I always find June to be quite a wet month (today is no exception) but a sunny Monday and Tuesday led into a dry Wednesday, 21st June, the high point of the Summer Solstice and we were able to enjoy a bonfire last night with some good friends who arrived unexpectedly.
I was celebrating the beauty and abundance of Mother Nature and celebrating the fertility of the land. Giving thanks to the Sun for the warmth and light that enabled the plants to grow.
Looking at the meadow where we had our bonfire, you can see many wild flowers including Buttercup, Sorrel, Red Clover and Self Heal as well as the ubiquitous Ox-Eye Daisy.
I was also giving thanks for the growth of the many plants that I have sown or planted and that are full of mid summer energy and ripeness.
The bee on the Passionflower is very happy too. Mid summer is the perfect time to harvest herbs or medicinal plants as they are full of healing energy. My house is taken over by plants drying.
They are hanging in the kitchen,
They are all over the therapy room, on the plinth,
on the floor and even on an armchair in the living room.
There are more, already dried, that I am chopping up very fine to make into teas and as you can see, many bags to get through.
Mid summer is that most perfect time of year here in Connemara, when the colours of the plants are so vivid and the scents of plants such as Honeysuckle/Woodbine, Lavender and Rose are so delicious. This is the time when Mother Nature’s abundance becomes really visible and the hard work of transforming her gifts into edible delights and medicinal tonics begins.