June over here usually sees us enjoying the good weather before the humidity gets unbearable. On Facebook today my memory reminder thingy brought up a photo I took three years ago today – a photo of my car dashboard with the temperature showing as 28°C at 11:56pm.
This year things are very different. June has been a cool month by standards, and a rainy month too. As I type, I am indoors with the light on as it is raining outside. I’ve lost count of the number of thunderstorms we’ve had so far in June. Dark grey clouds roll over, darkening the skies and bringing a glum feeling with them.
There have been lovely times in between when the rain has cleared, the sun has come out and we can sit out to eat or we can go off to the local pool. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen the pictures of the garden bathed in sun, but that is not what it is like all the time. They are snapshots taken at good moments.
Hence my ‘Styling the Seasons’ post this month is, oddly, less summery than my May post. I have been picking bunches of flowers for the house – bringing the outdoors in, in a way – in an attempt to make the house more cheerful on the rainy days. I’ve also been lighting candles to brighten the place up.
White peonies and pale roses are what I have in the house at the moment. Teamed with a cream candle in a wide jar and one of my favourite quotes, they make the kitchen a pleasanter place to be during a thunderstorm or a bout of heavy rain.
The flowers are a combination of roses from our garden – from a climbing rosebush I treated myself to one day a few years ago – and peonies from a friend’s garden. When she visited on Tuesday for breakfast, we ate indoors while the rain pelted against the windows. An hour later we walked in the garden and visited the chickens in blazing sunshine.
The week has continued like that, rain, sun then rain again with verying temperatures. But I have found my way to deal with it. I look at my arrangement – flowers, candle and quote – and get on with the business of Summer. Because rain or no, it is still Summer.
“She said she would buy the flowers herself” is from the opening line of ‘Mrs. Dalloway’, one of my favourite books. Taking charge, doing a thing you want done by yourself, doing something that makes you happy – that is what this quote says to me.
So that is exactly what I am trying to do this June – take a situation that is not perfect and make the best of it. When the weather is good, I’ll be outdoors, making hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes. But when it is not, I will be indoors, glad that I bought (well, picked) the flowers myself.
I’m sharing this post with the Styling The Seasons hosts, Lotts & Lots and Apartment Apothecary.
I love the styling, peonies are one of my favorite flowers and these are beautiful.
Thanks Emma
Gorgeous blooms but not such gorgeous weather, I agree! Love the sentiment behind that quote too (plus, I always buy myself flowers rather than waiting for someone else to buy them for me ;)) xx
Yes, better to be safe than sorry and just buy the flowers yourself. Thanks for hosting, Katy.
Gorgeous white peonies and how lovely that they are from your friend’s garden. I keep saying that I will join in with Styling the Seasons and I always forget – perhaps in July! Hope we get some nice weather, though your description of walking out in the garden after the rain with your friend sounds lovely and I can almost smell those white roses fresh in the rain 🙂 #HomeEtc
Oh do try to join in in July. It is such a lovely idea, styling a surface in your home. I really enjoy doing mine and looking at all the fabulous #stylingtheseasons pictures on Instagram. So inspirational.
Love the peonies, the weather less so! Let’s hope there’s more days for making hay while the sun shines too 🙂 #homeetc
Indeed Staphanie! The weather has picked up now but has gone to another extreme with temps in the mid thirties. The thunder is expected back tomorrow 🙁
I absolutely adore peonies- beautiful styling here 🙂 #homeetc
Thanks Becky. Peonies are such a gorgeous flower – like a luxury, oversized rose.
Peonies are beautiful, I bought myself some pink ones today. I love your photographs, they never fail to make me smile 🙂
Thank you Nicola, that is so nice to hear. Aren’t peonies just gorgeous. We have some in the front garden but I plan to buy a few more of them in pink for the back garden.
They are. I must get some for my own garden, I couldn’t imagine anything nicer than being able to just go outside and pick them 🙂
Aah what a lovely post!! And I totally agree — June has felt decidedly ‘un’summery hasn’t it? Peonies and roses are a glorious combo though, the perfect antidote to a grey, rainy summer’s day 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up with us pet! 🙂 Caro xx #HomeEtc
Yes Caro,I needed something to brighten the dull days. I can hardly believe that June will be over in a few days. Today was SO wet!
I love those flowers, so pretty! And the style of writing on your quote is wonderful, so lovely! June has been such a mixed bag of weather for us here in Nottingham, but fingers crossed we can have some solid sunshine soon!
Gemma x
The British Feather – A UK Home Decor & Lifestyle Blog
Thanks Gemma. I made the sign with a transfer kit from Aldi. Some day I will get round to writing a DIY post on that.
We inherited some of those flowers when we purchased this house, I didn’t know what they were but I loved them. Each year I look forward to them flowering in the garden.
They are a really pretty flower aren’t they? I love them in other people’s gardens and have bought some pink ones for our own garden now.