Announced by roses

Last night was the solstice but this year I stayed inside, living my life, attending to ordinary matters.  I am going to enjoy it as the official beginning of summer not the start of the longer nights, and sure enough the sun has chosen this week to warm us whereas the day before it was cold enough for autumn.  Summer is our holiday season (funny that the two week-long holidays in the bible were in the spring and autumn).  It arrives and I relax into the sun, switch off and unwind, although of course any summer is a mixed bag of weather and happenings.  I am going to enjoy it this year and not panic about the shortening days or fear its transitory nature.  It is here, announced by roses.

Every road I travel down surprises me with roses.  I had never noticed how many there were before.  It’s as if I can smell them even from the car.  I just have some here at the bottom of my garden, a muscly pink showy rose, and a small white rambler that is simple yet profuse.  Both strain towards the sky to avoid the shade.  But I have planted a summer garden next to the house.  I have so many flowers that bring interest through spring and so few in summer but this year will be different.  I have filled it with plants that will flower all summer and already the bees visit daily.  My favourite is a small poppy that sends up paper flowers of red, orange, yellow or white from the same plant.  I am blessed.

What is my internal summer season?  Last year it was switch off and rest.  This year it is finding my weeds and working out which are the ones I can pull and throw away and which have deep roots that I must learn to live with.  I am spotting them all, and cutting some back so my plant of gratitude has room to flower.  Perhaps if I feed the plants they will flourish and keep the weeds in check.  OK gratitude, love, trust, generosity and laughter, here we come.