September's Fresh Start

"Ah, September! You are the doorway to

the season that awakens my soul..."

PEGGY TONEY HORTON

Right on cue with the turning of the calendar page, the weather changed. The pleasant days of warm sunshine and blue skies turned cool with stirring winds, overcast heavens, and rain. And with it, all thoughts of BBQing and being outdoors fled. Instead we searched for recipes that would warm and comfort...and wrapped our fingers around steaming mugs of coffee or tea. This morning, however, dawned bright with sunshine and the blue skies returned. I thought of the ancient sacred text: 'This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it'. Some days when all sorts of pressures bear down, a person has to work harder to be glad for a new day, but this morning brought with it a gift where the joy bubbled easily and without effort. There is something consoling about those kinds of days when the livin' is easier.

I know it's not autumn in many places yet, but it has the feel of it around here. The light slants differently, and the air feels and smells differently too. As one who is eager for Autumn because it's my favourite season, I appreciate the quote by Peggy Horton (above). Perhaps you feel it too—that September is the doorway to the season that awakens your own soul. The hint of cooler mornings and leaves turning golden ignites a frisson of excitement within me—it's undoubtedly rooted in childhood memories of the start of a new school year.  

As a girl, I enjoyed heading off to school in my new clothes, armed with sharpened HB pencils, pristine Hilroy exercise scribblers, and a box filled with Laurentien pencil crayons, Peacock Blue and Hollywood Cerise being among my favourite colours. Sometimes I clutched a bouquet of dahlias to give to my new teacher. Although a little nervous those first days, I still vividly recall the thrill I'd feel when I learned which desk, among the neat rows, would be mine. Not to forget the shivery anticipation as the new readers were handed out and the blackboard stood at the ready for writing out spelling words (I loved spelling). There would also be the secret hope that maybe this new year my exercise scribblers would remain tidier and less dog-eared. Maybe it would be the year, too, when math wasn't so scary, and the boy I secretly liked would hand me the large Valentine's card come February.

" To feel creative, I need plenty of white space,

coffee, and good light. "

NICKI FRANKLIN

It's been decades since I headed off to school on a September morning, but my inner clock still tunes itself to it being the proper time to begin a new year. I celebrate the month by shopping for new notebooks and pens and calendars, and I round up those scattered routines and schedules that had been thrown to the wind in July. I once again begin to muse and dream, thinking about my 'new term' of creative work, feeling the exhilarating tug of renewed motivation, energy, and hopefulness.

" September ! I never tire of turning it over and over in my mind.

It has warmth, depth, and colour. It glows like warm amber. "

PATIENCE STRONG

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Wishing you a beautiful September.

Brenda

 Top image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

Bottom image by drromie of pixabay

Weekend: A Garden Outing

" There is simply the rose; it is perfect

in every moment of its existence. "

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

It's cool and overcast, and it feels a bit autumn-y this Sunday afternoon. Thankfully we did not postpone a visit yesterday to a nearby city's botanic garden, St. Albert Botanic Park, where we wandered under warm and sunny blue skies. First of all, I cannot believe that we have not been to see this gem before. It appeared in a list when I did a google search for gardens here in our own province. Secondly, I was startled at how vivid and colourful the dahlias, roses, and cottage gardens are blooming even after our hot summer. Beautifully maintained, and obviously loved by its team of volunteers, this really is a place I shall want to visit again and again. Thankfully it's not too far away from where we live.

I'm sharing quite a few pictures on today's post, so whether you meander slowly or pass through quickly, I hope you enjoy this colourful feast for the soul.

We came home buoyed and felt we ought to celebrate with something nice for afternoon tea. There was no café there, and we're still a bit leery about hanging around in crowds, so upon our return home, while Rick quickly gave our lawns a hair-cut, I pulled out Jacques Pepin's simple recipe for French Apple Tart. Jacques says it's one of his family's staples, and it's quickly becoming ours as well.

While we finish up the apple tart for tea this afternoon (I'd share if I could), I hope you enjoy the photo tour... the pics in this post are from the garden we visited.

" Gardens will be the peaceful haven we all need. "

PAUL TUKEY

" All dahlias are beautiful in their own way! I love them

because they have the most perfect symmetry and

come in a rainbow of color options. "

CHANTAL LAROCQUE

Did I hear him whisper that I was his Prairie Rose? It might have

been in my imagination or the wind whispering in the leaves.

" Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty,

like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom. "

MATSHONA DHLIWAYO

Preparations were underway for a wedding in the Rose Garden

on this beautiful summery afternoon. It cannot get anymore romantic

than that, don't you think?

" The magic of hydrangeas - nature's litmus papers! "

UNKNOWN 

" When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy,

there is always the garden. "

MINNIE AUMONIER

" The man (or woman!) who has planted a garden feels

he has done something for the good of the whole world. "

CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER, 1829-1900

from My Summer in a Garden

The many volunteers who maintain this garden certainly have outdone

themselves. I believe the words above say it for these folks—they have

truly created something lovely for the good of their city's citizens.

If you are interested in more info about the St. Albert Botanic Park,

you can click HERE.

Although it was all beautiful, I think the Cottage Garden was

my favourite spot. Give me a bench at the end of a

winding path, and I'll sit and 'just be' for a little while.

" Everyone needs beauty as well as bread,

places to play in and pray in,

where nature may heal and give strength

to body and soul alike. "

JOHN MUIR

* * *

We've been out enjoying our summer days, so that's why I have not been around here much.

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead.

Brenda

 

August: Garden Glimpses At Last

"I must have flowers, always, and always."

CLAUDE MONET

It dawned calm and overcast this morning. With a mix of rain clouds and smoke hazing the sky from wildfires, it smelled like wet campfire early on. Thankfully, now it smells sweet and feels refreshing. A bubble of joy rises in my heart as I take a quick stroll around the garden. The heat wave that came through a few weeks ago stunted many of our plants, burning off buds, but they are at last recovering and filling our days with much happiness.

As August gets underway, I'm delighted to give you a peek at what's blooming in the garden, mostly in the backyard, a place that is a never ending work in progress.

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;

they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind."

LUTHER BURBANK

" In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.

OKAKURA KAKUZO

"In summer, the song sings itself."

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

Before I close, here is a bit about the novel I'm currently reading. I'm sharing because it's a perfect fit with today's garden theme. In her latest book The Last Garden in England, author Julia Kelly writes a tale about five women who are connected by a certain garden that 'blooms a secret' and ties them together over the decades.

While relaxing in your own garden, time travel to overgrown pathways with Emma Lovell as she undertakes the arduous job of restoring this neglected garden to its former glory and uncovers old secrets long buried and forgotten. So far, I am about a fifth way into the book - it's a gentle read with mysteries that keep me turning the page but don't have me biting my nails in suspense. A most agreeable summertime read. 

" 'Everything gardeners do is intentional. We create order out of nature.

If she called this Celeste's garden, there was a reason,' she said. "

JULIA KELLY, The Last Garden of England

* * *

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead.

Brenda

Photos from my garden, Summer 2021