*forest scents

Summer in the forest. The air is filled with the most pleasant scents:

Dry mosses and needles, fine grasses, soft tree resin and all sorts of lichen. Picking a blueberry now and then on my strolls, surrounded by the humming noise of horseflies and other jittery insects.

❦

*The ocean

The ocean

Ever changing,

soft and silent,

then soughing and singing

to the seagulls call.

A little poem

flies away with the wind.

The waves are listening

while I'm sitting so still.

The seawater on my feet

so cleansing and strong.

It runs down my skin

like a natural song.

I give up all dreams

and hopes of the past.

I remember so humbly:

The ocean is vast.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

~

*Island Cres

Exactly one month ago, we had our summer vacation on the Croatian island Cres. We have been there in 2015 already, but this time we explored it with our camper van. The weather was exceptional hot during the first days, and we were able to stay in the water for ages, because the sea felt as warm as a bathtub. As always, we explored hidden paths, and I searched for little treasures on the beach – I found this weird-looking wooden creature and lots of sea glass. In the evenings, the stones were still filled with the warmth of the day, and it was so lovely to sit on them, just watching the sun go down and the gentle waves rolling over the shore.

☙

*seasons poetry

Summer has absorbed me fully with all it's duties, pleasures, and little delights. It passes far too quickly! Summers are so short in this country anyway, but I try to soak up as much of the warm season as possible to withstand the long, cold months that are sure to follow. Still, I love every season and the constant change – it’s what gives life its flavor!

It's apricot season right now, so I'm busy with preserving them. I also crack open the stones to get the kernels inside, which taste a bit like almonds. Although the extreme heat of June and the dryness of the past weeks caused my vegetable garden to suffer quite a bit, I was still able to pick the first cucumbers – always a special moment!

☙

*whites and winds

My sister gave me another one of her vintage dresses. It waves like our curtains in the summer wind. I love wearing white – it feels the best to me, though it’s usually quite impractical if you want to stay clean! White flowers also speak to me. The ones in the picture are an aquilegia variety called "Green Apples", which I grew from seeds last year. This year they’ve started blooming for the first time! Such delicate, enchanting blossoms.

☙

*Little things

Little things –

like walking barefoot in the green damp morning grass,

feeling the soft summer breeze on the fine little hairs of your arms,

light behind the curtains,

touching the soft petals of a poppy flower,

the smell of pink roses,

a tiny bird sitting on a big roof,

the sweet looking shadow of Sunny when we are doing our daily walks,

summer fields in the most mellow evening light –

those little things

are often the greatest.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

☙

*poppy pink

This opium poppy field was simply breathtaking! Unfortunately, I couldn’t take more pictures – my roll of film had run out, and I had no extra with me – but I will never forget the sight of all those large, rose-colored blossoms swaying gently in the warm summer wind.

☙