Friday Favourites: Flowers, Fruit, and Books

 

The slant of morning light confirms that we are at the end of August. Here it casts shadows on the wall and illumines the vase of dahlias. I had to be quick to catch it before it moved on. Days are shorter, mornings darker. I'm savouring the many lovely moments of late summer. Here are a few of them. 

One: Summer Fruit

Summer began with strawberries, then cherries, apricots, raspberries, blueberries, and finally peaches and blackberries. I don't count apples as summer fruit; they belong to autumn. I made a Peach Platz to share with friends. Platz is a dish from my Mennonite background and is wonderfully adaptable with any kind of fruit. It's very similar to German Kuchen. 

We picked blackberries, enough for just a few small containers in the freezer. They are wonderful added to crumbles and crisps. We replaced our raspberries this year, and pulled out the old canes to replace them with starters from our son's berry patch. I didn't think they would produce anything this first year, but we are enjoying enough for our breakfast every couple of days. And my strawberries are producing again, fat and red and so sweet. 

Two: Garden Exuberance

The Cosmos continue to bloom exuberantly. They have sprawled out of control, and I'm reluctant to cut them too much for they still provide food for the bees. And how pretty they look in the sunshine. 

I fussed about my tomato plants not setting fruit and wondered if I would have any tomatoes at all this year. I needn't have worried. There are so many! Every day I go out and pick one or more heavy red tomatoes to finish ripening indoors to prevent critters from getting at them. I made a double batch of salsa with some of them, and will be making tomato sauce with more. They are full of sweet flavour that no hothouse tomato can ever match. 

We're consuming green beans, zucchini, and carrots at a steady pace, and soon late-planted kale and chard will be available. I do love going out with my basket and clipping delicious things to eat. It feels like so luxurious.  

Three: Music and More Flowers

I'm not much of a fan of country music, but Dolly Parton's recent death had me listening to a few of her songs. Tributes have poured in from around the globe. She was a very special person, and I don't think any scandal was attached to her character. I love these words of hers: 

I make it a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and 

smell the air after a good hard rain. I re-read passages from my 

favourite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.

These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious

pieces of good in the world.

A good reminder to take notice of the little things that enrich life. 

My garden is a tangle of colour these days. I'm letting things go a bit wild. There will be time enough to tidy it later. For now I enjoy seeing it all through the kitchen window when I'm working or from the patio when I relax. 

Four: Reading

I learned about Persephone Books through Miranda Mills, an English author. The company republishes older novels and collections of short stories and social commentary, many by women. They are not commonly found here in Canada and I was surprised to see a Persephone book in the used bookstore, and I recognized the distinctive grey cover immediately. The covers are all the same with beautiful and varied end papers. 

The book I picked up was They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of three women, sisters, who married very different men, and how their lives evolved. I enjoyed it very much, and it made me think a lot about how our choices determine life's trajectory. 

Other books read recently:

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

The Key to Creativity by Pam Vale

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

(this is a prequel to Jane Eyre and paints Rochester and his first wife in a whole new light)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Surprisingly, nary a mystery among them. Some are re-reads. I have several mysteries out from the library that I'll be tackling next. 

Five: Time with Grands

There have been dinners together, time on the boat, driving children to various activities, and I've loved it! When school begins, the grandchildren are busier and we don't see them as often. 

Our youngest daughter has completed her Masters in Counseling (hooray!). All summer I've been enjoying the company of her two young daughters one day each week while she worked at her internship. 

This past week I sewed linen foraging bags for the girls for them to use when out and about. They love collecting bits of nature - pine cones, leaves, stones, sticks, etc. They also discovered that the bags could hold their water bottles. The girls decorated their bags themselves with markers. Iris made a pattern and took great care with colouring it. Cora's isn't so visible but she drew a girl, herself, with a basket and all sorts of eggs, from a large ostrich egg to a tiny hummingbird egg. 

As summer wanes, I look forward to autumn, but I'm in no hurry for it. September frequently holds warm and sunny days and I'll enjoy each one. 

Wishing you a beautiful closing to August.