Summer weather with sunshine, blue skies and temperatures around 23'C (73'F) or so arrived (as forecasted) on Thursday - just in time for high school graduations and summer holidays.
One definite sign of summer was that when I went out for a walk, I kept coming across half-naked sunbathing people lying flat on the grass in half-hidden places - desperately trying to update their tan for beach parties and whatnot... (I refrained from taking photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination!) - I should perhaps point out that on that day, my feet were taking me along some different paths than my usual ones around the cemetery, though.
Summery view from down by the river.
In the little park by the dam and waterfall, some potted palm trees have been added to create an extra exotic feeling. Our very own Palm Beach! (Bathing in the river not recommended, though. At least not in this spot.)
Lupin(e)s. Loved by some (me included), regarded as "invasive" by others. I associate them with summers in my grandparents' garden, there were lots of them along the railway bank close by, and quite a few had been allowed to invade their garden too...
A surprise "sculpture exhibition" awaited me in a roped off plot of grass (wasteland?) along my way. As I haven't been going in that direction in a long time (at least not since last summer) I have no idea how long they've been there.
In the background, I also spotted some bird houses on tree trunks.
Nearby, there is an old red wooden house, which now looks abandoned and empty - but the yard also unusually tidy, and the lawn seems to have been mowed! The sign on it reveals that it used to be a glazier's workshop. (Not sure what that light phenomenon to the left is!)
Views from a bridge across the river.
On my way back home, casting a glance up the hill beside the road, the impressive roots of these tall old pine trees caught my eye - doing their best to keep the trees in place in spite of the erosion on the sandy hillside...
Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) is a common roadside/grassland wildflower here.
Another young bird (I think possibly a jackdaw rather than a crow this time?) resting on the lawn under some trees near my building - also looking a bit like it just fell from the sky and was contemplating how to get up there again. (I didn't witness the actual fall this time, though, so it may just be my imagination jumping to conclusions...)
Linking to Skywatch Friday and Weekend Reflections
