The longest day of the year: Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice comes around every year, and if I'm honest, it's easy to miss.

Life gets busy. There are always jobs to do, places to be, and things that feel more urgent.

Then suddenly we're halfway through summer and wondering where the time went.

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, but for me it feels like something more than that. It's a quiet reminder to pause for a moment and notice what's already here.

The light stretching into the evening. Wildflowers filling the hedgerows. Bees moving from bloom to bloom.

The things that are easy to walk past when we're rushing. Take a look at my March recap blog to get the full scoop.

Why the Summer Solstice always makes me slow down

I've noticed that nature often reminds me to slow down before I realise I need it.

This time of year feels full of life. Everything is growing, flowering and taking up space.

The evenings feel softer. Walks last a little longer. Dinner ends up being eaten outside whenever possible.

There is something about this season that encourages me to pay attention again.

Not to what's next.

But to what's right in front of me.

Wildflowers are everywhere if you stop and look

One of my favourite things about this time of year is how wildflowers seem to appear everywhere.

Along country lanes. Across meadows. Tucked into hedgerows.

Oxeye daisies, poppies, buttercups and cow parsley.

The sort of flowers that many people drive past without noticing.

Yet when you stop for a moment, they're often the most beautiful thing you'll see all day.

Some of my best ideas begin this way.

Not through planning.

Just through noticing.

The colours that inspire my work

Every piece I create at Earth Tone starts with paying attention.

The soft pink of a fading petal.

The warm yellow of a summer flower catching the evening light.

The texture of a bloom that's been shaped by the weather.

Nature creates colour combinations I could never plan myself.

The more time I spend outside, the more inspiration I seem to find.

Joy doesn't always arrive in big moments

I think we put a lot of pressure on summer.

To make memories. To do more. To make every weekend count.

But when I look back, it's rarely the big moments I remember most.

It's the walk where I found a beautiful wildflower.

The evening spent sitting in the garden.

The quiet moments when I wasn't trying to do anything at all.

That's where joy often lives.

In the ordinary things.

Holding onto summer

One of the reasons I love pressing flowers is because they allow us to hold onto these moments a little longer.

Flowers may not last forever, but the memories attached to them can.

Whether they're from a wedding, a garden you've cared for, or a season of life you never want to forget, flowers tell a story.

And when they're pressed and preserved, they become a piece you'll look at every day.

A keepsake to treasure forever.

As we move through the longest days of the year, I hope you find a moment to slow down, step outside, and notice what's blooming around you.

You might discover that the things you'll remember most are the things you almost walked past. And if there are flowers from a moment you'd love to keep, I'd be honoured to help you preserve them.