Summer wind is gently blowing across the homestead tonight. I am enjoying listening to it move through the trees as I write. It’s a soft rustling sound that is not unlike the ebb and flow of the waves on a beach. The windows are open just enough to feel the movement of the air. When I am ready to sleep, it will soothe me. I’m sure everything outside is enjoying the relief from such a hot day. I am certainly pleased to have left some tall greenery in the chicken enclosure for them to lie under. It was extremely hot today despite the winds efforts to peg back the temperature. Our main barn felt like an oven so the double doors were opened wide while my partner and his father worked on building us a new log store. There has been a wonderful sense of occasion here over the last few days as it was the solstice and then my birthday. The entire weekend was dedicated to either preparing for or celebrating the solstice in particular. I never expect or require any fuss over my birthday. I did enjoy a very easy going day with lots of sweet wishes from friends and family so it was lovely. Last Friday was Midsummer’s Eve which was the night when people would stay up all night revelling and then watch the sunrise on the longest day. My partner managed to see it this year. He relayed to me the way the bright orange orb suddenly rose up from behind the distant hills to the east. I didn’t manage to be awake for it this year but I will try next time. The weather was a little changeable but it wasn’t expected to rain in the evening when we were going to have a fire and a small outdoor celebration. The children and I gathered a few oak leaves and decorated the table with symbolic meaning to mark the midway point in the year that was to be around a quarter to ten. I had been keeping a special beeswax candle in the shape of an old ‘skep’ or wicker beehive I wanted to burn to pay homage to our hardworking bees. We ate, enjoyed live music provided by talented company, inhaled a lot of oak smoke, drank mead. It was a splendid night and made all the more magical by a sudden mysterious wind that whirled through our circle during a particularly atmospheric song. Sparks flew out of the fire causing us to take notice of its presence, adding power to the moment. A few minutes later, it started raining lightly but we stayed out until it began to pour. We retreated into the house, carrying arm loads of wet tableware and Moroccan carrot salad. These warm summer winds are speaking to us, carrying messages, and I am listening.