The Taste of Summer

Have you ever taken a sensory walk, noticing what you really see, smell, hear and can touch?
My eyes were drawn towards this emerald green dragonfly
which I luckily managed to capture with my compact point and shoot camera
when out in the country doing pole walking!

The lush green pastures and the deep green pine trees
If you close your eyes, you can actually smell
the beauty of this summer's day.

A woodpile full of curving shapes with many textures of moss and wood
and a perfume of resin.

Closer to home on a neighbourhood walk, soft dandelion clocks prepare
to send their seeds in the air at the next gust of wind.

In my balcony garden a bee lies across my zinnia flowers
to gather pollen.
Can you hear him buzz as he goes from one flower to another?

What I'm reading now: the biography of Alice Herz-Sommer.

A Century of Wisdom, is a testament to the bonds of friendship,
the power of music and the importance of leading a life of material simplicity,
intellectual curiosity, and never-ending optimism.
See the link below:

A breakfast smoothie.
Now this is a real taste of summer!
I decided to buy a blender in July
and have been making health promoting smoothies ever since.
If you're a smoothie fan, maybe you'd like to try the one above:

Fruit smoothie:
2 apricots, a few strawberries, some blueberries
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 soy yoghurt
4 fresh mint leaves.
Blend on a 'pulse' setting and drink without delay!
Makes 2 glasses.
Try it and let me know what you think!

What are you reading this summer?


Inspired by a newsletter from Kim Manley-Ort
on Photographing Summer.
See a link to her site HERE










24 comments

  1. Wow ... what wonderful observational pictures. Stunning ~ thank you Sarah x

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  2. Wunderschöne Bilder und ein feiner Drik, sommerliche Impressionen, danke...

    Liebe Grüsse Dir

    Hans-Peter

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  3. Thanks . . . I enjoyed that walk with you and the breakfast smoothie was divine!

    After finishing Peter May's final book in a trilogy (The Chess Men) . . . I am without a novel in my hands currently . . . but have been busy creating and going out with friends instead! xxx

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  4. Your photography is brilliant Sandra! I can smell and taste the beautiful countryside - thank you so much!
    Joy x

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  5. What a wonderful sensory walk, Sandra. Your macros are lovely -- the bee image is gorgeous! And that smoothie looks so yummy, you have me salivating!

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  6. It's amazing how a sensory walk can add so much to the experience. I enjoyed taking this virtual walk with you and appreciate the book and smoothie recommendations. I have yet to start my summer novel, Transatlantic by Colum McCann.

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  7. ...`ganz wundervolle Bilder!
    Liebe Grüße,*Manja*

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  8. Enjoyed your sensory walk and the photos Sandra. I got a high-tech blender this winter when I was having health issues. We are now addicted to smoothies. I just finished The Dovekeepers - a bit of a departure from Alice Hoffman's usual magical realism. Long but I liked it.

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  9. Those dragonfly wings are breathtaking, and I love those curvy-outline logs.

    I am enjoying some Angela Thirkell right now - easy to read and always good for a laugh. :)

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  10. I found a heart in the woodpile!!!

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  11. Enjoy your summer smoothie yummy aren't they?
    Hugs xx

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  12. What a magnificent shot of the green dragon fly Sandra.
    You were so lucky to get so close. I have never seen one so bright.
    I agree with you.. if we look hard enough, we can see things that we just glance over most of the time.
    I have made smoothies for years. I also add coconut milk to mine sometimes..
    the mint adds such a great flavor and just before serving on a very hot day.. some ice blocks..
    nice post..
    happy days
    val

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  13. What a lovely walk! I enjoyed seeing it and could imagine the sounds and smells! I love the dragonfly, so different from the ones we see around here.

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  14. Love these. Amazing shot of the dragonfly, gorgeous colour. That book looks great and I'm adding it to my reading list - I'm currently reading Swallows and Amazons (with my daughter) and Understudy by David Nicholls which is making me laugh. Happy weekend. :)

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  15. What amazing insect shots. I also enjoyed all your other summer details. There are so many sights to enjoy this time of year. Wishing you a wonderful weekend full of summer sunshine!

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  16. I love the dragonfly picture, what amazing colours! xx

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  17. I always enjoy seeing what glorious images have captured your attention...love the dragonfly especially. I am also a big smoothie fan -- I vary the ingredients all the time but love to use fresh ginger and chia seeds. Now I want to know more about pole walking...have you written anything about it -- why you like it and its benefits?

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    1. Hello Sherry, yes, I wrote a few lines about pole walking here:
      http://reflectionsandnature.blogspot.ch/2013/04/striding-into-spring.html
      There are definite benefits to this type of walking, though right now we're going through a heatwave and so my walking times are between 6-7 am in the coolest places I can find!

      Smoothies are great at this time of the year. They're so refreshing, aren't they? I love fresh ginger too and use it a lot, though I've never tried chia seeds. I like to use refreshing mint leaves too.

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  18. That book sounds exactly as I'm trying to live my life now... I will have to read it. I say "try" because I believe life is always a day to day journey of living the best we can, and sometimes mistakes are made in the process..
    This photography... wow.
    Just WOW! Gorgeous!
    Have a great week,
    Tammy

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  19. hello,

    that green dragonfly is so very beautiful! i could feel my heart lean towards it.
    so lovely to take a walk with you
    to listen
    and see
    admire and pause
    i think i will take a little stroll after i let this fly to you.

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  20. What a really lovely post. There is SO much beauty right under our noses - it's good to slow down and appreciate it rather than just rushing by with our daily grind and missing it all. LOVE the look of that smoothie - the fresh mint leaves are a wonderful addition :)
    Mary x

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  21. This post is totally a BLAST of summer ... it made great reading on a rainy day :)

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  22. What a great post - you've really captured summer here. I love smoothies for breakfast, it's a good way to use up the bananas that ripen too quickly in this heat. x

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  23. Nice dragonfly shot, and I love that bee shot!! Amazing detail in the wings!! I couldn't stop looking at it!!
    Kate :}

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