Summer Days

Oh I just love these glorious summer days so, so much, the long hours of daylight and the sunny warmth makes me feel very happy indeed.

I went up to the Attic for a short while earlier and drank in the lush green and blue of our summer landscape, marvelling at the fact that this was 8pm and all was still bright and golden. I love the feeling of Summer, the sweet emotion of it all.

I love coming downstairs in the early morning to find the sunlight streaming in through our front east-facing bay window. I love wearing my light cotton jammies covered in printed roses. I sit at the table and drink my frothy coffee and savour the still of the house with only one small child up and about, mentally preparing myself for the busy day that lies ahead.

This morning we were up early, Little B and I, greeting the day just after 6am. It meant that I found time for some early morning ripples, which pleased me enormously. I had thought last week that I was almost at the end of my coastal blanket, but after measuring it (then mercilessly stretching it and re-measuring it), I've come to the conclusion that it's just not quite long enough. I was disappointed for about a nano-second, then immediately thought yippeeeeee, cos truthfully I hadn't been ready to face The Edge just yet.

I have summer flowers on my table, a scruffy little posy plucked from the front garden with a few stems of alchemilla, some campanula, a few daisies and one single, beautiful rose. Much as I do every year, I wish very much that I had more roses to go at, more blooms to bring indoors. I should really see to that, how hard can it be to purchase and plant roses? Anyone?

I continue to balance and juggle my days, and it is getting easier. I am forcing myself to be more disciplined, more organised, making better use of my hours. This past week I have been working on a Christmas project for Simply Crochet magazine, which has felt a weeny bit bonkers in mid June I have to say. I've been continuing to work my way through a daily dose of mandalas (over 700 now, from 43 countries!), and I am now into my third week of working in schools on our Woolly Bike Project. I've taken some pictures as I've been working with the children, I'll share them with you in a day or two. It's getting easier, I am less fraught and more organised and the children have been absolutely wonderful.

I've been slowly buying plants to fill my back yard pots, bargain buys from the supermarket for very little money. Lots of geraniums have come home with my shopping this year (they were on offer at £1.33 each!), lavender and herbs too. I'd like some daisy type flowers and possibly some nasturtiums, but really I would be happy with just geraniums to gaze at. I do need to plant them now, rather than just looking at them and thinking about planting them. These big pots will go up on top of the wall when they are planted so that they get more sunshine, but I would love to have more greenery at ground level actually. Maybe some big pots of foliage might be good to stand against the wall?

When I cleared the yard a few weeks ago, I made space at the far end to put a couple of chairs. There used to be some old potting benches here, laden with lots of old flowerpots and miscellaneous rubbish, but after six years it finally dawned on me (talk about slow) that this is actually the sunniest spot in the whole back yard and should really be used for sitting in, not storing rubbish in. I'm hoping to get a bench here at some point, but for now, some old chairs and my much loved patchwork blanket do the job nicely. It's a lovely place to sit with an afternoon cuppa, face turned up to the sunshine and the gentle sounds of the neighbourhood in my ears.

I don't have much time for sitting outside at the moment actually,  but Little B and I do pootle out here most days. Mostly it is me hanging out laundry, or bringing in the laundry, with Little B looking for signs of wildlife. He was thrilled to discover this empty moth pupa yesterday, I just love his excitement over new discoveries and the way his face looks when he is absorbing so much new information about the world around us. He is soooo ready for school in September.

I am taking great pleasure in my little homely routines, the domestic tick-tock of my Mothering days feel so good at the moment when I stop to really see it and appreciate it and not just let it all rattle by in the blink of an eye.

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♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

A Jar of Summer

Juggling Act

Mandala Wheels for Yarndale

2012 :: Year End Review :: flowers

Comments

[CJ]

Beautiful photos as always Lucy. Roses are lovely, but a little disease prone sometimes. Choose your variety carefully - one that flowers for the whole season is best. I used to have a stunning pink one, but it only bloomed for two weeks! Ferns might be nice in your ground level pots if it's a little shady - they don't tend to be eaten by snails, and they'll last for years.

[Meredithe]

How can Little B be ready for school?? I remember when he was born.....that was only a year or two ago surely!!!!

[Emma]

nothing better than a beautiful, hot summer day. Especially if you don't have to spend it in the office but by the lake. ;)

Greetings from Austria!

[Sally]

Lovely post, I love the light evenings at this time of year too. I just found out that zonal geraniums (the kind with the darker rings on their leaves) are OK in sun or shade so maybe you could have some at ground level too. I expect the ones that get more sun will have more flowers but it's worth a try, especially if they are a bargain!

[happyhectichandmadehome]

Such lovely pictures! Hope you can balance your time and enjoy spending the summer with little ones!

