Spring & Summer

 Much time has passed and many occurrences and activities since my last post here.

In May, I spent about a fortnight in England, mostly in London, attending plays and the ballet and galleries and exhibitions.

At the King's Gallery, "Queen Elizabeth: Her Life in Style"

Coronation gown

Wedding gown

One of the plays I attended

At the Royal Ballet

Mayerling, the first cast I saw

Mayerling, the second cast performance

Ready to strut, in vintage attire, for the Grand Flaneur Walk from Covent Garden 

Research for the work-in-progress: my heroine lived here

Another residence connected to the novel

Researching theatre history at the Garrick Club

Dinner with friends in Mayfair

Lunch with friends in North London

Evensong at Westminster Abbey

I also had a side trip to the West Country to spend time with relatives. I'm always happy in Somerset.

In Axbridge

And this time, I had a close encounter with hedgehogs at a Rescue Centre in Cheddar. 

Cuddling a rehabilitated hedgehog

The rest of the summer can be summed up like this: abundant roses, lots of time at the lake cottage with special people and Gracie the dog, many nests of baby birds, and book events.

The roses were perfect for our annual Rose Party/Open Garden

A spectacular sunset

Gracie at the cottage

I've lost count of all the bird hatchlings this summer--bluebirds and wrens

A book event at the library my husband and I helped to build

I hope it won't be such a long gap before I return to the blog. I'm hoping my volunteer and activity schedule will lighten up soon. I've got lots of work to do on the novel!

 

Celebrating Autumn

The hours, days, weeks, and months flow by--differently than they did before the pandemic, yet also much the same. As in prior years, the roses continue to bloom into autumn, the lake cottage provides a chance of scene when needed, the dogs still love their daily walks, research on a new project keeps me occupied, and I participate in zoom meetings related to volunteer activities or book events.

I study the changing leaves, and realise that 2020 won't last much longer.

Usually I'm in England or Wales and sometimes Europe at exactly this time of year. I'm missing the people I spend time with there, and look forward to reunion whenever it becomes possible.

I also look forward to being ready to blog regularly about the next book. Not quite time yet. So for now, some photos!

Ruth & Dot arrive at the lake cottage

Sunset Driveway Concerts continue

Sometimes we dine in style while listening to the music

The roses still brighten the garden

One week I had a lot of Zoom meetings. One day, as many as 3!

May your autumn be filled with colour!