summer

Sunday, August 2, 2009



a vine that grows up the south east side of this old brick house

Early morning dappled sun. At this time in the summer the vine has made a beautiful curtain of green for my bedroom window and during the daylight hours it is alive with the hum of bees.

Yesterday felt a bit like a vacation day except we barely left the house, with the exception of our normal scheduled morning and early evening walks, the latter in the opposite direction we would normally go because we were avoiding the throngs, the park, and all the harbour busyness. I'm not much of a people person, although I'll admit I can put on a pretty convincing act and I do fool a lot of people. Miss D on the other hand is most definitely not a people person and in fact she has some serious kidnapping phobias.

She appears convinced that any person(s) or vehicle walking or driving behind us - will surely try to take her from me. They might just squeal on the brakes, snatch her up and drive away (or similarly run suddenly up behind us and do the same thing). So we must stop often to let all would-be kidnappers pass us by - while Missy D stares them down tail always tucked between her legs and I explain to those kidnappers, most just out for a stroll, that this is Winnie and she doesn't like people walking behind her. A few of the regular walkers in this village that we meet often actually know now to adjust their route or to speed up a little and pass us - tres accommodating are they. I'm convinced, in that first miserable year of her life she likely was grabbed on occasion perhaps after making a few well planned escapes from her deplorable conditions. And in the time that she's lived with me, some 9 years now, she has become increasingly afraid of being nabbed, snatched and/or kidnapped. Mama's afraid of making a wrong decision in life (like say ... moving) and my girl's afraid of being kidnapped. I think she and I should camp out in the tall grass, sip ice tea and write us some Thrillers.




So we walked around the back way, up and around the streets of this little village and finally over to the big expanse of green lush lawn that we often sit on overlooking the harbour and far away from the maddening crowds (and potential kidnappers) of yesterday. We sat gazing out over the sparkling water dotted with boats of all varieties, up into a blue near cloudless sky filled with gulls and we listened to the music being played on the stage in the park. Miss D had a lovely long roll and rub in the newly mowed grass and we basked in the sun , sitting on the hill for awhile - just me & my girl Winnie Dixon.

I did houseclean yesterday in my ever slow, inefficient and haphazard way and gradually over many, many hours. Dust bunnies were sucked up, bedding was changed, laundry done, a tiny bit of polish and tad of spit was had. Piles of things were de-piled and put away. Putter cleaning I call it. I still have a few more things to do today - I'll finish a bit of tidying in my office, some more laundry hung on the line and my refrigerator tidied. I'm a bit obsessive about a tidy fridge.

Today more sunshine & blue sky, music, heat & humidity, the smell of chips and grilled sausages, more throngs of people and a harbour chock full of boats -
it's summer in this little seaside village.




9 comments:

  1. Could we have some photos of the village? We hear quite a lot about it and it sounds delightful.

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  2. Good morning Rachel. The only reason that I don't photograph the village is that it's not particularly appealing visually and/or photogenic - if it was so ... I'm sure you'd see lots of photos of it. This little village is homely, a lovely place to live but very ordinary looking and not at all charming which is what I expect you are picturing.

    Occassionally I do take shots out and about, down town so to speak and I find I never want to post them. I will try and see if I can't somehow give you a better sense of the village proper and thanks for asking.

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  3. Winnie sounds curiously like my little sister!

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  4. All my favourite colours of green in that vine! I might use that last one for a new screen saver! What is the vine?

    You know, when Edward first came to live with us, he had been on the streets for a good while. Whenever we took long walks, he hated cars coming up behind us...especially motorcycles. It took him at least six months to get comfortable... and of course I think Apple had a lot to do with that! They are such a comfort to each other. Best friends are the best!

    Happy Sunday to you and the lovely Winnie!! And all the cats!

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  5. Sounds like you had an utterly divine weekend. I most love this line "I think she and I should camp out in the tall grass, sip ice tea and write us some Thrillers."

    Nothing sounds more like summertime than this!

    Enjoy

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  6. I always enjoy your photography, but I especially like the sun through the leaves. Captures the what I think of when the day is starting!

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  7. spit and polish eh?

    I'm too dry to even spit...and the only bit of polish around here was some bright stuff we put on our nails.... I'm at my sister's again. And...it is soooo bloomin' hot we can hardly go outside in the middle of the day, so we sat inside and did that... then had a nap..cuz we don't get much sleep at night...whew.... 102 yesterday on her porch thermometer and not a breath of air... huge forest fires raging out of control just a few miles away...everybody on tenter hooks.... hoping for the best. We both wish we were by the ocean..... so do the horses and the cats....

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  8. I do so love the way you photograph a subject...you know what works but then, you ARE a true artist!
    The way you turn a phrase, your magical ability to pain a scene with words has always given me delight. Must ne one of the reasons I love to visit you here...that and the fact that IU think your fur babies are wonderful! Kip, Lucy and Henry send their love!!

    Love,
    Sue

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  9. Beautiful, Susan - I need to do some putter cleaning here, too. But the outside is hard to ignore this time of year. Give Miss Winnie a hug from me. xo Pam

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