Summer Is ...

Kate at Centsational Girl is having a series called "Summer Is" where she has invited people to write about what summer means to them. I've enjoyed reading the different posts and thought I would do my own.  There is something so tantalizing about envisioning all the fun things to come in summer.  I happen to love summer - I love the warm weather, I love being off from work, and I love summer for all of these reasons too - 

Spending time at the cottage.

For me summer is spending time at the cottage - swimming, canoeing, going for walks, reading, taking photos, chatting, drinking copious cups of tea on the screened porch.  Oh yeah!  Can't wait.

A slower pace of life.

I'm off work in the summer so the pace of life changes drastically.  I love that I can tackle some of the things on my to do list and still have time to relax.  

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

After a winter of eating a limited variety of fruit and vegetables (we do our best to eat locally or at least North American grown during the winter so the variety is not as great as in the summer), I'm ready to break out and indulge in eating all the different fruits and vegetables that are available.  I love going to the farmer's market and loading up and there is nothing better than a salad meal.

Reading books.

When I get into reading a good book I find it impossible to put the book down, so I mostly save reading for the holidays. Every year I look forward to getting through a stack of books that I have collected over the year just waiting for summer holidays.

Summer mornings in the garden.

I love walking outside in the dewy wet grass, enjoying the cooler morning temperatures, eating breakfast on the swing, checking out the flowers, and admiring the beautiful soft sunlight through the leaves and trees.  

Getting projects accomplished.

I love that I have time to actually get some things done that I don't have time for during the school year.  Since summer holidays start in one week, I'm making my list and checking it twice of things I would like to get done around here this summer.
What do you love about summer?