A Letter for Late Summer
August
A LETTER FOR THE FIRST HARVEST
Welcome to the sixth edition of A Winter's Tale.
As someone who loves the autumn, I feel there is a moment in August when something shifts. It is very subtle, the days are still hot, the evenings long, but there is a change in the light, a freshness in the mornings.
August is the month of abundance. The harvest is being brought in, vegetables picked and flowers turn to berries and seed heads. If you keep a productive garden I'm sure you are busy with collecting all that you have grown. Every year I plan on growing a few vegetables and every year I forget. August is a time to take stock on what has worked and what has failed, I feel this works for all aspects of our lives, not just in the garden. Summer holidays let us pause for a few days, to be with our families or to meet friends for a drink in a pub garden. It is a time for gathering and appreciation.
For me, after the August Bank Holiday is when I get really excited about the next few months, now I have A Winter's Tale I have new ideas and cosy plans, which I can't wait to share.
This year August is a month to keep looking up. We have a partial solar eclipse, a partial lunar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower (my favourite). Hopefully the skies will be clear.
So wrap yourself in a blanket and spend a little time under the stars to see what you can catch sight of.
You are very welcome here.
Heidi x
THE ALMANAC
🌕 Full Moon : (Grain Moon) 28 August
♌ Leo until 22 August
♍ Virgo from 23 August
✨ Constellation : Perseus
☀️ Partial Solar Eclipse : 12 August
🌒 Partial Lunar Eclipse : 28 August
💫 Meteor Shower : Perseids - peak 12-13 August
🌻 Flower : Sunflower - Abundance and gratitude
🌿 Herb : Rosemary - Remembrance and protection
🦋 Animal : Dragonfly - Swift and shimmering
📜 Dates : 🍞 Lammas (Loaf Mass) 1 August
🍃 St. Bartholomew's Day 24 August
August's full moon is traditionally known as the Grain Moon as it shines over ripening fields and the ripening harvests. This year it is accompanied by a deep partial eclipse, visible from the UK in the early hours, the Earth's shadow will darken the moon's face and give it a soft, coppery glow before dawn.
Leo - Linked with warmth, creativity and confidence.
Virgo - Associated with order, care and quiet precision.
Perseus - Named for the Greek hero, this constellation climbs the northern sky through August evenings. It lends its name to the Perseid meteor shower, one of the most reliable displays of the year, when Earth passes though the trail of debris left by a comet many centuries ago. This year the shower peaks on the night of 12 to 13 August under a moonless sky, promising some of the darkest, clearest conditions for stargazing in years (let's hope for clear skies!).
Partial Solar Eclipse - On 12 August the Moon will pass in front of the Sun in the first total solar eclipse to cross mainland Europe since 1999 (I stood in a field at the Radio 1 Roadshow in Cornwall on a very cloudy day, the clouds got darker and the birds fell silent) with totality visible from Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. From the UK the Sun will not fully disappear but much of the country will see a partial eclipse at sunset, with well over 90% of the sun covered in places. Proper eclipse glasses are essential for safe viewing throughout.
Partial Lunar Eclipse - On 28 August around 90-93% of the Moon will pass into Earth's darkest shadow (the umbra). From the UK the eclipse reaches its maximum at about 5:12 am BST, just before moonset. Because the Moon is so low in the western sky, you'll need a clear view of the horizon. It should take on a beautiful reddish tone.
Perseid Meteor Shower - One of the finest meteor showers of the year, the Perseids are expected to be particularly impressive thanks to the dark skies around the New Moon. Find somewhere away from streetlights, wrap yourself in a blanket, and look up after midnight for the chance to see dozens of shooting stars.
Sunflower - A symbol of warmth, abundance and gratitude, the sunflower turns its face towards the light before bowing gracefully as the seeds ripen. A vital source of food and pollen for bees, butterflies and birds.
Rosemary - Long associated with remembrance and protection, rosemary has scented British gardens for centuries. It pairs beautifully with late summer vegetables, fresh bread and roasted potatoes. 'Where rosemary flourishes, the woman rules' - an old English saying claiming the herb thrives best in gardens where the wife is master of the house. Husbands were known to secretly uproot a thriving bush to save face.
Dragonfly - One of late summer's most enchanting sights. Dragonflies patrol ponds and rivers throughout August, their iridescent wings catching the sunlight as they hunt. Spending years beneath the water before taking flight, they have long been seen as symbols of transformation and change.
Lammas - One of Britain's oldest harvest festivals, Lammas marks the beginning of the grain harvest. Traditionally, the first loaf baked from the new wheat was taken to church to be blessed in thanksgiving for the year's abundance. Rather than celebrating the end of harvest, Lammas reminds us to pause and appreciate the first fruits of the season and acknowledge the turn towards autumn has begun.
St. Bartholomew's Day - Traditionally it marked the winding down of summer and was considered one of the first signs that autumn was approaching, with cooler nights and heavier morning dew. It also marked the famous Bartholomew Fair in London for centuries.
🌿 In the Hedgerow
Things to spot this month:
- Brambles heavy with ripening blackberries.
- Rose hips beginning to glow scarlet.
- Elderberries turning deep purple.
- Hawthorn berries colouring in the hedgerows.
- Golden wheat fields waiting to be harvested.
- Swallows and Swifts gathering on telegraph wires before their long journey south.
- Dragonflies darting over ponds and streams.
- Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Peacock butterflies enjoying the last nectar-rich flowers.
- Thistledown drifting through warm afternoon air.
- The first signs of acorns and hazelnuts forming.
Seasonal Table
Blackberry & Apple Crumble
There are few puddings that feel more like a British August than blackberry and apple crumble. Whether the blackberries are gathered from a country lane or bought from a local farm shop, their sharp sweetness pairs beautifully with cooking apples. Serve warm with thick cream, custard or vanilla ice cream while the evenings are still mild enough to eat outside.
You'll need:
For the filling
- 3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 250g blackberries
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- A squeeze of lemon juice
For the crumble topping
- 200g plain flour
- 100g cold butter, diced
- 75g light brown sugar
- 50g rolled oats
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Place the apples, blackberries, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice into a buttered ovenproof dish and gently mix together.
- Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then stir through the sugar and oats.
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the fruit without pressing it down.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.
- Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.
A Little Note
If you're lucky enough to gather your own blackberries, remember the old country saying that they shouldn't be picked after Michaelmas (29 September), when folklore tells us the Devil claimed them as his own.
Until next month
Thank you for being here again. I hope August brings you lazy days and sand between your toes and a clear sky to watch the stars. By the end of August the first signs of Autumn can be felt, with cooler nights and heavier dew and thoughts about what the next season will bring. We are heading in to my favourite time of the year.
Until September...
Heidi x
