"Bees blew like cake-crumbs through the golden air, white butterflies like sugared wafers, and when it wasn't raining, a diamond dust took over, which veiled and magnified all things."
Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie
In every neglected corner of the city wild invasive blackberries sprawl. Armed with clippers, people wearing long-sleeves as armour against the fierce brambles, pick buckets of the sweet berries. I freeze them for baked crumbles in the cold of winter.
"The kitchen smells of spices and syrups, mint and sweet pepper. It is the time of 'putting up,' a rewarding time for country folk. I believe it is an instinct in man to store things against the winter, even when there is a supermarket a few blocks or miles away. It is part of the rhythm of life."
Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Calendar
Dahlias are slow to bloom, but are coming along now. Soon there will be enough to clip a bouquet. They are such lovely long-lasting flowers and will bloom until the first frost, usually in October. I'm hoping some of the brighter varieties will soon show their faces.
I love these lingering summer days and am in no hurry at all to see them pass. We sit and read on the deck in late afternoon and when dinner is done. Often, the book waits while I admire the garden. I notice the immense sprawl of the Red Kuri Squash plants with their huge leaves. There are at least eight squashes forming and I look forward to their harvest in another month or so. The Sugar Pumpkins planted by the little girls are growing round and orange, delighting them and me. Pole beans are climbing ever higher, with bees buzzing around its flowers. Tiny green beans are beginning to form. Almost every day I pick a cucumber to slice into a salad.
"My garden - oh, the delight it has been to me this summer! I am positively revelling in flowers. Roses - such roses!
L. M. Montgomery, The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery, The PEI Years, 1901-1911
The sun has risen over the hedge now at 8:30 and dappled light covers the back garden. It's time to leave my computer and do the things I want to do today. There will be some inside chores and some time outside. All part of the rhythm of life.
Wishing you a most lovely weekend.
Blackberries, figs, dahlias all great summer delights. Your fig and bleu cheese combo on flatbread sounds delicious. Enjoy your day and evening.
ReplyDelete