Three Glimmers: July
Three Glimmers: July
A snapshot of the small moments that have brought me joy this month.
July in London has been strange this year. It has been a month of showers and storms, humidity and interminable grey. The sun finally seems to have broken through and has brought with it all the great things about summer: time outside under blue skies littered with white, fluffy clouds, the feeling of warmth on your skin and all the beauty that is just fingertip distance away.
As July starts to draw to a close and we get ready for the arrival of a new month, here are some of the glimmers I have been grateful for recently.
Walk
Walking is one of my favourite things to do. I love to be able to go at my own pace, observing the world around me and stopping to take photos of interesting things, capturing moments that are fleeting. I usually like to walk in cities because I love the juxtaposition of buildings and people, old and new, work and home that is found there. I have been trying to challenge myself to walk more in nature because it is one of the best ways to slow down and appreciate how beautiful the world really is.
This photo was taken on a ridge in the Colne Valley, sandwiched between the River Wraysbury and the M25. It’s not somewhere I ever expected to find a wildflower meadow and so stumbling upon it while out for a walk in the sunshine became an unexpected, and wonderful, glimmer.
Ripen
The first signs of this year’s blackberry crop are starting to make themselves known in hedgerows and on woodland paths. I associate blackberries - and blackberry picking - with the opening of the gateway that signifies the coming transition to autumn. Without wanting to wish the year away, I am always ready for the season to turn, to start to feel the first chill in the morning air, to see the leaves begin to burnish and fade, and for my thoughts to turn away from salads and ice cream towards stews and crumbles, from t-shirts and summer dresses to jeans and cosy jumpers. When I was a child, my mother would always make an apple crumble to celebrate our school harvest festival and it is a ritual I still continue many years later, although now I add blackberries, to put my own spin on an old favourite.
Bake
I used to hate cooking until I moved in with the man who would later become my husband. Cooking for myself felt functional, like yet another chore I had to complete and after a long day at work, I was more than happy to make a sandwich and decompress in front of the TV. When we started living together, cooking for someone else became exciting and a great way to foster connection and conversation, to talk about our days and to plan our future.
Baking is now one of my favourite ways to tell someone how much they mean to me. I love to bake for family and friends, for special occasions and when the act of giving someone something you have made yourself is the best way to tell them that you are thinking of them. This chocolate cake was my contribution to a dinner with good friends, a way of saying both “thank you for having me” and “thank you for being in my life”.
I’d love to know: what have been the best parts of July for you?
July had been a washout in Wicklow until this week! Your blackberries are way ahead of ours! But I have been in the brisk river at the end of the land, and the sea on the other side of the mountains. Plunged in, head under, with old school friends, brain freeze but survived, so alive! Thank you for inviting me to remember!
That blackberry photo was stunning! I could taste them right through the screen. My favorite part of July was celebrating my granddaughters 2nd birthday. She was born 9 weeks early and weighed 2-1/2 pounds, so celebrating another year of her life will forever remind me of the fragile way she entered the world, and the strength and love that gave her the will to grow and thrive. She is a wonderfully spirited and lovely child. We are so fortunate.