Thursday, June 21, 2007

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Today the sun climbs to the highest point in the sky and daylight hours exceed the hours of darkness in our northern hemisphere. I’ve just discovered that he word ‘solstice’ means - ‘sun stands still’ and many diverse celebrations surround this Midsummer celebration.

However, midsummer day is actually the 24 June, not only that, it is the feast of John the Baptist and a ‘quarter day’. In England, Wales and Ireland the four quarter dates are - 25 March (Lady Day), 24 June (Midsummer Day), 29 September (Michaelmas) and 25 December (Christmas Day). As well as being the traditional days in English Law when rent payments become due, these days are celebrated religious festivals too.

But, whatever you choose to do on this, our longest day of the year, may you be blessed with much happiness. As for me, I will be found pottering around my garden and here are some pictures of how its been looking recently.










21 comments:

Joanne said...

Happy summer solstice to you! Your garden is beautiful!

Susie said...

I enjoyed reading about quarter days!
I'd never heard of that. Your garden is looking summery and lovely...
xo

Anonymous said...

So beautiful.

Anonymous said...

A short hello from Switzerland. Interesting what you wrote about the "quarter days". I didn't know this term in English.
Nice to see pictures from your garden with the lovely digitalis (I like them very much, but mine are already over).
Our solistice today was a rainy and often rather dark day (sometimes it looked like autumn). I couldn't work in the garden. Have a good time!
Barbara

Val said...

I had a wonderful solstice evening yesterday, lovely to see your photos! Thanks!

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

I also planted digitalis..but they are not looking good at all. Mine are also called Foxglove Camelot Lavender. I guess it is not the right soil here. I lot of things do not work in this awful clay sandy soil. Yours are just gorgeous!! You have a beautiful garden. I wish mine was that beautiful. Mine is not at all. We have been having rain so that has helped a lot. We have so much drought. Thanks for showing us. Sandy

Tea said...

Your garden is so beautiful Marion! And your house is so pretty. Those foxgloves are incredible!
Enjoyed reaing about solstices.

tea
xo

Betty said...

Marion,
Lovely as always....beautiful foxgloves.....you know I like them....

HAPPY SOLSTICE.....I've had a fabulous day....wonder why.....

God Bless....Betty

Pear tree cottage! said...

Marion It is ALWAYS so lovely to visit your blog and to find here today your summer garden filled with colour and shapes that make the heart skip is such a pleasure.

Your mystery plant is still a mystery to me, at first I did feel it was a butterfly plant but I think they are more a silver leave, anyway best of luck in finding its name.

Lee-ann

HORIZON said...

Such a super time of the year for the garden Marion- glad you are out enjoying it. Happy to report this weekend is not so bad for us either- at least a wee break from the rain and a chance to get caught up with weeding.
l have a similar jar to yours in the photo (3rd from bottom). l love your Palm trees and other plantings- a lovely layout and it all just fits. Is that a Hawthorn bush climbing up the house?
Hope you have been keeping well- l have been away too long.
BESTS

Barbara said...

Came across your blog through Betty's and am enjoying your garden. I will come back and read through more.
Just love your part of the world. Had a holiday booked for a cottage for 2 weeks year before last and we were planning to walk in the Park and my husband got a trapped nerve in his back 2 weeks before so we had to cancel and then subsequently 2 hernias so we never made it. Coming originally from Liverpool we loved our visits to Snowdonia.

Lynn said...

Hi Marion, it's Lynn! Your garden is looking fabulous, as usual. I haven't done very well with my perennial bed...remember that? So this year I began to put veggies in it. The lavendar, coreopsis, feverfew other herbs are growing great.

Glad to see you're feeling better. Stop by sometime, I have started putting pictures up. Everything is only now starting to look like a garden!

Sigrun said...

Hi Marion, hihi, next year I will have Foxgloves from Wales in my garden! Do you need seeds from something? I collected blue Aquilegias last week. And I have a lot of other things. If you need, mail me.

Sigrun

Alice said...

What beautiful photos of a truly delightful garden. You must be enjoying it all so very much this year, now that you are feeling so much better. I assume that you are, Marion?

Your garden is so pretty and GREEN. I'm sure you can always find something to do in such a pleasant place, and gardening is so good for the soul, too.

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Wonderful photography of beautiful blooms! I'd love to be standíng in your garden viewing them all.

Anonymous said...

Hello Marion,

Thanks for an interesting post and for the lovely photographs.

Marie

Unknown said...

How incredible! The work that you must put into this!

La Tea Dah said...

Your garden is incredible! So lovely! I adore foxglove --- and yours is perfect. And your boxwood hedge --- again, perfect! Thanks for sharing!

Barbara said...

See from Betty's that you live in Tewyn. That is exactly the place we had our cottage booked.

Kerri said...

How nice to see scenes of your lovely gardens Marion. I especially love the foxglove. Everything is looking very green and healthy. While you've had lots of rain, we've had hardly any until these last couple of days when a few showers fell.
I do hope you're feeling much better these days. xoxo

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

I came from Lis and I am surprised from your beautiful garden. Your pictures are absolutely mystical. Many thanks therefore.
Greetings from Germany, Birgit