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....










Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Enchantment

ABC Wednesday
July 1, 2015

The letter is Y - for Enchantment

Are you prepared to be enchanted???

Here is Yo Yo Ma with his magical rendition of The Swan by Saint Saens

Bound to enchant you....


And furthermore - the addition of Charles Riley (aka Lil' Buck) and his
dance interpretation is quite magical


For more interesting takes on the letter Y - over yonder, here, at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to Roger and Denise 

Sunday, June 28, 2015

We're having a heat wave...









In the late afternoon I leave the coolness of the house and go out into the garden to check pots and open the side gate to peer at the air conditioner to see if any ice has formed around its entrance into the house as happened yesterday.  Luckily not.......

We are in the midst of an unusual heat wave.  No blazing sun or brilliant sky, but rather a grey and rather ominous cloud cover much resembling the lid of a pressure cooker - and there is distinct impression of being steamed in it as one ventures forth.

I have seen worse!  Picked peaches and apricots in the orchard when the temperature was well over 100 degrees F. (With constant  re-telling over the years the actual temperature has grown to117F but I hesitate to intrude on credibility).

We had no air conditioning in our home at that time but a large Rainbow sprinkler turned lazily all day on our flat roofed house, and as the water fell over the eaves it gave the illusion of coolness at least.

I found some of the potted plants gasping for water, even though I had been out in the garden early in the morning with the hose.  These are the days of morning refreshment -  happy hour about five, and perhaps a little sparkling water at noon.






What relief and delight to step back into a cool kitchen  - even Callie left her little damp spot in the raspberries to scoot between my feet.

She had spoonful of her soft tinned cat food that she has a passion for, and I had the remains of last night's refreshing fruit salad for supper  -  with ice cream!

Last night as I got ready for bed the eastern sky and clouds were bright with a show of sheet lightening.  I can't wish the same for tonight because of the very real danger of igniting wild fires, but it was pretty spectacular.

Tomorrow promises to be a little cooler than the 40C that was recorded on Charles' old thermometer!