Summer has properly arrived and it feels like everything is happening at once, in the best way. Here is what has been lifting my spirit this season...
WATCHING
The World Cup has had me hooked to the screen this month. There is something about that particular summer atmosphere, the crowds, the long light evenings, the sense that the whole country is watching the same thing at the same time, that I love.
THE ENGLISH SUMMER SEASON
Henley, Ascot, Wimbledon; it is all so iconic. There is nowhere quite like England for this stretch of the summer, when an entire calendar of tradition, dress codes and pageantry rolls out one event after another. Rowing on the Thames, hats at Ascot, strawberries and cream at Wimbledon; it never gets old.
AT THE GALLERY
This month's muse has to be Marilyn. The National Portrait Gallery's Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait marks 100 years since her birth and runs now through 6 September, bringing together decades of iconic photography, from her earliest modelling days through to portraits by Cecil Beaton and Andy Warhol. It is a proper study in how an image is made, and impossible not to leave inspired.
If you have time for more, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is on at the V&A until 8 November, tracing the surrealist designer's story from the 1920s through to today under Daniel Roseberry. And for something outdoors, Henry Moore: Monumental Nature brings his bronze sculptures into the gardens and glasshouses at Kew, included with standard entry, running well into next year.
A WELL KEPT SECRET
Wild Woods in Glastonbury is my new obsession, a crystal shop that feels like home and has a proper showroom of crystals. I have brought back a Lemurian quartz and am learning to be properly mindful with it, as its magic feels quite potent. If you find yourself in Glastonbury, it is well worth a look.
IN NATURE
The River Eye has been said to be one of the cleanest rivers in the Cotswolds. Its source is close to where we dip, and it only runs for about five miles before joining another river. Crystal clear, full of light, the kind of water that makes you believe in fairies and rainbows again. It's not that deep, but it's good for a quiet dip or a lie down. Early morning walks through the woods have become a proper ritual too, and the cornflowers coming up in the fields at the moment are one of the loveliest things about this time of year.
THE WELLNESS EDIT
I spent the summer solstice at Glastonbury Tor followed by a sweat lodge, which was every bit as grounding and intense as it sounds. I cleansed my new crystal in the Chalice Well while I was there, which felt like the right way to mark the day. There is something so rewarding about noting the seasons this way; it feels ancient and aligned, a real link back to the earth and to nature.
If you fancy something closer to home, the Rollright Stones are well worth a visit for that same energy.
ON MY LIST
Canteen in Gagingwell has become a proper favourite; it's from the team behind The Pelican and The Bull in Charlbury, and it shows. Beyond that, I am dreaming of standing stones and the Greek sea in August; anywhere with that particular high, ancient energy. A proper list for the sunnier months.
FROM THE STUDIO
I have been taking perfumery classes in Somerset with Marina and her School of Creative Perfumery , deep in fougère and chypre families, and it has completely reignited my excitement for our next fragrance. I think it has to be an aromatic fougère take on Dreams; more on that as it develops, but I am already a little obsessed.
SOMETHING TO WEAR
Anything white is the only real answer to this heat. I picked up a lovely summer dress at Mary's Living and Giving Shop in Kew, and now I have Encore in Cirencester firmly on my list too; a preloved designer shop that has been quietly running since 2000. There is something so satisfying about finding a proper piece second hand.
AND FINALLY
This summer has been so full, and yet there has still been plenty of time woven in to stop and enjoy nature in bloom. Johnny and Pippa Hornby's party for 300 a highlight so far, just magical sitting down for dinner in their Cotswold garden, the dress code smoking hot, and it was right at the tail end of that glorious heatwave. I had my first golf lesson, which I will not be giving up any time soon, and between family cricket matches, village fetes, pub dinners and late nights in the garden with friends and family, it has been the kind of summer that reminds you why English summers really can be the best. I hope you are taking some time out to enjoy the golden rays.
With love, Tilly x
