10 Fun Ways to Celebrate in June
“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June” L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.
Hello June! The month in Ireland where strawberries come into season, roses and peonies bloom, school holidays begin and the days are long.
10 Fun Ways to Celebrate in June
It is the French Open tennis final in Roland Garros over the weekend 4th-6th June, enjoy world class tennis sipping on Kir and eating tartines.
Kir is a classic French apéritif drink that is made by adding 1 tbsp crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to your wine glass and topping with dry white wine. You can make it a Kir Royale by replacing the white wine with Champagne
Tartines are French open sandwiches - try topping toasted baguette with
soft goats cheese, avocado slices and sundried tomatoes
mozzarella, tomatoes and Parma ham
Mozzarella, fresh figs, rocket and balsamic cream
Fried bacon lardons, camembert cheese melted, sautéed apples and topped with lambs lettuce leaves
It’s a Bank Holiday on June 6th and a traditional time of the year to have a BBQ. Have you tried playing rounders since you were a kid? It’s a great way of getting parents and children out to play something altogether, with refreshments in the form of homemade ice pops periodically! Try juicing grapes and lime or honeydew melon and mint for some really refreshing flavours.
On the 14th June this year, we will see the Strawberry Full Moon rising, with the added bonus of it being a super moon. But what does this all mean? Well, a supermoon is when the moon’s orbit brings it closer to the earth than normal, so it appears larger. The strawberry title comes from old traditions, named as this is a month when crops come into abundance in many places, particularly celebrating the season of strawberries.
If it is a clear night, perhaps light a campfire and sit outside with blankets and sleeping bags, tell ghost stories and picnic on bananas baked with chocolate over the fire.
In the spirit of Anne of Green Gables, buy yourself a great straw hat and wear it to a garden party.
It is Father’s Day on June 19th, now is the time to prepare a little treat for him.
some gift ideas - a beautiful backgammon set, portable record player, a deck of cool cards, sunglasses
Notoriously hard to buy for, men sometimes like to be surprised buy planning a day out or an overnight somewhere sporty.
Celebrate the Summer solstice on June 21st by getting up early to go for a dawn walk and watch the sun rise.
Collect elderflower to make cordial - collect the white flowering heads from an elderflower tree, leaving plenty for the bees too. Shake them to remove any bugs and place in a large bowl. Make a sugar syrup with 2 1/2 cups of water to 4 cups of sugar by heating them together until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the elderflower heads and add 1 lemon sliced. Leave this to steep overnight before straining the mixture and storing the liquid in glass bottles in the fridge. Dilute with water or sparkling water and serve with lemon slices.
Another excuse to have a party is Midsummer! We are wildly delighted by flower crowns of Scandinavian fame (braid wild daisies together) and the excuse to make fairy cakes to be eaten while reviewing your dreams for the year. Check in with where you are at and where you hope to go. Make a plan for the coming months. Share your dream together to make them more worthwhile and valid. Drink tea, of course.
Source tickets for an open air theatre near you (perhaps the Chapterhouse Theatre company) and plan a sumptuous picnic with bottles of pink lemonade to drink.
Plan some surfing lessons if you have never tried - there are wonderful surf spots in Ireland and it is such a soulful thing to do. Read more in my article on Surfing in Donegal here. Or if you want to stay closer to home, pitch a tent in the garden so that you can have the best of both worlds, enjoying the creature comforts of home and living in the outdoors.