summer

My Illustration Friday entry for 'Summer'.

Since we've only just come into Winter at this corner of the globe, it's been pretty tricky getting into a Summer headspace this week. Wrapping myself up in a fluffy scarf each morning, and trying to imagine being bathed in warm sunshine and wearing a Bonds singlet.

As much as I love jackets and scarves, I much prefer Summer. Acutaly I love Summer!

I love the smell of frangipanni flowers at the beginning of Summer on a warm night. I love sticking teeny-tiny star jasmin flowers in my hair, so I get a spontaneous whiff of them every now and then throughout the day.

Summer is long days, bare feet, wet hair, my white cotton skirt, afternoon breezes, mangoes, big salads, icy cold beer, squeeling cicadas and traces of sand in the toes of your shoes.

Last year I cheated Winter; packed a backpack and went to Summer in Europe.

My illustration this week is of a great terrace we found while climbing the steep hilly streets of Lisbon in Portugal. We found it one hot afternoon on our way to the Alfama district, and rested in the shade of the glorious boganvillia. The terrace seemed specifically placed for the sole purpose of giving folk like us a retreat from the sun, and rest from the steep hills. A little pond with a fish fountain, a thick patch of shade, a long bench with an array of blue hand painted tiles (one of my favourite things about Portugal), and a view across the water below.

I feel warmed just thinking about it.