Summer's End

Labor Day....

The moment to hang on to the last joys of summer

and remember walking in the woods of Long Island

and the delights of diner food on the day of a flash flood.

Summer flowers from our son's garden.

The home to the city and thinking of next year's flowers. (A very old plate from Morocco with a beautiful glaze.)

And walking in Central Park where there were a large number of rats in The Ramble. Pied Piper needed soonest.

Some progress in my latest project - a tapestry from a photo of folk art  from a chicken seller.

And Union Square has cheerful flowers

sweet mini plums

and both yellow and white peaches.

HAPPY LABOR DAY

The Giant Puddle at the Beach

The Last Day of August. Sob. Where has this all-too-short summer gone? (Though September  beach days can be extra sweet).

Robert Moses, our favorite beach, had pretty wild surf last week, so it's fortunate that there is a super-giant puddle for the small fry to play in.

In Henry's case, leap in

and lie there luxuriating in the tepid water

a very happy starfish indeed.

There are shells in the puddle too.

and castles to build.

Ice cream is used as a bribe to encourage young people to leave the delights of the sea shore. It gets very melty and drippy.

All too soon the sundresses will be put away for the winter.

Why I Write/Summer Reading

     In May, Cait O'Connor  invited me to join a group of other writer/bloggers including Pamela of The House of Edward in doing a post entitled Why I Write. I was flattered and interested...and distracted and thought I would get to it - in the end.

     In brief, I think I write for the same reason I read: to enter a window into another world.

Chelsea Physik Garden

 I've been thinking of wonderful summer reads - needless to say most set in England. I just finished Kate Atkinson's virtuoso Life After Life. I gobbled it up, loving every minute of it.

Wiltshire

 Several years ago, I felt rather the same about Rosamund Pilcher's The Shell Seekers, set in Cornwall.

Wiltshire

Jane Gardam's Old Filth Trilogy is a real delight - rich and visual and sensual and altogether astounding.

as above

And as for me - I try to recapture a now vanished world - of family and England and love and hardship. I have recently re-edited Ruth and Gisela which was originally published as A Fortunate Child. It's now available on Amazon's Kindle Direct which means you don't have to have an actual book and can download it in an instant.  Click here for details. A very kind review of the book on the super bookish blog A Work in Progress.

Another window in a very old house in Wiltshire, with the light slipping in sideways - like in old Dutch paintings.

Here is the house where part of  Ruth and Gisela is set. My grandparents' house in Faversham, Kent photographed in about 1952. I'm so glad most of the windows are open. The final photo is of a family celebration some years ago, because my story is about family and mothers and daughters.

Happy 4th of July

Tuesday: Robert Moses Beach, Long Island

Morning, but the kite-flyer has got here early.

The kite....

 and the bird

And not too very many people.

The water completely delicious and not a bit cold.

For those of you from out of town, Robert Moses was a most interesting, larger than life character. He is really worth reading about. I always tend to think of characters from Ayn Rand when I think of him.

Monday at the Beach

The bright blue sky, the kite, the umbrella.

Everything exactly the right color.

Not to mention the flags.

People bring all this stuff to the beach and have to carry it.

How much more fun to simply stand at the water's edge.

Red, White and Blue at the Beach

The causeway to Robert Moses beach.

The first Monday of the school holidays.

So many important things to do.

Or to think about doing.

Important to keep the sea at bay.

And eat a lunch much frowned upon indoors.

Even the parking lot feels like summer.

At last.