Joy in the Everyday Ordinary - July, 28-31

Hi there everyone 😀

I honestly can not remember a time when we had so many warm, bright and sunny days back to back. Of course, as with anything, there are both up and downsides of such glorious weather.

It has been lovely knowing what the next day will bring, knowing that a day out will not be spoilt by rain or poor weather or worrying about whether to take a coat or a brolly. It's been lovely being able to spend so much time outside, to be able to peg out the washing and not have to dash out to fetch it in before it's dry. It's been a real treat to be able to wear the summer clothes that haven't been worn for a long old time and to not have to wear any socks!

It has not been so nice being so hot that sleep has become a bit elusive and that doing even the simplest of household chores has become such an effort. The novelty of the constant need for watering in the garden has definitely worn off. The lolling around, wanting to do something but just not feeling like it has become a bit of a pain. At times it has just been too darn hot!

We did get a bit of a break in the weather this weekend and we did actually see some rain, which was just a delight. It makes me realise just how much I love our seasons and I'm always ready to welcome in the next one and the changes that I know it will bring. I particularly enjoy the shift over from summer to autumn and am always ready to embrace the dark nights, enjoy closing the blinds early, lighting the candles and snuggling up with a new autumn drama on the TV.

Saying that, I'm not quite ready for Autumn yet and am hoping for another month or so of this summer that has been such an unexpected treat so, for now, here's what we got up to as July came to a close ...

Day 28 - Another Saturday and another BBQ with friends was on the cards. This time we had Jo, Steve, Hannah & Megan over. Martin and I spent the day preparing our feast and didn't really stop to eat, though we did manage to finish off this leftover cup cake from our afternoon tea at The Little Shed the day before. The forecast was a bit mixed and by the time our guests arrived it was a bit risky to sit outside so we retired indoors, though Martin did do all of the cooking outside, under the protection of a big brolly. We had another lovely night, ate too much, I didn't drink a drop, after last week's episode, and we had lots of good chat and plenty of laughter.

Day 29 - Yay!!! Sunday morning and we had rain. Proper rain. For what seemed like the first time since about the beginning of June. It was lovely. We both stood on the landing watching it drench the garden, glad that we would get a day off from watering. We had a lovely lazy day and spent the afternoon watching a film ... Geostorm. We both really enjoyed it and Martin even managed to stay awake all of the way through so it must have been pretty decent. It was a lovely way to spend Martin's last day off for two weeks before heading back into work on Monday.

Day 30 - Monday, and Martin was back at work for the best part of the week. I spent a nice slow, steady day, catching up with some blogging, getting tidy and just generally chilling out after what has felt like a hectic couple of weeks. Of course, I did spend a few minutes wandering round the garden seeing what was going on. It was back in the second week of June when I picked my first bunch of sweet peas this year. They have been amazing, are still going strong and I am still picking them.

Day 31 - It was not the best of days. I woke feeling pretty crummy, with a stinking headache, so didn't get up till late. I didn't really feel right all day. We are both still struggling with horrible coughs, though I think mine is starting to get better. When I did get up I just couldn't decide what I wanted. I wanted a drink, but I didn't fancy anything. I was hungry, but didn't know what I fancied. I couldn't concentrate on anything. As always the garden gave me something to smile about. Having tried to grow rudbekia a number of times and failing miserably, a couple of years ago mum brought a few straggly bits of root round from her garden, which we just pretty much chucked in the soil behind the magnolia. Well, this year they have gone a bit crazy. They have spread dramatically, grown about four feet tall and are covered in the brightest yellow flowers. They look so bright and cheery, especially when they are catching the light of the sun. Gardens are definitely good for the soul.

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So that was our July. Sunkissed and jam packed. The calendar doesn't look quite so busy for August so I'm looking forward to a bit of a calmer and more relaxed month. I'm sure there will still be the odd outing, but hopefully at a bit of a slower pace 😀

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