One of the things I really like about my neighbourhood is going for walks
in the early morning or after supper just before sunset.
I catch such pretty lighting at these times of the day.
I loved catching the early evening sun behind these beautiful wild roses.
These yellow roses are really lovely too and in an area of individual houses
with lovely gardens and on very quiet streets.
One of my favourite colours in roses: a warm apricot colour.
Wild flowers pop up on the edge of gardens and I love to capture them too!
Delicate little Aquilegia appear wherever they are left to grow.
So dainty!
I often see these beautiful Delphiniums as I pass them by on my evening walks.
Their dark blue petals look like shot silk with reflections of pink and purple.
Bright red roses grow through the fencing - much to the delight of passers-by.
On Saturdays, I like to go down to the market.
This lovely stall is where I bought the Gaillardia for my balcony garden.
This is the Spelt bread that I buy at the market. This loaf lasts me the whole week.
The strawberries are called 'Mara des Bois' and they taste like wild strawberries.
Fresh organic asparagus is lovely at this time of the year too.
Last week, we had very violent rain and hailstorms at the end of the day.
I managed to save all my flowers by removing them from the balcony edge,
but the Gaillardia still got a little beating.
Despite that, the beauty remains!
The new buds have formed beautiful blooms in the meantime.
Also just changing into the most delicious shade of raspberry pink,
my second hydrangea plant from two years' ago.
They are a good contrast to the paler pink hydrangea from this year.
My lavender is doing well and the bees are getting interested!
A golden yellow Zinnia with red and pink ones too and a cascade of Alyssum
shedding tiny white petals everywhere, but smelling like honey!
I have been crocheting
A chunky yarn couch throw.
I'm waiting for a yarn order to make it grow.
Teddy got a new granny square jacket too. Orange, to match his eyes!
To celebrate the Summer Solstice
I've crocheted a sunny Mandala
which I've called: ' Daisy and Buttercups and Changing Skies'!
Wishing you all a very happy Summer Solstice!
Do you do something special to celebrate?
I'll be taking a little blog break as I'm going to England for a visit next week!
See you sometime in July!
Lovely glimpses of your spring walks.
ReplyDeleteEach a delight to see in your bright and cheery style.
Does the "bio" on the asparagus mean organic?
I wish you a lovely time away!
Happy Summer to you!
Thank you, Tammie. Yes, the word 'Bio' (short for 'Biological') which does indeed mean that it's organic.
DeleteIt will be lovely to have some time away in my home country. Thank you for your good wishes, Tammie!
Thank you for sharing the lovely flowers you see as you stroll in the mornings and evenings! I need to get out and find a neighborhood with summer flowers. I live in the country where lots are big and there are not flowers close to the road. Also love your balcony flowers. I'm glad you were able to move your flowers during the storm! Enjoy your time in England! I'll look forward to seeing what caught your eye!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed all the flowers in my neighbourhood. There are still so many private homes with lovely gardens everywhere and I love to walk in those areas once or twice a day to enjoy it all. I also get to listen to birdsong when I choose the early mornings and evenings! We have a heatwave coming this way from Spain and it will spread all over the continent and even into England! I'll need my sunhat and a bottle of water with me wherever I go! Thank you for your good wishes for England!
DeleteI truly enjoyed your neighborhood tour, Sandra! How wonderful it must be to have a market within walking distance--we have to use a car to get anywhere in the suburbs of my large city, unfortunately. I grew up in a small town and really miss that lifestyle. Your flowers are just wonderful and I'm glad you managed to save them from the worst of the storm. We have had rainy day after rainy day, but finally have a beautiful sunny weekend--what a blessing!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a wonderful visit in England--with some good weather as well :) See you when you return! ♥
So glad you enjoyed visiting my neighbourhood and its flowers with me! Yes, I do love having a Farmer's Market very close to me and a bigger one with lots of different stalls downtown (I can walk down there in 25 minutes or catch the bus). So glad your weather has warmed up now too. We are starting to feel the heat as a heat-wave blows over the continent from Spain! It will be a little cooler in England, thank goodness!
DeleteThank you for your good wishes, Carol!
Like your other readers, I marvel that you have such beautiful, quiet neighborhoods to walk through where people so obviously care about their gardens—right in the heart of a big city. What a nice way to begin and end each day! I appreciate your mindfulness, Sandra, and how you intentionally fill your days with the things you love—flowers, good food, books, and crochet. I need to do more of that in my own life. Have a wonderful trip to England!
ReplyDeleteI live above the city centre in a self-contained little neighbourhood where there are a few tall buildings, but thankfully also private homes with lovely gardens. So I can enjoy walks away from busy roads and noise, which is lovely! I can also get down to the city centre very easily on foot in about 20-25 minutes or by bus.
DeleteThank you for your good wishes for my upcoming trip. I leave today!
Your photos are stunning as always. I love your crochet mandala, such pretty colours and combinations of stitches...
ReplyDeleteThank you! Colour combinations don't always work the first time around, as you certainly know when you create crochet designs! This one started out with different greens, but I didn't like the look of it, so I changed the greens to blues and preferred the harmony it created!
DeleteI think I need to get out and look are nature more. There's really not many flowers to look at around here. But thanks for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteThat mandala looks wonderful.
Have a lovely day.
Thank you, Lissa. I live in the town, but I make a point of looking for flowers and trees and grass as they are so important to my well-being! The mandala was really nice to make. I like to imagine a name, according to the pattern and colours! I am glad that you like it!
DeleteSuch beautiful pictures! As long as it's not raining, the hubby and I always go for an evening stroll through the garden, to take in the scent of the roses, to spot the changes, to enjoy the beauty of it all... Enjoy your trip to England!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I had a lovely time in England and just came back yesterday. The temperatures were perfect while a terrible heatwave was taking place here in Switzerland!
DeleteSandra your photographs are always so lovely. You certainly have a talent for capturing the perfect light. Our life has been up and down and all around, but we are walking through it with hearts filled with faith. By the time I am typing this, you are probably home from your England trip. I do hope you took lots of photos. Oh, that sounded very selfish of me . . . but I love your photography, you find and compose the very pretties scenes. I do hope your trip was marvelous and that you had a lovely time :)
ReplyDeleteGod bless you,
Connie :)
Hi Connie, thank you for your visit and lovely comments. Yes, I'm back from England, but have been so busy and no time to post a new blog entry or visit other blogs. Maybe tomorrow before visitors come on Monday!
DeleteI need to sort a lot of photos, but I have to start somewhere!