Annalia S.'s photos with the keyword: summer

My brother's next door neighbor is an elderly gentleman somewhere around 97 or 98 years old. He grew up on a farm and as far back as I can remember (my brother now lives in the house that used to be my parents') he was the go-to person in the neighborhood for anything you needed to know about planting, growing, and generally caring for a vegetable garden. Since his wife died, a few years back, he also takes care of the flowers in the front yard, with equally spectacular results. Please meet his beautiful pink hollyhocks, thriving in the summer sun. Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!

summery colors in Florence's Piazza del Duomo. Happy Fence Friday and a colorful weekend you all!

River plants live on the very edge of two worlds, their lives precariously balanced on a tight rope. A few centimetres farther and the water would drown them, a bit more rain and the river would gnaw at their roots and carry them away on the current, half a step more inland and the rocky banks would no longer provide enough moisture. As summer comes to an end, their beauty is poised on the brink. Soon the rains will come, swelling the river and moving that line of transition between land and the watery world. Their short lived paradise and their miraculous little lives will end with the season and many months will go by before their children - if they were lucky enough to take root on the right spot, that magical place of transition - will bring it back.

The street musicians are back and these guys, with their jazzy rock, are among my favourites. Have a jazzy week ahead, everybody!

With blinds strictly closed against the heat, sometimes the only sign of habitation is the laundry out on the line :))

By the fence of the Isolotto children's playground. No children around at this hour (too frigging hot!), but someone found a pole to secure their brightly coloured bike. Happy Colorful Fence Friday, everyone and an equally bright coloured weekend!

On the banks of the Arno River. I find interfaces very interesting. Here the vegetation on the very edge of the river banks finds sufficient moisture to thrive even in the summer heat. A few paces away from the water everything dries out (and Park Services mows it down). For Maurice: no swans visiting this stretch of the river yet this year, but there's a small group that shows up almost every year. For Andy and Maurice: wishing you both a moment of simple serenity as you work at recovery or wait to learn news about the way forward.

After years of field observations, my husband may be about to publish a paper on a new disease he has discovered, which he calls floritis. A seasonal ailment, floritis appears to strike each year between March and June, but may have different seasonal patterns depending on latitude and climate. Photographers seem to have a strong predisposition for floritis and should be considered a high risk population. The primary signs and symptoms of the disease, which manifest more keenly during walks, include a tendency to oh! and ah! every few minutes, whipping out pocket cameras or smartphones every few meters, getting into odd, contorted positions, primarily kneeling low on the ground but occasionally also climbing up steep embankments, squeezing into tight spots, invading the privacy of people’s gardens, and otherwise greatly impeding the progress and disrupting the overall enjoyment of conjugal walks. Other manifestations include spending considerable amounts of time in the garden - to the detriment of other domestic chores, such as fixing delicious meals for hungry spouses - but with nothing to show for it in terms of actual improvements in the upkeep of the garden or any other conceivable gardening activities. The disease needs further study with a larger cohort of subjects and double blind control groups, but, in the meantime, my husband considers it of vital importance that a photography community, such as Ipernity, should be on the look out for this menace to the wellbeing of photographers and (especially) their families. While in most cases the disease appears to resolve spontaneously as soon as the summer heat turns vegetation a dusty brown, there are documented cases of floritis affecting certain photographers all through the summer months and some highly predisposed individuals appear to never get over it altogether. In the PIPs some typical outcomes of the above described contorted positions are shown, to further help enlighten the community regarding this pernicious disorder.

The botanical garden was not open on Friday when I had a free hour I would have loved to spend there. It's open only twice a week these days ... :( But, then, some visitors don't have to worry about opening times and getting a ticket :))) (No, I didn't jump the fence ... Shot this between the fence bars)

Are you thinking of fixing a colorful and tasty fruit salad with real fruit that has not seen the inside of a refrigerator? Fancy a very Florentine "panino col lampredotto" for lunch? Need a summer hat? Want a bouquet of flowers for a loved one's birthday or a new potted plant for your balcony? Hungry for some pecorino cheese? Well, Sant'Ambrogio's open air market is where you want to be! After the Central Market got gentrified and "touristified", Sant'Ambrogio's is one of the very few real open air markets left and the only one near the center of town. Small but kaleidoscopically diverse (see PIPs), it's a feast for the eyes.

If we could send you flowers, Andy, this is what your room would look like. There would hardly be room for the medical equipment, the nurses and doctors would have to navigate a narrow path among the bouquets to get to you, the cleaning crew would throw a conniption fit and the other patients would emerge from unconsciousness to stare in bewilderment at the riot of colors. Well, we can't, of course, so you'll just have to imagine it. When frustration threatens to get you down, close your eyes for a moment and imagine something like this: florist after florist bringing in flowery get well wishes - "These are for Mr. Rodker, should I leave them with you, Nurse?" And the nurses getting less and less professional, until they burst out:"This is an ICU, for God's sake!" I hope something brings you a smile today, Andy. The road is undeniably long and tough and smiles will help.

A view of the hills above Sesto Fiorentino as the sky threatens to bring a downpour (which never materialized). The sunlit building is the convent and church of Santa Lucia alla Castellina. On the more distant hill a cluster of communication relay antennas.

The stuccoed façade of Palazzo dell'Antella in Santa Croce square. In the PIP, the square and church from a different angle. Normally, this time of year it would be crowded with tourists despite the scorching heat, but, as you can see, this year we have much fewer visitors, who get to enjoy the city without having to deal with the crowds. Much easier to keep social distances too :)

a glimpse of the sunlit buildings across the Arno river, taken from the pleasant shade under the trees of the riverside garden in Piazza Poggi (where I also enjoyed a tasty panino from the Easy Living Kiosk). The tower of the Palazzo della Signoria looks closer than it is in reality from this perspective. On the right hand side, part of the brownstone building of the Biblioteca Nazionale.

This week I found several interesting fences I wanted to share with you, so I am using up my full allotment of 3 HFFs per week :))) The old gazebo in the garden of Piazza Demidoff seems to be in such serious disrepair to require fencing off and danger signs. I liked the colors and the light on the terrace garden in the background. HFF!!!

wild carrots and wild garlic swaying in the summer fields. In the PIPS a wider view of the fields and close ups of the wild flowers and garlic seed heads.

On a bike ride on the hills just outside Florence, I found this uncharacteristically wide open gate and just had to investigate. A handwritten sign on the wall just outside the gate said: Doorbell out of order, go ring the bell at the end of the "viottola" (Tuscan for lane/path). That fully explains the open gate: it would be quite a trek to go open the front door otherwise :D

Way too hot to go fence hunting this week, so these are from last summer. In the main image: Cucumber flowers in the vegetable garden with fence repurposed as a trellis. In the pip: Japanese lanterns, cultivated as ornamentals for their bright red fruit HFF to those sweltering in the heat and those who are in the midst of winter on the other side of the world!