Friday Favourites: Slow August Days

 

August - a month of contrast, of winding down, of full summer. Already the days are shortening. The sun glows with fierce intensity, but slipped over the horizon, coolness descends quickly. Now in the garden golden Rudbeckias add their brightness. Roses enjoy a second flush. Sweet Peas carry on with their abundant and fragrant blooms. 

"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

Our across-the-fence neighbour grows thornless blackberries that droop over into our garden. "Help yourself," he says, and we do. He is disappointed that the berries never become very sweet, but they make wonderful sauces and jams. 

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

We had a Black Mission Fig tree for a number of years that produced a few early crop figs and lots of second crop ones that never had a chance to ripen before autumn. Three years ago we replaced that tree with a Desert King variety known for its plentiful early crop. This year dozens of figs hang heavy on the branches. I've made a delicious fig and onion jam to eat with crackers and cheese, and for this evening I'll be preparing a Fig and Blue Cheese Flatbread for guests. 

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.