A Letter To High Summer

July

A LETTER FOR THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER

Welcome to the fifth edition of A Winter's Tale.

July has arrived, I wonder what it has in store for us? June was a mixture of weather and record breaking temperatures. As Jane Austen once said in a letter to her sister, Cassandra, 'What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.' 

July feels like a pause, the birds sound different now, they are no longer singing for a mate or defending a territory and their babies have fledged.

There is a sense of abundance everywhere, fruit ripens and flowers are alive with bees and insects. High Summer is a time to slow down and appreciate all the hard work that has gone on in the garden.

So settle in to a sun lounger and sip on something cold.

You are very welcome here.

Heidi x

 

 

 

THE ALMANAC

 

🌕 Full Moon :  (Hay Moon) 29 July

♋ Cancer until 22 July

♌ Leo from 23 July

✨ Constellation : Cygnus and The Summer Triangle

🌷 Flower : Lavender - Calming and Restful

🌿 Herb : Camomile - Sleep and Relaxation

🦋 Animal : Butterfly - Delicate and Colourful

📜 Dates :  💧St Swithin's Day 15 July

                  🌾 Lammas Eve 31 July

 

July's full moon is traditionally known by the Anglo-Saxon name as the Hay Moon as it arrived during the hay harvest , haymaking was one of the most important jobs of the year. A good harvest meant livestock could be fed during the winter months.

It is also known as the Buck Moon, when young male deer grow their new antlers.

And the Thunder Moon, for the storms that can roll in suddenly (my favourite part of summer!).

Also the Raspberry Moon, for the fruit beginning to ripen on the bushes (we have a Blueberry bush although we never manage to get to the fruit before the blackbirds)

 

Cancer - Associated with home, family and nurturing.

Leo - Linked with warmth, creativity and confidence.

Cygnus - Gliding through the summer sky, Cygnus is one of the most recognisable constellations of the season. Look for its distinctive cross shape stretching along the Milky Way on clear evenings. 

The Summer Triangle - On clear July evenings, look for the Summer Triangle, not a constellation but formed by three bright stars: Vega, Deneb and Altair. Once you've spotted it, you'll find it becomes a familiar companion throughout the warmer months.

Lavender - Beloved in cottage gardens for centuries, lavender has long been associated with calm and comfort. Dried stems were tucked into linen cupboards to scent freshly laundered sheets, woven into lavender wands and placed beneath pillows to encourage restful sleep. The gentle fragrance still has the ability to slow us down, letting us pause for a moment and simply breathe. The seventeenth century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper believed lavender was especially beneficial for the head and spirits. Today, its soothing fragrance remains one of the most recognisable scents of an English summer garden.

Camomile - Gentle and unassuming, camomile has been grown in British gardens for centuries. Nicholas Culpeper praised it in The Complete Herbal (1653), and it soon became a familiar sight in monastery and cottage gardens. Traditionally dried for tea and used in the household medicine cupboard, it was valued for its comforting nature.

Garden folklore gave camomile the title: 'the plant's physician.' It was said that growing camomile beside a struggling plant would help restore its health. Whether true or not, it's a lovely reminder of the quiet companionship found in a well loved garden.

Butterfly - Few creatures capture the feeling of High Summer quite like the butterfly. Peacock, Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies can all be seen drifting through gardens and meadows during July. Their short lives are a reminder to enjoy the season whilst it lasts.

St. Swithin's Day - 'St Swithin's Day if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain'

St Swithin was the Bishop of Winchester in the ninth century. Known for his kindness and humility, he is said to have asked to be buried outside the cathedral where rain could fall on his grave. According to legend, when his remains were later moved indoors, heavy rain fell for forty days and forty nights.

Whether or not the old saying proves true, many still look to the weather on St Swithin's Day as a glimpse of what the rest of the summer might bring.

Lammas Eve - Lammas comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'hlaf-mas' meaning 'loaf mass'. In old England, the 1st August was the beginning of the grain harvest and the first loaves baked from the first sheaf of wheat were brought to church for blessing. The night before was considered a threshold, a liminal time between the everyday and something much older. The home would be cleaned and decorated and feasts would be prepared. Hilltop bonfires would be lit and people would watch for the coming sunrise, collecting dew in the morning as it was said to have healing properties.

 

In The Hedgerow 

Things to spot this month:

• Haymaking
• Blackberries starting to form
• Rosehips
• Summer thunderstorms
• Changing birdsong
• Bats (I've discovered a bat in my bedroom on TWO occasions!)
• Grass snakes 

 

Seasonal Table

Rose Petal Sugar

A simple way to capture the fragrance of summer.

You'll need:

• Petals from one fragrant rose
• 200g sugar

Gently check the petals for insects and allow them to dry fully.

Layer the petals and sugar in a clean jar and seal. Leave for one to two weeks, shaking gently every day.

The sugar will take on the scent of the rose and can be used in cakes, biscuits or sprinkled over summer strawberries.

 

Until next month

Thank you for being here again. July still feels a little bit magical, it reminds us of school holidays, even if those days are far behind us, and routines loosen their grip for a little while. High Summer is one of those seasonal markers telling us to slow down and notice what is going on around us. I hope you get some time to sit and feel like the long summer days are endless and full of hope.

Until August...

Heidi x