Summer, in London, can be heavenly – or hellish.
Into my collection of memories goes one of each:
Heavenly: a day spent in Regent’s Park with one of my dearest friends. The roses – all 30,000 of them – at their peak. Al fresco lunch at the Garden Café.
Hellish: shopping for a black suit with a sullen teenager. Tense negotiations over hemlines, the backwash of the summer sales, the cattle-car Tube.
All of that density of humid humanity is just too much for city streets . . . better to spread it out over the 410 acres of Regent’s Park.
Summer is bare feet in the grass – but also standing in line to buy new school shoes.
Summer is a stroll through a rose garden – but also the dutiful trip to the dentist.
Summer is all about hanging out with your friends – but also that bored week at home when everyone else seems to be on vacation.
Give me the summer blues . . . but only if they are delphiniums.
29 comments:
Love the rose header.
What are you reading, dear Bee?
I just finished Greenery Street.
A delight.
Heehee, had to giggle over the sullen teenager shopping trip. I certainly had my fair share of those. This, too, will pass.
I'm amazed that I can look at photos of roses and think that I can smell them. I have a case of those summer blues but, believe it or not, everything is surprisingly green here. I hope it lasts.
Best,
Catherine
Equal parts enjoyment and endurance.
Summer!
What a beautiful bower of roses -- and what images from the shopping trip. Oh my! Did you find a compromise or have you been grinding molars?
I bought La Lacuna for myself for Christmas but haven't read it yet. (Time flies.) I'll put it on my nighttable as a reminder.
C.
Goodness yes, it's the good with the bad. The garden looks lovely! The shopping and the crowds? No thanks!
Beautiful gardens. Your yellow rose banner is gorgeous.
Your new header is fabulous, Bee. Like everything in life, I guess, summer is a mixed bag -- joy and blues, beauty and banality all jumbled up in there.
Thank you for the trip to Regent's Park. I'm totally envious of you now. :)
Your pictures always raise my spirits.
I love how you've captured the feel of summer - both good and bad.
I will take those kind of blues anytime. The pictures are fabulous! I am ready to take off my shoes and lounge the day away. But those "nasty" chores do get in the way, don't they?!
And teenagers can make it or break it for sure.
Good luck
Hugs
SueAnn
Summer, long may it continue. Every winter seems to get longer for me as I get older.
Love the contrast of the roses with the sullen teen-ager black suit!
Thank you so much for sharing the heavenly bits!
I want to be sitting in that rose garden. Lovely! Thanks for sharing some of your summer memories with us.
I want to be sitting in that rose garden. Lovely! Thanks for sharing some of your summer memories with us.
What a burst of summer on your blog, header too! I love the roses and delphiniums in Regent’s Park. I missed visiting this summer so it was a treat to see them on this post. They look especially good this year. I like how you captured people interacting with the blooms. I also would pick gardens over shopping.
Oh, I sympathize, Bee! Especially of that week when everyone is out of town... But so happy that you've been out to enjoy the beautiful sunshine in Regent's Park.
Ah yes....mixed blessings...summers are made of these. xx
I used to be that sullen teenager by the way. I hope I've improved with age!
I wish I could see the two hemlines. A challenge to look forward to. I tussled with my oldest about a smocked sundress she has that she wanted to wear with the strings tucked in. I told her that would be nice next to the pool but that otherwise I'd like her to have something to rely on to keep the top from heading south.
Mm roses and parks in summer.
Love the rose header, too! Those deck chairs in the park, just waiting for sitters: I reminisce every time
the family trudges 1/2 a mile to the beach (Long Beach, NY) across a lot of soft sand with a wagon full of beach furniture, including chairs. As I recall when summering in Margate many years ago all we took were buckets and spades - the deck chairs were there already!
Ah yes, I remember length of hems and height of heels stand offs (or no heels at all and industrial boots) and I also remember myself shopping with my mother at the same age and the joy of an unsuitable and mightily uncomfortable pair of shoes won against practicality. Good to be able to fall back into a bower of roses from time to time.
hello bee - well you really nailed it here didn't you! summer is a strange oscillation between worlds. soft, unhurried, gentle, and then edgy, frustrated, and filled with little commitments. but the roses - well for me they carry it. well all flowers actually!!! steven
such wonderful photos. filled with warm life.
xoxo
'tense negotiations over hemlines' oh this made me laugh. i'm already getting there and Lola is only 8!!!
You have a gift. Well, you have many gifts. The particular one I meant today was your gift for making us laugh and recognize ourselves in your words.
yes your rose header is marvellous tks
'And summer dreamed sadly and knew not the reason...'
We feel guilty about feeling low in the summer, but I think it's universal.
The new look blog is great. Keep on enjoying the roses!
I don't care if you ARE in a summer blog swamp. Come on by and see what's happening in Marcheline's camp!
Slacker.
8-)
- M
Oh yes, delphinium blues is the way to go! :-)
Wonderful summery images.
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