As I sit here in my garden, which apart from our well tended pots of petunias and geraniums is a little parched and brown now it is hard not to feel joyful about this wonderful summer we are having in the UK. Certainly in London, and I believe much more of the country too it has been endless days of warm, and often very hot sunshine for many weeks now. I am a definite summer girl. I love the sunshine and the light it brings. I love getting up in the morning and flinging open doors and windows and taking my first sips of tea outside and breathing in the scent of honey suckle. I love not having to think too hard about what to wear each day, I love living in flip flops, and I love the evenings when its a little cooler and I can sit out side with a glass of wine reading or writing in the garden until the light fades. When the weather is as it is now, even not being on holiday can feel like being on holiday.
These are just a few other moments of joy from my week…
Second Hand Books
I posted on my instagram yesterday a picture of a vintage penguin copy of Tarka the Otter, a novel by Henry Williamson. The well thumbed book caught my eye in my go-to second hand Oxfam bookstore. I couldn’t believe that complete with book jacket it was just 99p. Hand written inside is the name and date of the original owner. I can’t quite read the name but the date is 1938! I was thrilled by this. I wonder how many hands it has passed through in the last 80 years? How many people have read it? How many different bookshelves has it sat on in how many different houses? I’ll never know, but I like to imagine, and this is what always excites me by second hand book shops you just don’t know what you will find. I’m not sure if I have read this story or had it read to me or perhaps I just saw the TV show but I remember something of the story and have been enjoying flicking through it. The prose is detailed and descriptive and full of English country side. If i’m honest I’m not sure I will read it all but I love now being the owner of this little piece history.
Flowers
I love cornflowers. Corn flower blue is one of my favourite colours and the flowers are so easy to grow. Literally all that is required is a scattering of seeds, and they just seem to appear in abundance. Unusually, I haven’t got any in my garden this year, so couldn’t resist buying some yesterday when I spotted them on a local flower stall. They are now in a jug on a shelf in my bathroom and against the white walls look beautiful! I smile each time I look at them.
Cocktails
As I mentioned in my last post, my husband had been away with work for a week. He came back yesterday afternoon and in an attempt to combat his jet lag, we took a late afternoon, early evening stroll down to the canal and along the river Thames near where we live. We stopped for refreshment at a pub by the canal where I had the most delicious raspberry ripple cocktail. I’m not a huge cocktail fan, preferring either a G&T or a glass of cold white wine. However I couldn’t resist the heady combination of vanilla vodka, chambord, and pureed raspberries. It was as divine as the warm evening in which I enjoyed it!
Have a joyful week X