Monday, August 02, 2021

August Long Weekend: Here and There

 


There: We sat on the rocks overlooking the water and chatted with good friends. McKenzie Bight is a fairly short hike, just over a kilometre or more down a steep trail to the water. Who goes down must come up, and I'm glad it was a comfortable day, temperature-wise. How dry the forest is and how lovely to sit and listen to the water lap at the shore and watch gulls soar so effortlessly. 


Here: I made a few jars of dill pickles. Recipes have changed over the years. I'm sure my grandmother never sealed her pickles in a water bath, but ensured the jars were very hot and the brine hot when poured in. I read recently that the blossom end of cucumbers should be cut off before pickling them, hence the flat ends in the jars. I really wonder how much safer it all is. 


Here: A Bolero rose from the garden where the hot dry weather has slowed down the number of blossoms on the roses. They are forming once again and I look forward to more blooms. 


Here: Peach season begins. They are so sweet and juicy, and the season is all too short. A salad with grilled chicken, sliced snowpeas, red onion, peaches, and basil hit the spot one warm evening. A squeeze of lime and swirl of olive oil to finish, and a slice of bread to accompany it - dinner done!


Here: Saturday was cooler, in part, I think, due to the smoke haze covering the sun. It was high and didn't really affect us much. I tackled our small walk-in closet, removing everything and piling the clothes on the bed and shoes and other paraphernalia on the floor. It's amazing how much stuff was stored there. I dusted and vacuumed, then steam cleaned, sorted through everything and re-organized. It took much longer than I'd anticipated, but looks neat and tidy. There's another rack to the right of the photo for my dresses and Tim's blazers, suits, and other coats. 

Looking at the photo I notice the dominance of blue in my clothing, and in his. 


Here: One of the hydrangea bushes is a vivid purple, and so full and lush. I've been cutting big bouquets and small ones. This is a row of clear bottles and vases lined up on the window next to our breakfast table, overlooking our patio. I love hydrangeas for their exuberant blooms, and of course, the blue tones. 


There: Sculptural dried grasses on the rocks overlooking the Saanich Inlet today. 

And so August begins. I'm always a little taken aback when this month arrives for although it's still warm and beautiful, it marches to the end of summer. Perhaps I'll feel differently this year knowing that I won't be going back to teaching after the Labour Day weekend. I do want to enjoy each day to its fullest and not be looking ahead too much. I've seen photos of Halloween and even Christmas on some sites and quickly scroll past them, for summer is so short and so beautiful that it warrants all the attention it deserves. 

How do you feel about August? Enjoy this glorious month!

26 comments:

  1. Your pickles look so pretty and your flowers are gorgeous. Isn't it a good feeling when you've cleaned out a closet. One of the things that I love about your blog is all the beautiful photos of waterways . . . living in the high desert like I do . . . that cool water looks so calming and refreshing . . . I just want to take my shoes off and go wadding.

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  2. Love seeing your adventures on the water. Hydrangeas in bottles are so pretty. Yes, I do believe you are a blue girl. The salad sounds so delicious. I must try it. Gorgeous rose!

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  3. I enjoyed your lovely photos. Yes, August signals the coming end to summer, but right now with the ongoing heat and lack of rain, I would welcome fall.

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  4. It's nice when a hike leads you to such a beautiful place. And your closet looks so neat. We have been working on ours and have some new hangers to use when we get around to changing them up. Love your pickles and summer blooms. I love summer and even though we can't hike as much, I enjoy each bright and sunny day!

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  5. I just looked up McKenzie Bight on Google maps - now I sort of know where you are. Blogging is always educational - it looks like a very long beautiful body of water. I love blue hydrangeas too, but alas cannot grow them. They look gorgeous in the window. The salad looks mouthwatering, fresh peaches are divine. Yum! Also, well done on the closet cleanout - a task I find long and tedious. We are in serious lockdown here now, so if there is a time to do it, this is it :)

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  6. If I take a look at my wardrobe I see that it is , like yours, edging to the blue side!

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  7. i felt the same about August when I was teaching too. Since retirement, I’ve relaxed into it. Such a great month!

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  8. August means birthdays to me! We have seven family birthdays in August, plus three anniversaries, so I don't have time to look ahead to autumn or I'll miss the boat! Really though, as much as I love autumn, I have learned in recent years to relish each season for all that it has to offer.

    You blue hydrangea blooms are beautiful parading across your windowsill. Cheers to you for making that descent and ascent (!) at Mckenzie Bight. You were rewarded with a stunning view!

