Bits of summer + an announcement
Happy turn of the season, friends!
Summer is here to stay now, after some recent delightful wet days (we didn’t have to water the garden for eight days in a row, which is an unusual but very welcome event this time of the year!).
Summer is a busy season, probably because for a large part of the day the air is so hot that it’s hard to be outside. Watering, harvesting and such needs to be done early in the day or in the evenings. Then, in contrast, the portion of the day that extends from 11 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon is spent lingering by, drinking water and keeping cool.
Thankfully we’re not quite there just yet, so I’ve been keeping busy the whole day alongside the bees, lizards, ants, chickens, little snakes, creeping ivy, flowering zucchinis and yarrow, frogs, swallows and storks, to name a few.
In fact, I hadn’t felt this busy in a while. I’ve been home alone on the hill with the little one for two days now, as Sam is away. Maybe up to a week, maybe a little more.
It’s definitely an unusual (but quite revealing) experience, to be on my own during the day. I know I’m never truly on my own. Thankfully I’m surrounded by a supportive community, with folks who offer to take little J to school in the morning and call me when they’re going shopping “do you need something from town?”. I’m so grateful for this network, little rhizomes spreading in different directions and uplifting each other’s sprouts. Did that image make sense to you? It did to me.
I’ve been using an alarm clock to wake up these days. There’s water to pump and tanks to fill, watering to do and animals to check on before J wakes up. There’s work to be done during the morning and afternoon, while she’s in the school up the hill, and I’ve truly never spent so much time in front of a computer screen. It’s quite puzzling, but I know it’s just for a flicking moment in my lifetime too. Then suddenly it’s school pick up time and I ride my bike there (podcasts have been such good company for this moment), and then there is dinner making and more garden watering to do and when we lay in bed and she’s fast asleep next to me I do wonder there really are no more hours left in the day? Seconds later I’m asleep too.
There’s nothing like juggling parenting, land tending and working alone, even if just for some days, to feel even more respect for those who solo parent. If you’re doing this by yourself, well, I wish we could have some tea together and talk about the actual magic you actually are.
Yesterday morning I spent some time weaving these lavender wands to scent clothes. I used wool instead of silk, or ribbon, which would have been ideal, but didn’t have any at hand. They look totally acceptable, though.
Traditionally, lavender wands like these have been used across Southern Europe for scenting clothes’ drawers, besides being a natural moth repellent. Lavender (Lavandula spp.) blooms during the summer months, and is best gathered just before flowering.
This is one of those projects that turns Summer into physical memories for the months to come, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.
I shared this project on my instagram stories and was sent pictures by some folks, mainly from this region, of similar wands made by themselves or elder relatives. Lavender wands have different appearances and techniques across different regions of the Mediterranean, but they are all quite similar and it’s so fascinating to re-discover these traditional practices that tend to be forgotten.
Many folks also asked if I could share a tutorial for them. To which I replied one day, I promise.
So I think it’s time to spill the beans.
Earlier this year, I signed a book contract (it’s the first time I share this piece of news on the internets, and it gives me chills all the way down my spine). It’s all still quite shrouded in secrecy, as I really don’t want to jynx the whole thing. But for the last few months, these hand have been making and experimenting and typing away, putting together what will be a project-based book with lots and lots of photography, to be published next Spring if the odds are in our favor.
There, the the news are out. Now I really need to finish it! (accountability!)
Of course, with big projects in hands, my knitting has been terribly neglected. But maybe it just makes each project more special, which certainly is the case with the little tunic that has recently been cast off. I’ll leave the pattern page here for you if you fancy, but I have to be honest, it’s not written in a friendly way for beginners. My brains definitely somersaulted a few times reading through it.
And now, I’ll leave you with some garden yarrow. It has been making its way by the handful to baskets to dry, before being turned into tinctures and different tea blends. This herb always cheers up my spirits and it’s truly a joy to co-exist with it. I hope these colors bring you some heart warmth too. 🌈
Until next time,
Your lonely country mouse
Cat x