The first day of summer was this past week! I’ve never particularly had a favorite month, but June has been winning me over this year. The season has arrived so gently, with breezy, sunny days making all the new leaves in the trees dance. Many of the books I’ve been reading lately have had something to say in praise and celebration of June, from Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, quoted above, to…
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
“The road was rough and rocky, like most Muskoka roads, but full of the austere charm of northern woods. It wound through beautiful, purring pines that were ranks of enchantment in the June sunset, and over the curious jade-green rivers of Muskoka, fringed by aspens that were always quivering with some supernal joy.”
I think The Blue Castle has to be up there as one of the most delightful books I’ve ever read! It’s been our readalong book this month in my discord group. The storyline is charming, the characters are fantastic, and the descriptions of the scenery are so evocative. Valancy would be proud of my adventures this month, as I’ve been following winding back roads through beautiful old forests, the ground thick with ferns, to take my kayak out to different lakes and parks.
It wouldn’t be a proper summer reading vlog without some kayaking footage (a friendly turtle almost made a guest appearance) and book reviews from the hammock. I’ve had such good luck with my reads this month! I’ve been really enjoying the works on my classics list as well as some others.
Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope
I somehow forgot to include Anthony Trollope in my summer TBR video! I just finished Rachel Ray, which was gossipy, funny, heartwarming and a wonderful escape. There was one character, a farmwife, who was as full of aphorisms as Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey.
“If you will not when you may, when you will you shall have nay.”
I just loved the wide cast of characters, all of them so well drawn. For any Brit lit lovers, it would definitely be a fun vacation read!
The Glass-Blowers by Daphne Du Maurier
From England to France, this was a recommendation from the Bookish Kingdom! It’s a deep dive into the time period just leading up to and following the French Revolution, told from the perspective of Du Maurier’s own ancestors who were master glass blowers out in the countryside. I’ve read other books set in that part of history, but never one from quite this perspective, it’s been fascinating!
“Revolutions might come and go, whispers and rumors blow about the countryside, society, as we had known it, tumble upside down; my mother remained herself, never reactionary, never pigheaded, only most blessedly sane.”
At times I’ve felt the wealth of historical detail threatens to overwhelm the characters and their storyline, but there have still been some great moments with the different individuals. Sophie’s mother, as you can tell from the quotation above, is my favorite!
Of course there were also some sunrises, and sunsets - as well as moonrises, moonsets and a field full of fireflies - in my June vlog. Last night as I was editing, yet another beautiful cloudscape was taunting me out the window. I decided I could squeeze one more time-lapse in, so I set up my camera and then went out for a walk.
The sun was setting, and the near trees were cloaked in dusk, but their upper branches and the distant hills were still resplendent in gold. One of the tall evergreens towering over the field looked as proud as a sovereign arrayed in jewels.
A flat horizon can’t beckon, beguile and tease in the same way far-off mountains can. The landscape was made even more exquisite by the light, and looking across I felt as if I could fly right across the sky just like the birds (at that moment one of them was scolding me because its nest must have been close by) - if only the purple and pink clouds would stay a little longer to tell me the secret to it.
Golden hour is my favorite time to be out in my garden, so I had to film a little June plant update earlier this week. Overall, I’m very pleased with how the seedlings that I started in the spring have been coming along. The bulbs in my raised bed as well as my sunflowers and morning glories seem very lush, healthy, and happy so far. Tell me about how you’ve been welcoming summer down in the comments!
Love your gardens & the adventure of it that you embrace!
I love, love The Blue Castle so much also! Your beautiful words here on nature are so inspiring and resonate with me. I was just out taking a photo of the sunrise and fog and wished I had the soundtrack from the newer P& P movie when Darcy comes across the field. 😂