I’ve been rather silent recently here. I haven’t gone away, it’s just summertime. Time to focus on family, friends, overdue projects and, of course, my beautiful twins. Sometimes it’s also good to slow down in order to generate new ideas and plan ahead. And just enjoy the season and aim for slow living. I don’t mean being lazy. Far from it. It’s just not rushing ahead or being frantically busy. Instead, a time to pause and reflect and enjoy nature and become more creative. A simple way of finding balance.
“Summertime
An’ the livin’ is easy” from the aria by George Gershwin
My garden has been inspiring me with ideas, recipes and more. It’s also lovely finding new people online such as Eleanor from Creative Countryside with her advice on slowing things down and seasonal living.
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
When the sun has been out I’ve even managed to regularly head to the woods for a morning run. With lots of stops to take photos! It’s like entering an enchanted world where the light sneaks through the tree tops and you’re the only one there apart from all the woodlands creatures hiding from you.
Once I was such a Londoner. Endless evenings out enjoying the buzz and energy of the city. A city with a landscape constantly changing. This was the view from my train window into London this week. I’ve had a few trips there this summer but wanted to rush back to the peace of my countryside home where the seasons dictate the changes.
Hopefully the sun will properly be back soon. There’s nothing better than sitting on my deck writing while my two run around the garden chasing each other with water guns and their laughter drifts with the breeze across our valley. I love how Sara at Mumturnedmom wrote out a summer bucket list with her children that also included blowing bubbles and painting outside. I want to do the same with Theo and Luce next summer.
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James
Summertime is also a perfect time to catch up on novels that have been on my list gathering dust. This week I read Us by David Nicholls after enjoying a post on The World According to Izzie. There will also soon be more book reviews again here. I will focus primarily on nature books. I’ve been building up rather a large collection of them while studying about nature, wildflowers, gardens and looking for new ideas on outdoor adventures for my kids.
Although I’m focusing at the moment on a wonderful big photo project for a private client, of course, I will continually be out and about with my camera. I now add a new photo or two daily on Instagram. I’ve discovered some amazing communities on it, as well as old friends from my school, university and journalist days.
In the meanwhile I’m relishing summer living, slow living, country living, creative living and hopefully the sunshine soon too. I’ve been rather productive. I’m not really interested in just lazing around as there’s too much to enjoy…but slowly. What about you?
What a great post and as I was reading it I felt like I was slowing down. Like you say, reducing your speed and taking your cue from nature can allow you to relish the reasons and really enjoy summer. That’s not being lazy that’s about enjoying life!
Lovely post and good interpretation of #ThePrompt
Xx
I always think summer should be the most relaxing season of all… life’s too short to not spend as much time as possible outside and make the most of the weather.
Thank you for the mention – I’d love to know what you thought of the book x
So true that we need to take advantage of summer and being outdoors! (At first I wasnt sure about the book and then I couldnt put it down!0
Beautiful words, images and quotes. Your slow approach to life looks lovely x
Thank you Katie 🙂
We’ve been enjoying lots of days out over the summer and I was full of plans to keep my blog up to date and write about them when they actually happened. I’ve been slacking though and still haven’t written about trips from the start of the holidays yet! Oh well, it’s good to enjoy life as it happens. Glad to see you’re having a good summer too.
I have so many half done but have decided not to worry about it for the moment!
I just love this post. The photos, the words; it has just made me slow down and take a moment to enjoy, and reflect on my own summer. Mine hasn’t been quite so slow-lived as I had hoped, but it has been a lot of fun! I think the planning and organising will have to wait until the kids are back at school 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with #ThePrompt x
thank you sara – it’s made quite a difference for me 🙂
This is a beautifully evocative post! I love the accompanying photographs and quotes. Wonderful! x
Oh thank you!
Sounds perfect, I’ve enjoyed being away from the laptop more and just enjoying time with my son. A little more sunshine would definitely be nice too.
Time spent with the kids is priceless. Hoping for some more sun too 🙂
Keep enjoying your lovely Summer and sharing your lovely photos 🙂 Those blackberries are coming on a treat too, yum!
Thanks Lisa – we’re soon going to have buckets of blackberries just from our garden!
Sounds like a lovely summer. Looking at those photos and reading your lovely words has made me feel very relaxed – thank you!
Thank you – it’s making a difference on how I feel and use my time by slowing down.
Sounds like a lovely place you’re in. Slowing down and enjoying the little things in life is so important, isn’t it? You take beautiful pictures BTW.
The simple things in life are often the best – and thank you.
What a beautiful post! And such lovely photographs too. I’ve been really embracing the summer this week picking soft fruits and weeding the garden and I’ve loved it. Hope your summer continues to be slow lived 🙂
Thank you Eleanor 🙂 Yes, I’m trying to enjoy the season while not getting fanatical about social media and posts in order that I use my time more wisely by slow living.