OK. I have no more excuses for not updating my blog page. Summer is finally here, even though it took it's time. No, it didn't appear on June 21, rather within the last week or so, complete with hot weather, and an abundance of music in the parks and on the streets. The tapestry of luscious gardens in the neighbourhood seems almost surreal, but the cool refreshment of a dip in the Pacific early on a Friday evening brings reality starkly to mind as I give thanks for whatever path led me to this piece of Paradise.
That said, however, my heart is still not here after twenty-two and a half years.
I've read about 7 or 8 books in the last couple of weeks; satisfying a craving like someone who crawls through a desert to an oasis and soaks up water with feverish devotion. To me, one of the best things about summer is the luxury of having no schedule, no obligations tugging me out of bed every morning, pushing me from point to point through the day. I usually wake up at 4:30, when the first bird songs penetrate my dream state. Then I dose on and off until I think the newspaper has arrived on the flagstones outside my front door. I pace myself through making the ritual pot of tea, swallowing a mouthful of yoghurt, ten a handful of berries, followed by assorted vitamins, before sitting down - these days out on my deck - with pen and scissors to hand and proceed to glean the tidbits I think my brain needs, before savouring one of the best parts of the day.., the New York Times Daily Crossword.
The honeysuckle pictures are from a plant I bought last month. It's on one border of my back deck, which is my summer sanctuary, my extra room. My living space is almost doubled in the fine weather; in fact I've sat out there under the umbrellas during rain showers and slept out there under the stars on warm nights. I've nurtured my herb garden and watched the hummingbirds sip sugared water, which reminds me - the garden needs watering. Duty calls. I can handle one chore a day...