Bloom Of The Meadows.

My favourite summer flowers are the wild ones, which cover the wide meadows and plains, like precious gems adoring the fields of green. Those that grow unrestricted and free, in need of no care or attention, soaking up the sun, bursting with colours and gentle beauty.

Behind my house, within my views is a grassy, shared but secluded area that we consider our backyard. Park like and tranquil, it offers so much beauty in the different seasons. In autumn, it is painted with fiery shades of the turning foliage of birch trees and ripen berries. In winter, serene, sleeping quietly under the blanket of pristine snow, invoking the sense of rest. And in spring, sprinkled with dandelions and blooming shrubs and trees, it becomes an oases in colour and light.
Finally, during the time of the subtle summer months, it is lush and inviting. Full of wild flowers and sweet summer berries, buzzing with the sound of insects and the elegance of butterflies. Birch trees offer soothing shade away from the sun, while their full crowns sway in the breeze, creating that melodic sound that instigates the feel of content.

I took a short walk with my camera in our backyard yesterday in the late morning, documenting its July splendor, reflected in the bloom of wild flowers and the richness of insect life. The sun was already high in the sky, enveloping the trees in a gentle white light. The neighborhood was quiet and still and occasionally, the sweet singing of the lark, that very significant sound of the Scandinavian summer, played softly in the balmy air above me.

Closing my eyes, I laid down in the warm grass as I tried to capture this moment with all my senses, locking it firmly in my perception. It is mental snapshots such as these that I will revisit in my mind in a few months, when darkness and cold will rule my world.

(Please click image for larger view.)