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  9. When I lived in NC I love August, because it meant fall would soon be here in all its colorful glory. Here in Florida August is very hot and humid but I know that in the next two months we will have glorious weather.

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  10. I feel as you do. Let us not hurry through our days. They are going quickly enough.

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  11. My comment disappeared!!!! -sigh-

    All your photos are lovely.

    "Water lapping on the shore" are about the loveliest of words.

    You accomplished so much. Wonderful.

    Yummmm recipe. Must seek out peaches!

    πŸŒΌπŸ‘πŸ’›πŸ‘πŸŒΌ

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  12. I feel the same as you - hang on to the last month of sumnmer for as long as I can. My birthday is at the very end of the month and I know how much everything changes at that very moment - the trees, the flowers, and even the air all have a completely different feel.

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  13. Wonderful flowers and cooking... and yes, it must be lovely to have a walk-in closet. :)
    My birthday is at the beginning of this month and in the good old days there were still strawberries for a cake. In the last years, the strawberry season starts and ends much earlier.
    I like August very much, with its bittersweet atmosphere. For me, the darker evenings with lanterns, candles and fairy lights mark the beginning of dreaming of Christmas.
    Have a happy and blessed August!

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  14. Gorgeous pictures as always. August here is very, very hot and often unbearably humid. Our nighttime lows are in the 90's (F). Despite everything happening, the year does certainly seem to be whizzing by. I think people need to spend more time living in the present moment rather than always looking ahead. I make pickles the Arab way, by stuffing as many small cucumbers as I can in a medium-sized jar then filling it 3/4's with vinegar, topping it off with water and adding a TBS each of salt and sugar; cover the top of the jar with plastic wrap, screw on the lid and stick it in the cupboard for about a week. Easy-peasy.

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  15. That pale rose is so lovely, such a delicate colour of pink? peach? Either way. The Hydrangeas are gorgeous too with their deep purple tones.
    Tidying up one's closet is a big job but so rewarding when it's done.

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  16. That rose is amazing!

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  17. we are having Autumn weather here. 12C in the morning and 18C in the afternoon and rain!
    We only had one week very hot in July, so I wonder how August will be?
    I also mostly have navy blue in my wardrobe. I love the rose and blue Hydrangeas.

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  18. Good morning, Lorrie. I do love this post with everything you have been doing. When we had our large vegetable garden at our other home in Va. I did quite a bit of pickling and preserving. I still do hubby's favorite sweet pickles. The recipe was given to me years ago and I still follow it. The pickles are not put in a hot water bath - but in really hot jars and the pickles and the liquid are boiling. I've never lost a jar or have been sick.

    Your blooms are so pretty and I am also drawn to blue. You can see blue at every turn in our home. And I so agree with you about enjoying summer. The other seasons will be here all too soon - I still want to enjoy having the windows open. Happy days, Lorrie.

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  19. Smiling here...at the blue in your closet. We both share a love of blue as well! Now, if only my closet looked that organized! Fall is coming...though I'm certainly in no hurry for it to arrive.
    I am hoping to pickle cukes this week. They are a favorite over here.
    Great pic's, as always.

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  20. Love the hydrangeas on the window sill. Those pickles look great, too. Looks like you made the most of your long weekend! August will be a culminating month for us. September is loaded.

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  21. I adore August. There are many reasons, but the weather is the best here during August

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  22. I enjoyed your fabulous photos.

    Love the hydrangeas with their pretty purple hues.

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  23. Lorrie - your peach salad is easy on the eyes, and I am sure it was even more tasty on the tongue! When August arrives, I have a bit of "panic" about all the summer things I wish I had done ... so I am trying to work them in before the snow flies! It doesn't help that, with all the smoke, it feels fall-ish and gloomy.

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  24. I’m loving august so far, it’s already been a busy month. Since retirement September has been one of my favourite months. We often travel, when we can. I love the slowness of the season as autumn arrives. Loving all your busyness. Dill pickles yum. Well done on the clothes sorting. Time I had another sort. Blue is my predominant colour too. Maybe it’s do with the proximity of the sea. Have a great weekend. B x

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  25. I so enjoyed your lovely photographs, especially the peaceful scene of your first one.
    It doesn't seem possible that the 8th month of the year is here.

    All the best Jan

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  26. August is my favorite month, partly due to the fact it was the month I was born and partly that it's summer... and I'm with you ..
    I don't want to see any Fall things yet and I don't even like the school supplies out, but I guess that's understandable. I love that first photo on this post! It ought to be be enlarged and framed! And I love the feeling of a clean and organized closet!!

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