From the first blackberry to a sky full of shooting stars, these are the fleeting pleasures that make the final weeks of summer feel all the sweeter.
By late July, the roses are beginning to soften around the edges, the grass is sun-bleached and, as for us, we have ceased to know what day it is. But even as we ride the crest of the high summer wave, there is the hint that the season has started its slow turn towards autumn.
And yet some of summer's greatest pleasures are only just arriving – all the sweeter for how fleeting they are. The blackberries are fattening in the hedgerows. Figs are appearing in the fruit aisles. The sea is at its warmest. The Perseids are about to streak across the night sky. The swallows still wheel overhead and the evenings remain long enough for supper outdoors.
Late summer feels so precious precisely because it is all so exquisitely transient – perfect, if only we stop to notice it all. These, then, are the summer things still worth waiting for.
Sweetpeas
Oh how we love a sweetpea. One small posy can perfume an entire room, carrying with it memories of cottage gardens, greenhouses and long afternoons spent in the garden. Their season is heartbreakingly short. Blink and they are gone, so gather them while you can.
Try: Gathering a handful into a small jug for a bedside table or guest room.
Shop: A pair of flower snips, striped ribbon and a collection of tiny bud vases.
Whether you’re an ornithologist or not, one of the great joys of summer is looking up to find swallows darting through the evening sky, swooping and turning as though the air itself were carrying them. We have come to think of them as some of our most beloved summer visitors and their arrival – and eventual departure – marks the rhythm of the season as surely as any calendar.
Try: Keeping a note of the first and last swallow you see each year.
Shop: A good pair of binoculars and a pocket bird guide.
For much of the year we make do with tomatoes that are fine but little more than that. Then, for a few glorious weeks, they taste exactly as they should: sweet, fragrant and sun-warmed. A perfect August tomato requires almost nothing.
Dice six large ripe tomatoes and toss with olive oil, sea salt and a handful of torn basil. Spoon onto slices of chargrilled rustic bread rubbed with garlic and serve outside with something cold to drink. Get the recipe.
The Hay Harvest
There are few scents more evocative than freshly cut hay. One deep breath and you are instantly transported to country lanes, golden fields and long drives with the windows rolled down. It is, simply, the smell of high summer itself.
Try: An evening walk through the countryside just as the heat of the day begins to soften.
One day the hedgerows are green and the next they are studded with glossy, ink-dark fruit. The first blackberries always feel like the bridge between summer and autumn – an August treat but one that pulls us closer to autumnal days with its promise of comforting crumbles. Picking them is an abidingly simple pleasure that never loses its magic.
Place 500g blackberries and 1.5kg sliced apples in a baking dish with a spoonful of sugar. Rub together wholemeal flour, ground almonds, porridge oats, brown sugar, mixed seeds, salt and coconut oil until crumbly and scatter over the fruit. As the Beeb suggest, serve it with homemade custard. Perfection. Get the recipe.
The Perseids
Every August, the night sky puts on one of its greatest displays. The Perseid meteor shower sends shooting stars streaking overhead, rewarding those willing to stay up a little later than usual. It is sheer magic to lie beneath a blanket and look up at the stars as they put on a show.
Try: Making a wish on every shooting star you spot.
Their Purple skins, ruby interiors and decadent vibes, we love how the figs feels more Mediterranean than British. Their arrival each year signals the gentle easing of summer towards autumn.
Place a few bay leaves and oregano sprigs in a roasting dish and sit a round of ricotta on top. Halve eight ripe figs and scatter them around the cheese, then grate over a little orange zest and drizzle everything with olive oil and runny honey. Roast at 200°C for 30–35 minutes, until the ricotta is golden and the figs are soft and sticky. Serve with griddled ciabatta rubbed with garlic and a handful of rocket and mint. Get the recipe.
The Sea's Warmest Week
After months of absorbing sunshine, the sea is usually at its warmest towards the end of August. If you’ve ever stepped into the water and been surprised to find it almost balmy, you will know the feeling.
Try: An early morning swim before the beaches fill.
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