Summertime dreamland

When the sun beats down on pine trees, they emit a specific scent... one that conjures up for me hot days by the seaside in France, or by the conifer screen in my parents' garden on Cleveland Road. Below: the wood at the top of the track between Jakubowizna and Machcin II. Out where the pines grow wild and tall. No plague of insects (so far) this summer; very pleasant walking, filled with qualia memories snapping back, congruent and clear.

Below: I wrote recently about the importance of familiarity - this holds true of landscapes. Summers in Jakubowizna remind me both of Sandy Lane, Oxshott Common, Surrey, which my family would often visit throughout my childhood, and of Stella-Plage in northern France, venue for several summer holidays in the 1960s and '70s. The mix of deciduous and coniferous trees growing on sandy soil is very Oxshott Common, the pines in the sand on a hot day very Pas de Calais.

Below: one of my many beloved spots; where the forest (above) gives way to orchards on the track that leads from Machin II to Jakubowizna, the back way.

Below: exactly three months earlier: 3 April, exactly the same spot. Note the difference in leaf cover and consequent increase in shade.

The earth progresses around the sun with an axial tilt of 23° from vertical; without that tilt there would be no seasons. If, like the moon - which always has the same side facing the earth as it orbits us - the earth didn't spin, one half of our planet would be in perpetual daylight, the other half in perpetual darkness. Something to ponder as I watch the earth spinning back away from the sun, below, its rays colouring the underside of the cloud cover.

I have a little circuit around the locality which I love to ride on sunny evenings, with the intent of catching the qualia of mid-1950s rural America. Catching sight of my shadow on the road is a powerful emotion. Lived this before - but not in West London.

Fruit note: cherries are later this year than last year, and are rather small. Same goes for wild strawberries - earlier in the spring, I thought there'd be masses of them, as new plants have propagated nicely. However, the dry spring has meant less ground water, less moisture wicked up into the fruit. So indeed there are many wild strawberries - but most of them are tiny. Ripe, but tiny. I estimate I'll have gathered half the amount I did last season. We'll see. Biedronka charging 54.99 złotys for a half litre of spirytus rektyfikowany (95% alcohol by volume), compared to pre-pandemic price of 39.99 złotys, so there will be less poziomkówka or wiśniówka than in previous years!

This time last year:
Getting our heads around UFOs

This time four years ago:
Bristol-fashioned

This time five years ago:
The imminent closure of Marks & Spencer in Warsaw

This time nine years ago:
Along mirror'd canyons

This time 11 years ago:
Mad about Marmite 

This time 12 years ago:
Komorowski wins second round of Presidential elections?

This time 13 years ago:
A beautiful summer dusk in Jeziorki

This time 13 years ago:
Classic cars, London and Warsaw