the hills in fading ribbons of pink and coral. We shrugged on sweaters and still we sat. Discussion topics ran the gamut - gardening, human trafficking, summer plans, world affairs, and so on.


June can be an iffy month here - often rainy and cold after hints of warmth in May. The people in the know have predicted a hotter than normal summer for us here on the west coast. Perhaps they are correct and it's beginning now. I'll take it. Gladly. It rarely gets unbearable here where the sea breezes cool the air. 

The irises are blooming in various shades of pale and deep purple. I captured the ones above reflected in the garden mirror. 
  

Poppies sprawl in front of the peonies. I love this pale pink version. The orangey one, glimpsed behind, is a little too orange for me. It will have to go. We're beginning a bed of plants-that-have-to-be-moved along the lower fence. So far, just one hydrangea bush is there. Perhaps the orange poppy would like to keep it company. 

And so summer begins. Oh, I know that technically we're not there until June 21. When the sun shines and the garden flourishes and we can eat outside - that's when summer really begins. It's short around here and I'm planning to make the most of it. Hooray, I say, for summer! Are you looking forward to summer? Or perhaps you dread it, or just endure it?

22 comments:

  1. "It will have to go." Wish that you could pitch it all the way here. = D

    Your garden makes a wonderful setting for a summer dinner.

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  2. Summer is whenever it is warm and sunny never mind the date. Sounds like a very pleasant evening. I'd take the orange poppy if you could pitch it here too as I don't have any kind of colour scheme here!!

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  3. I enjoy summer in the Northwest and prefers traveling to hotter climates in the Fall, Winter or Spring. Not a real fan of high heat but I love a 75 to 80 degree day. Love the outdoor setting for your shared meal!

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  4. Peonies and poppies...replacing irises and lilacs. So beautiful...the blooms of spring! It looks like the perfect setting for an evening with friends.

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  5. A very pretty setting for friends. Summer is so great for enjoying time with friends.

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  6. Your gathering with friends sounds like a delicious evening in many ways!

    I sense your joy as you look forward to summer. (Your favorite season, yes?) Summer here in the Mid-Atlantic is a sultry, humid string of days. I so try to make the most of it, but I confess to a great deal of "enduring."

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  7. Lovely lovely pink poppy. That's what I wanted....but got a red one instead. Maybe mine could join yours in the 'unwanted poppy league'?

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  8. So beautiful xxx

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  9. Your photos say it all .. but your words are good too. Sounds like a wonderful evening outside, but here the bugs would be so bad we'd have to be inside a screen. I always "envy" photos of outdoor meals in beautiful gardens! Your iris and poppy are both lucious colors!

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  10. Beautiful garden Lorrie. A perfect setting for a dinner outdoors and sharing with friends.

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  11. Looks lovely and to dine outdoors is such fun. I am sure that your dinner guests enjoyed the evening.

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  12. You managed to put together a great table to seat 10 and I'm glad a good time was held around it.
    I love the colour of the pink poppy myself.

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  13. Your dinner on the patio sounds wonderful and it's always so nice when everyone chips in with the food. The table looks lovely - love the centrepiece - and you were creative with the enlarging of it. I hope you do have a nice summer. We've popped into summer weather this week too finally. I'm sure loving it.

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  14. Sounds like a beautiful evening. Pretty garden, too!

    Deanna

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  15. I love spontaneous summer invites on the patio! Sure would be fun to sit around that table! =)

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  16. LOVE that pink poppy! I have mixed feelings about summer. I love the sunshine, but when it gets hotter then the low 80's I tend to react quite badly to the heat. Your dinner outside sounds quite lovely...
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  17. Ooh yes, we're looking forward to summer and making the most of these warm days, just like you. Beautiful picture of your iris.

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  18. Beautiful beautiful shots...and that table looks so inviting! :)

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  19. Sounds like the perfect evening! How I long for those brilliantly fragrant peonies and lilacs! I was certain that I would get the chance to enjoy them while in Canada this spring, but due to the frosty winter, blooming was delayed! Of course, our jasmine and honeysuckle are just as sweet, but different. Enjoy!

    Poppy

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  20. I absolutely adore our summers here in the PNW - we have lived places where the summers were hot and humid and we certainly didn't stay long. Life is too short to "endure". I love spring, winter and autumn here too - seems we have the perfect weather. I even love the rainy days of winter - you don't have to shovel rain.

    Your table looks wonderful - such a fun night with friends.

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  21. I'm still enjoying the spring, Lorie. I feel more energetic with these temperatures that are so suited for planting and such. Tomorrow will be a tad cooler, around 20 degrees, which will inspire me to clear out and clean up my shed. I suppose I'd have a different perspective on this time of year if it had all the rain you mentioned, but for me, these days are glorious ones. Too often, spring arrives and is gone in a flash in this part of the country; I'm still waiting for my poppies to bloom.

    Karen

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  22. The party looks grand and your flowers are divine. I dread the heat and humidity of summer. It can be quite uncomfortable in Tennessee. Oh, how I wish I could go braless, LOL!

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