Thursday, July 02, 2015

Summer Days

July 2nd, 2015

When my knees started whining this morning, after a couple of hours at the loom, I chided them for letting down the side, but did admit that it might be time to see what the kitchen had to offer for lunch, and them maybe find a shady spot and a new book.




I try to keep in mind the way Grandpa Sid (Charles' father) managed when he was with us in his late eighties,  and emulate his way of life;  busy during the day, but at a leisurely pace.  Never hurried or distraught, and always aware of the energy short rest periods generated, he taught us all
the advantages of pacing oneself through life....

So I made myself a toasted chicken and cheese sandwich, had a very small nap, and then gathered a book and the camera and my phone in a basket, and went out into the back garden to find a cool corner.

I finished reading Julia Blackburn's 'biography' yesterday - "The Three of Us", astounded at the lack of stability in her childhood and surprised by the maturity, and the love and forgiveness that she achieves by the time the book ends.   It kept me reading all afternoon until I closed it with a sigh, and laid it aside for Happy Hour, and a little musing about life and how different it is for all us.

Today I started to read "Habits of the House" by  Fay Weldon - a Downton Abbey kind of book that doesn't require a great deal of concentration but so far is entertaining.

This morning I was back at the loom again, and so pleased with the way the left-over linen is weaving up into small guest towels, although I have to admit that there are a few lines running through the length of the warp that could be construed as decorative, but are, in reality, mistakes in threading....  I have probably another twenty inches of warp left to weave and then the happy experience of cutting off the warp, wet finishing the material and watching it morph from a stiff linen netting type of weave to a lovely soft huck pattern, the threads all relaxed and cosying up to one another.



And so the summer days go by, - I go to town when I absolutely have to, but my days begin and end in the garden in the cool of the morning and the quiet of the late evening.  Often, if there is a particularly lovely sunset in the Chilcotin, our youngest son scans the sky with his Ipod and sends by Skype these beautiful Monet colours, - mauves and purples and roses and cream and lilac, bright golds and blue.

In the morning I can expect to see on Facebook the same sunset, beautifully photographed by our second son,  and accompanied by wonderful tales of the Meadow where they live.









Warm summery days, and life is good....










5 comments:

Penny said...

Sounds and looks lovely. I am finding I have to pace myself these days and I am far younger than you.

Reader Wil said...

Thank you for this serene,happy post. This is how we all should enjoy life. We should relax whenever we want.
Thanks also for youe visit to Yggdrasil, the pronunciation of which is not difficult, because the Norwegian language is pronounced as it is written. The "i"is either pronounsed as "i" in "it" or "ea"as in "eat". The "a" is pronounced as "a"in father.The "y"is the only difficult letter. Its sound is between "ea"in eat or a sound you don't find in English but in French "tu".The "g"is like English "g"in "leg".In Norwegian each letter is pronounced, there is no loss of sound like in English.
Have a great week with beautiful sunsets, Hildred.
Wil, ABCW Team

Morning's Minion said...

I'm starting to learn [at 71] the wisdom of short 'breaks' when doing a physically demanding job such as garden work or painting/cleaning.
If I sit down to read though--the break extends.
Your photos have me recalling the particular beauty of western sunsets.

Barb said...

My days usually begin and end like yours. I visit the garden in the morning to see what needs a drink and sit in the late afternoon on the back deck, watching the flowers grow. The wild lupine are perfuming the air and my hybrid lupine are ready to bloom. The cycle of flowering teaches me patience. Tomorrow when you go out, think of my CO garden slowly coming to life, and I'll think of yours blooming with vivid abandon. Take Care, Hildred!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

It is so peaceful and lovely to share your perfect days. Thank you. Isn't it delightful to share the everyday wonders of life through Facebook, Skype etc.... (Tho I really couldn't call those fabulous skies "everyday" ... Not for most of us at any rate! Thanks to you and your sons!