Medieval Monday - Midweek! A Celebration of the Summer Solstice

I hold a special fondness for the Limbourg Brothers' image for July. It's a wonderfully agrarian scene. While the scything always catches this gardener's eye (although far beyond a sweet little flower bed or vegetable patch), it's the sheep shearing that makes me smile. That's because as summer presses on, the desire to do whatever it takes to cool off strikes more often. 

My personal favorite method for dealing with the heat is to escape to the mountains. After that, the beach or a swimming pool works! And my go-to garment for daily living is a light sundress. How about you?

Medieval folk also had their ways of dealing with the heat. They wore lighter clothing in summer, certainly, and they wore hats. They also took to the water, which regularly resulted in drownings as swimming wasn't a commonly-acquired skill. And, of course, the nobility had the luxury of escaping to their presumably cooler, country homes.

As for the summer solstice, which this year is today, June 21, it always surprises me that it's the longest day of the year. The days in July and earlier August always seem much longer to me. I suppose it's because we are well-settled into summer by then, necessarily concentrating our outdoor time towards evenings and giving in (to the heat) to enjoy the different cadence of life.

To many a medieval observer, the summer solstice was a day of celebration that held a touch of melancholy. It signaled the turn, slow as it was, to shorter, darker days. It seems a bit pessimistic, doesn't it? But at least they appreciated their long, summer days.

This summer is a markedly different one for me. I will be more or less on hiatus as I've some healing and physical therapy to get through. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, but it's all good. When I catch my breath, I will work on finishing All Shook Up, the sequel to Tremors Through Time. That being said, I do still have a few wonderful guests scheduled -- just a couple, really, and I'm bound to post now and then. I've been blogging for many, many years, so it will be an unusual and challenging experience not to. I will miss you!

Do continue to check in with medieval ladies Mary Morgan and Barbara Bettis. I don't know that they'll be posting every week, but their posts and websites, as you probably know, are wonderful.

In addition, I hope you will enjoy reading some wonderful,medieval romances under the shade of an umbrella as you soak up the season. Wishing you bright, happy days ahead! Happy Summer!