Little joys in July

I’ve never been keen on July, mainly because of the weather. The air feels heavy, ‘close’ as we say here and the heat always brings rain, torrential rain on occasion.  So I’m always glad when we reach August. It becomes a little drier, more mellow and already I begin to think of autumn, my favourite time of year.

Of course, this July has been very different. And it’s been very much a case of enjoying what’s on our doorstep (weather permitting !) and appreciating ‘the little things’ at home while trying to comprehend everything going on in the world right now.

In the Garden

Despite my moans about the weather, our garden seems to be doing quite well.

In the front garden my husband removed the 19 leylandi trees which made up our hedge and which had been planted by the previous owners.  Truly, it was a labour of love to remove them but it has thankfully resulted in a bigger, more light-filled garden.  It has sent me into overdrive with trips to the garden centre to buy new shrubs and plants which will hopefully sustain more wildlife and bring more colour to the garden all year round.

At the back of the house, things are a lot calmer. Froths of pink diascia fill the containers, the hydrangea is the bluest of blue and the catmint continues to flower much to the delight of our neighbour’s cat who frequents the garden quite regularly. This is where I sit and sip coffee on a weekend morning while in the evening, I retreat to the arbour at the rear of the garden and wait for bats to swoop by. 

Can you spot the cat ?

The Coast

On a day off in early July I took myself on a little road trip along part of the Causeway Coastal route to Waterfoot beach,  nestled at the foot of Glenariff Glen. It’s a lovely sandy beach, approximately 1km long, surrounded by a coastal hay meadow, filled with wildflowers.  It’s an idyllic spot to wander,  take in the stunning views and have a dip in the water !

Looking south along Waterfoot beach

The view north across the coastal meadow

The hay meadow

The Hound

Boris hasn’t featured much on the blog of late, so I just thought I’d let you all know that he is doing just fine and as hungry as ever.  He’s a brilliant companion in the car, so we’ve been taking him with us on day trips – he’s so quiet you’d hardly know he’s in the car at all !

 

A few other things I’ve enjoyed in July

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart – set in Australia, this book tells the beautiful story of Alice, who, when her  life is changed forever at the tender age of nine,  goes to live with her grandmother (who she never knew existed) on a flower farm that gives refuge to women, who like Alice, are broken or lost.

Spacemasks – I was given one of these by a friend and at 1am in the morning when I couldn’t sleep due to a bad headache, I put it on – more in hope than in expectation. I have to say it seemed to work. My headache disappeared, I felt myself relaxing and then I drifted off to sleep. I’ve bought more.

Bloom Magazine – Issue 6 features an interesting article about the cottage at Charleston, home of Vanessa Bell,  the sister of Virginia Woolf.  Beautiful photography by Kim Lightbody

The Melias – I’m a huge fan of  The Melias photography and film work. I think inspiration is more important than ever now and I regularly visit their site for an inspirational pick me up. This link should take to you to the work they’ve done for Fiona Pickles, a leading floral designer based in the UK.  I highly recommend watching the short films they’ve made of her garden in summer and autumn – absolutely breathtaking.

Well, that’s a little round up of the ‘little things’ I enjoyed in July.

I hope you are all keeping well and safe and here’s hoping for a sunny August.

Paula x

p.s. You can also find me on Instagram here