[izzy]

I have a question Lucy ? Do you need A.C. over there in summer, just curious. Here in NJ USA it gets to 90 plus with humidity so we need window ACs , just wondering if you do as well..Izzy

[Jacky Russell]

The blanket is looking great! :). My mandala was one of the early ones and is on Board 1 - fancy so many coming in - amazing!
www.thequietstitcher.com

[Angela-Southern USA]

It's all so lovely. What a beautiful shade of pink on your rose. They do tend to need lots of sunshine and good rich soil, plenty of watering when freshly planted. Good luck with your gardening. I've just notice Japanese beetles on mine this morning and will have to see to that straight away. Way too hot here to be working on blankets but yours is lovely as always. I've been doing a spot of tapestry crochet at the moment,harlequin potholders. Happy summer!

[eclectichomelife.blogspot.com]

Love the idea of the above ladies bullet journal. thanks for the tip. Lucy, you a re balancing life well, still manageing to blog too! We had a lovely early summer few days away in norway and spotted a picture U though you would like too, colours very Lucy like! Keep well and looking forward to seeeing the bkies you have done with the children x http://eclectichomelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/norway-and-lazy-days.html

[Gillian]

No matter how busy you are, take time to enjoy the summer. It'll be gone before you know it so you'll want something to look back on once the days start to get shorter and colder.

[Rachael Iddon]

Hi Lucy, I recently found a really useful system to keep track of my life and I love it so far. It's called a bullet journal. I watched this link http://www.iamtypecast.com/2014/06/inside-my-bullet-journal-part-1.html
and also looked at the main website www.bulletjournal.com
What I love the most was the excuse to buy a new notebook and pen. You can even use washi tape to customise it. Just thought you might like the idea. It's really helped me stay more focussed. Send some sunshine to Teesside - we've got the east coast cloud and it's cold.

[Mitsa Xida]

It"s very beautiful oll this!!!

[Kate]

Weather here a bit up and down- roses are simple. just cut them back in early Spring ( Feb/March is fine) don't worry about where you cut them, but down to an outward facing bud is good. The crucial thing is FOOD.Get a box of rose feed and do what it says on the instructions ,also, get into the habit of chopping up banana skins and putting them round the plant, feeding this year will give you more flowers next year. If you can put a nice bit of manure around the plant, that's good too!

[vanessa]

A lovely post Lucy. I adore geraniums and have lots in pots. In truth, they are the only things I can't kill, so, I have lots! They are nice though as they add a burst of colour and can take dry or wet weather well. Wowzers, how many mandalas?! Geez, your poor postie!

Glad the weather is nice up there for you, it's a bit grotty down south this past week. I hope for sun too!

Take care

Vanessa xxx

[Heidi]

Oooh, get some hostas in some pots for the shade. They're gorgeous, big leavy plants and get some understated flowers too. Very easy to keep. They die down in the winter just like ferns do.

[Lyn]

Great post and photos, we are having a holiday in uk (now live in NZ) and just spent the last 2 weeks at Bolton Abbey caravan site. We adore the Dales, such a beautiful part of Yorks, you are so lucky to live there. Have now moved on with an extra kilo around my waist from delish pork pies and curd tarts, yum, it was worth it! Great to see the preps for the Tour too, loved the jersey buntings!

[Anne]

Great photos! Looking forward to see your christmas projects in the magazine! Do we really have to wait til december to see what it will be or do you get to give us some more spoilers?

Tale care and heaps of sunny greetings from Germany
Anne
http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

[Holly Nelson]

Lovely pictures of an idyllic lifestyle <3

[Anne]

I've been finding various items on the internet of furniture using pallets. Might be an idea for a recyled bench. I've also seen them stood on end, filled with earth and planted up (especially good with herbs?) very space saving.
Oh and I was thrilled to see my knitted mandala on Pinterest board. Thank you.

[Lyn]

I recommend checking out 'antique roses'...these are roses that have stood the test of time and grow on their own rootstock. Since you have a small backyard, like I do, consider a (practically) thornless rose like Marie Pavie. However...roses do like sun...at least 6 hours. I've heard there are some that can get by with 4, but mine get leggy and bloom much less with 6. (And by 'sun'...a good description I've heard is a sunny patch where you would get a tan if you were there.) If you have a shadier area, a large pot (like a plastic half-whiskey barrel planter) is a great mini garden for, say, a few brightly colored coleus (2-3) and a pretty begonia. Have fun with the plants!

[soleillucie]

J'aime beaucoup votre petit extérieur. C'est enrobant et réconfortant. Les plantes ont l'air très heureuses, en particulier vos géraniums.
Profitez de l'été bien chère Lucy

[Claire Knight]

I was in Holmfirth last week, as my husband has a client there and we were delivering stuff, as you do, on my way to Leeds where my lovely daughter is just finishing her Fashion degree at the Art College – and I thought of you, because the views look like your views. Was I close?

[Winwick Mum]

If you can stand the smell of them in the house over the winter, take lots of cuttings from your geraniums ready for next year and then you'll have a head start! Glad you're finding quiet moments in amongst the madness xx

[mrsbrownmakes]

I love the picture of your yard Lucy - a bit of peaceful sunshine can be such a tonic. x

[Clare]

The yard is looking lovely enjoy the sunshine
Clare x