Summer is truly a special season, so vibrant and so relaxing at the same time. I've never longed for summer because I love every season, but when it comes, I feel differently. "It's summertime and the living is easy..." wrote Gershwin and he couldn't have been more correct. The seemingly careless lazy days I remembered from when I was a kid have returned and there are open doors through which I enter another reality with the same me, the same others, but not quite. Summer is like a well-known song that I used to sing to my son to make both of us believe that everything is going to be alright...

 Long ago summertime to me literary was 
walking barefoot on grass, 
catching butterflies and fireflies with friends on a breezy evening,
climbing a tree and hiding from grandma,
biking and running downhill at a spring ( getting bruises on my knees), 
going on "the must-have" family trips and camping by the sea, 
eating ice cream, but necessary letting the melted part go through my hands and make them sticky, 
listening to the songs of crickets and tree frogs, 
flying a kite made by myself, 
star gazing, 
making a watermelon lantern, 
designing clothes for my paper dolls (oh boy, I was good at that),
constantly digging in my grandparents' attic looking for something old and mysterious ( perhaps that's how I  developed my love for vintages:), 
dancing in the rain and catching the warm raindrops with an open mouth ( and lately, passionately kissing someone ), 
taking sunbaths (preparing one for my toddler),
sitting on the roof with my cousin, 
trying to go under the rainbow's arc before learning the law of physics, 
wearing wildflowers on my head ...
simply being outside from early morning to the late night doing fun, fun things...

I am thinking where the last time I experienced some of these summer pleasures feeling like a child again?
Frankly, it must have been a while since I can remember, except camping and enjoying the crickets' songs while canoeing...   







Nowadays, summer is still a time of simple pleasures, but more about 
my son's birthday and since last year my nephew's too, 
reuniting with family and old friends, 
taking long walks with my dog in the morning and walks with my husband after dinner, 
staying at the edge of the lake or the sea and gazing out at the horizon and the stunning sunsets, canoeing and sailing, 
hiking through the cool heart of the mountain, 
drying clothes outside, 
sleeping with the window open, 
biking, 
watching a movie at a drive-in theatre despite the fact that they are a few and far between these days, taking pleasure in the summer concerts and jazz festivals, 
barbequing, 
enjoying the smell of freshly cut grass and linden trees on the street, 
antiquing, 
finding outdoor tables at the restaurant, 
reading only for pleasure, 
driving on the highway with the windows down, the music turned up, the wind whipping in my hear, singing out loud " I am free, free fallin'..."








More than anything summer to me is eating fresh honest food. 
Summertime abounds with varieties of fresh veggie and fruits and opportunities to buy local. Going to a farmers market and buying ripe fruits from the farmer's orchard is something that I never take for granted. I am an urban girl, but as I age my heart is yearning for the simplicity and the peacefulness of the country life.  I am dreaming of the day when we will have our own organic garden with cherry, apricot and apple trees. 
When fresh, ruby-red cherries appear in the market, you are certain, it's summertime. When a funny-looking donut peach greets you from the table, you know you will take it home and feel the muffin batter with it. Because it's fun to bake with summer fruits and keep it on the light side. Ripe fruits are juicier and sweeter so I can use less sugar or no sugar at all to reach the sweetness of the dessert.
And how beautiful the fresh fruit decoration is... 
And how satisfying it is to know you are eating fruits in season. When in doubt about which fruits and veggies grow when, here is a chart that you can refer to What is in Season?



How is your summer going so far, dear friends?
Are you savouring the summer's simple pleasures or you have a different summer fun list?








 Stay alive, be kind, keep thoughtful balance 
and enjoy the light summer food!
Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July!



   I am sharing at Sweet Summertime Linky Party
                              Say G'Day Saturday 
                              Seasonal Sunday