It was hot yesterday. The kind of heat that leaves you feeling sticky, grumpy and really lethargic. The sky was blue and the wind was far from a cooling breeze as its warmth did nothing to ease the discomfort of the day.
But it didn’t start out like that, there was a heavy dew on the grass, unlike a few weeks ago when we awoke to a dry ground and weather boffins hinting at the possibility of drought. There was also a hint of a chill in the air. Not one to have you reaching for a jumper, but there is an ever so slightly discernable change to the mornings.
Not that it has been the kind of summer where the chill is a welcome relief, but far from it. It has had more than its fair share of wind and rain, punctuated by a handful of the blue sky days generally expected of a summer. For every grey day there was always hope – hope that tomorrow would be a normal summer day, which would lead into a normal summer week and with a breath of wishful thinking would have us hope for a month of normal summer weather.
This chill brings with it something else – a resignation. Summer is slowly taking its leave. There are only a handful of days left before we can no longer cling to possibility of a decent summer. I harvested my sweetcorn the other day, but couldn’t bear the thought of yet another bare bed stripped of its crop. The excitement that comes with sowing tiny seeds in the spring has been played out. The harvest has been had and is tucked away to bring sunshine to the cold grey days ahead. So I did what I could to kid myself that there is still time in the sun – I stripped the ears from the stalks, but left the plants still standing. It is such a significant part of my garden landscape and will create such a gap with its absence and would send a ‘welcome, we are ready for you‘ message to the incoming season.
Time seems to slip by faster and faster each year, but I want to shout out to the waning summer sun “wait, I haven’t had time to enjoy you yet!” But I have my harvest. Whether I liked it or not, another season is drawing to a close, so there isn’t much more for it but to begin to clear up the crops as they finish and make way for a new season of planning, preparation and hope and excitement.
But not one to let things go easily, while there is a summer crop still lingering in my garden, unharmed by that first frost which could be weeks or even months away, then it is still summer for me – even if I do need to reach for a jumper!
Come again soon – there is a heat that can be found in my ripening chillies. I wonder if Hubby the Un-Gardener will unwittingly find out how hot each one is for me this again year – or will he have learnt not to trust me this time!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
I wonder if your summer is any indication as to how out summer will be? I hope it hangs on for you as long as it can. Your garden looks great!!
Hi there. I hope for you that your summer is a little better than ours – while it was pleasant enough – there just wasn’t quite enough perfect summer days. I think autumn is actually my favourite season as it doesn’t get so sticky hot and everything looks so beautiful as it changes colours. Having said that,you can’t beat the excitement of spring.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Hi Sarah .. What a fab post. I love your prose. I too feel the same way about summer .. Love the idea about leaving the corn in situ. I loathe hauling out my gardens too. But I’m happy knowing that I have scattered about lupins in a couple of beds. Greenery is on the way!
Thanks Julie for your lovely words. I think leaving the corn standing was a cool idea – because it doesn’t make the end of the season seem so final. Once the lupin takes off though it should help to make my garden not so dreary in the winter. Yay for cover crops. Much better than the beds filling with weeds.
Cheers Sarah : o )
I love to see sunshine and green stuff growing somewhere in the world. It gives me hope that it will come around to us again some day.
Hi Heidi. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to be surrounded by snow for months on end. It must get so frustrating. I love potting outside and fortunately our winters are mild enough to allow me to garden all year long.
Take care of yourself – don’t do too much.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Lol, I have an image in my head of you and me playing tug of war with the Summer 😀
Mind you, I’m just hoping Spring puts in a timely and not a tardy arrival this year 🙂
Hi Elaine. I’ll tell you what. When we’ve finished and sick of the heat, I’ll swap with you. On condition you don’t put too much of that rain into the deal, I don’t think I’d like that too much.
When spring comes you will be set – your seedlings look lovely. Hears hoping you have a decent summer this year.
Cheers Sarah : o )
lovely post and thanks for sharing we just praying we will get a spring and summer here in Norfolk uk
HI Linda. Thanks for you kind words. Lets hope spring isn’t as late for you this year as it was last year.
Cheers Sarah : o )
thank you Sarah
The last days of summer have a very special feel and make me want to grab every bit of sunshine and store it in my memory. My initial thought reading your evocative writing though was “yay, it’ll soon be summer here if yours is dwindling”. Sorry.
Hi Anne. The summer sun seems to hang about long into autumn here and so with the passing of a date on the calendar not a lot of difference is felt, but you know that good things can’t last. Then I shall have to content myself with finding my summer warms through more northerly posts.
Cheers Sarah : o )
We’re going to hit 40F today! Yet next week back below freezing. .. sigh. Thanks for reminding me summer will come…. someday!
Hi There. As reluctant as I am to see the end of summer, I need to feel blessed that we very rarely slip below freezing and our winters are really quite mild compared to some!
Stay warm and cozy – the sun will come eventually.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Wow! Look at those chillies! Hope they’re hotter than mine (which would not be hard!).
HI Jen. I am always to afraid to try the hot chillies so I ask Hubby the Un-Gardener to “try this…” and he always does it without out thinking first! I can’t wait to refil my bottles with hot sweet chilli sauce!
Cheers Sarah : o )
We have at least a couple of months left of summer if last year is anything to go by and even then we didn’t get much rain till much later in the season. I am thinking of growing a garden entirely populated with succulents but remembered at the last minute that the duck LOVES succulents…sigh… too many long, warm to hot, dry summery days are a bane. They sap your will to go outside and they make you long for rain and bracing cold. I can’t WAIT for autumn 🙂