This is the absolute high point of summer: a cloudless sunny Sunday afternoon spent under the shade of my apple tree. The fava beans and the poppies have finished and the apples are just starting to ripen. Rhododendrons are long gone, but the hydrangeas are enormous, the lavender is full of bees and the nasturtiums and dahlias are providing bursts of color. The leaves of the vine maples in the forest are still fresh and green and haven’t started to fade. Everything is very dry because it hasn’t rained for weeks, but there doesn’t seem to be widespread concern about this. (That I find odd, because a lack of rain makes me anxious.)

This summer my intention was to celebrate by doing one summery thing each day. I started to keep a list:

• Drink coffee in the garden.
• Pick raspberries for breakfast.
• Pick raspberries for dessert.
• Eat breakfast outside in pyjamas.
• Water the garden in pyjamas.
• Ride my bike everywhere.
• Go to the farmers market.
• Enjoy lunch on the deck.
• Invite entire extended family over for brunch on the deck.
• Dry clothes outside on the clothesline.
• Pick fresh peas for dinner.
• Eat a salad from the garden every day.
• Plan meals around what is growing in the garden today.
• Fresh herbs with everything!
• Work outside.
• Invite friends over for tea under the apple tree.
• Invite friends over for Campari cocktails.
• Eat dinner in the garden.
• Do yoga in the garden.
• Sleep outside in the tent.
• Invite friends over for a glass of wine outside.
• Light candle lanterns and talk late into the night.
• Go on a late night walk through the garden with a flashlight…beware of the skunk!
• Watch the hummingbirds.
• Watch the bees.
• Nap in the tent.
• Ride bike to the farmers market.
• Pick fresh flowers for the table.
• Save poppy seeds.
• Eat fava beans.
• Grab handfuls of cilantro.
• Drink wine while weeding.
• Pick apples.
• Pick more apples.
• Walk down to the beach and have a picnic before the fireworks.
• Water garden in the middle of the night.

At some point in the next few weeks, things will quietly turn towards fall. Until that time I am going to spend as much of my life outside as possible.

Enjoy summer……winter is coming. (ha ha Kinga and Risa)