Hellooo.....!! A week into July already and finally I've carved out some time to sit and catch up with you all in Blogland. I've been busy; working endlessly on a new colour palette/blanket design which has challenged me at every turn, and also away last week teaching another Stitchtopia crochet retreat at Bagden Hall in West Yorkshire. I'll talk to you more about both of those things in another blog post, because today I've got one final June instalment that I'd like to share. It's been really nice putting these blog posts together during the past month, I like the quirky randomness of them which kind of perfectly sums up my life at the moment. I also enjoy that there is no real need for a well formed storyline or joined up narrative as this is just me sharing the many small, unrelated things that have inspired me or made me feel happy. I hope you enjoy the peeks into my days, and find something of value to take from them, even if it's just the quiet idea of appreciating everyday small pleasures.
☀ My morning walk with J hasn't always happened as regularly in June because of it being hayfever season. I think I mentioned to you that I take antihistamine tablets at night which very effectively cut the symptoms but also knock me out. I've been sleeping in much later and waking up very groggy-headed, but have really tried to still get out the house around 7am if at all possible. The last week of June was very warm and humid and we often walked in a fine, misty drizzle of rain. But I always enjoy the exercise - climbing up those steep steps through the trees gets my heart pumping and never fails to make me feel good.
☀ A pause in my morning to sit quietly with a coffee and think some thoughts. I often find the mild chaos at home makes quiet thinking/planning almost impossible, and taking myself out to a café allows my thoughts and ideas to free-flow. Sometimes all I need to do is try and work out some kind of to-do list for the day, other times there are bigger plans/ideas asking for my attention.
☀ Summer rain after a pretty long dry spell, what a beautiful thing. The feel of it in the air, the gentle sound as it pitter-pattered onto the garden and the visual pleasure of the droplets caught on the alchemilla leaves. The only downside has been the extremely high humidity which has felt quite tiring, but mostly it's a YES to light summer rain showers in June, so long as they don't hang around for too long.
☀ And petrichor too, the most wonderful, nostalgic scent of summertime. We've had our big sash windows pushed open most days (even during the rain showers) and that distinctive scent has been intoxicating at times.
☀ A spontaneous splurge in the flower department. I don't think I've ever seen cornflowers for sale in a supermarket bunch before and of course I found them utterly irresistible, especially paired with sunflowers. These blooms caught my eye, captured my heart and walked out the door with me in a hot minute, and then went on to deliver endless joy for well over a week. Bloomin' lovely.
☀Fruit appreciation #1 : summer stone fruits, specifically nectarines and those flat donut peaches that are bang in season at the moment. Oh, I do love them! In the above photo...Me, sitting on a shady bench in the church yard on a hot afternoon, about to devour this very juicy white-flesh nectarine purchased from Marks and Spencers. It tasted luxurious.
☀ Fruit appreciation #2 : afternoon snack time, strawberries and a juicy peach. And on the side, two mini stroopwaffels which are my latest addiction, inspired by my recent trip to Amsterdam. I bought two bags back from the city (my only purchase), then discovered quite by chance that Tesco sells the Daelmans brand and I can get them whenever I want. Who knew?
☀ Fruit appreciation #3 : the first brown paper bag of cherries from the market, expensive but too good to pass by. Deeeeelicious.
☀ Awww, a warm, sleepy kitty on the Fireside blanket. She absolutely loves the Big Chair and we do fight over it on a regular basis during the daytime. It's one of my favourite places to sit, especially in the summer when I have the bay window pushed open, but I also love how much she enjoys it and do give it up for her on many occasions.
☀ A new feather in the pot, it's that soft smoky brown one which I guess once belonged to a pigeon. I can't now remember exactly where I found it, but it looked absolutely pristine as if it was just waiting for me to gather it up and give it a lovely new home.
☀ Colour faffing, one of my main occupations at the end of June. I've been working on a new idea with a floral/coastal theme and wanted to double check my previous colour palettes - above is the Coast ripple, with the Dune (top) and Meadow (bottom) colour palette samplers layered on top. My new collection of colours is sufficiently different and I'm very, very happy with them, they've been giving me the excited butterflies. I'm looking forward to sharing more with you later in the year. And in other news, I've almost finished my current blanket...it's wonderful! More of that soon, too.
☀ And finally....farewell June, you've been a wonderful, summery month full of delight and I'm already missing you. Mind you, eight days into July and it's been a good'n' so far, lots to enjoy and lots to be thankful for.
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