Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

Not only is today the first day of summer but it also marks the summer solstice and the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. From here on out the days will slowly begin to shorten again. Not that we will notice at first as it is only by a miniscule amount. It will be several months before we really begin to see it. In the meantime we enjoy lots of light and sunshine.  Happy Summer!

The kids will be breaking up from school here very soon now.  I can remember just how exciting that was!  I hope that I will get to see some of my grandchildren this summer. I know Doug and his family are coming over for a summer camp near the mid to end of July so I will certainly get to see and spend time with the three "J's" and Anthony and his family are planning on coming over for a Lewis reunion so hopefully I will get to spend time with my two angel boys, Luke and Gabriel also!  

And then I have  Eileen staying here with me to look forward to at the end of July.

 

We are not really beachy people, but this seemed to be pretty fitting for the first day of summer! I am not one who enjoys baking in the sun, but I will probably enjoy at least one day sitting down by the seaside, probably up in Margaretville.  They have a nice boardwalk there and picnic benches. Maybe Eileen and I will go one day and take a picnic lunch with us, take in some of the fresh sea air and listen to the gulls. That sounds like a plan.

I wish I could show  you the beautiful picture my sister painted the other day of the Lighthouse up in Margaretville. In its simplicity it was simply stunning. However simple it was though, I could not do the same. My sister has a real talent for this type of thing. I fiddle too much.

All is quiet in here at the moment, save for the tapping of my keyboard.  One cat is sleeping in her basket in front of the window and the other, my little man, is sleeping under the dining room table. Just a few minutes ago he was mithering me for attention, which I gladly gave to him.

I was awake quite early this morning. I am one of those people as soon as the sun starts to show her face, I am waking up. But I have always been an early riser. To me, the morning is the best part of the day and I don't like to miss a moment of it. It is when I am at my most alert and my brain is functioning well at its best. I am a morning person.  Come nightfall however, or even late in the day, I am fading fast . . .   I do my best work between the hours of six am and noon.

I am sure there must be a reason behind this, although I am not sure what it is.  People are either one way or the other I think. Perhaps this habit of mine for early rising stems from the fact that I raised a large family and I was always up early in the morning to take care of them. Also most of my jobs required that I be up-and-at-'em earlier in the day.  A lifetime of habit  . . . and well ingrained.  

I've enjoyed many a sunrise and quite happily so.

(source)

These next few months are months in which we should be able to enjoy an abundance of fresh produce. The strawberries are just coming into season here.  The early ones at any rate. Another few weeks and they will be at their prime. 

Back in the day they would celebrate the season with Strawberry Socials.  

Historically, a strawberry social would take place on a Sunday afternoon and pastries and ice creams featuring strawberries would be served as the townspeople caught up on the latest happenings. I am not sure if they still do these things.  I think Covid certainly curtailed a lot of these events, and I don't think there is as much of a sense of community these days as what used to exist once upon a time.

Most socialization today is done via social media and I am as guilty of that as anyone!

  

(source)

Years ago people might even have enjoyed a dance upon the village green in midsummer, to celebrate the longest day of the year. Anyone who could play an instrument would come along and  music would be played, an air of festivity would be very much present.  Lovers,  both young and old would dance to the tunes in the air.  What a time that must have been  . . . 

They made their own fun back in the day. Now we wait to be entertained. Mores the pity  . . . 

 

(source)

Don't you just love it?  Mrs. Hedgehog hanging out her laundry to dry in a warm summer's breeze.  I can almost hear the linens flapping and snapping.  Just think of how good they are going to smell at the end of the day having absorbed all that sunshine and ozone. I love her frilly bedecked apron and little cast iron pot to hold her pins  . . .  Mom had a wicker clothes basket like that for hanging out the laundry.

(source)

Children will soon be off on their summer adventures.  We had two rules.  We had to stay within the sound of our mother's voice, unless we told her otherwise exactly where we were going, and we had to be back at mealtimes.  There was no excuse accepted for being late. The firehall always used to put off a siren at noon so that you knew it was time for lunch.

I can remember being in the woods, exploring, discovering  . . . plants, flowers, wildlife  . . . the hum of insects in the air . . . there was a coolness in the woods, a respite from the hot sun.

Otherwise we would play games on the green . . .  frozen tag was a favorite as was redlight greenlight and red rover red rover or dodgeball. Kick the can.  We were free from the constrains of the schoolroom walls and made our own fun. It was a time of great innocence  . . . 

(source)

So anyways, Happy First day of Summer! May it be kind to us all. 

A thought to carry with you . . .

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°If there were dreams to sell,

Merry and sad to tell,

And the crier rung his bell,

What would you buy?

~Thomas Beddoes•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Sauteed Potatoes with Broccoli Rabe. This was delicious! Quite simply delicious!

I hope that you have a beautiful day, no matter what you get up to.  Whatever it is, don't forget! 

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════     


And I do too!