Lilacs in July

_{Garden Season}

I’m certain that I’m not the only Western Canadian resident who’s been questioning the seasons of spring and summer in 2022, as we seem to have not seen either of them and its already July.

Just a month ago my husband and I took a long-overdue dream trip to France and Spain, where we left a blustery Canada and entered into a European springtime full of greenery and bright summer florals. We returned home with expectations of feelings of guilt for our lack of garden and landscaping chores, only to be relieved that it wasn’t actually springtime yet here (in mid-June!?).

Now I sit in my greenhouse with its little electric fireplace roaring on this chilly July morning and I’m watching the thermometer struggle to see 12 degrees celsius. My pretty outdoor terrace is overshadowed by a very old lilac tree that has bright violet flower blossoms dangling down over my little vintage Italian metal café set, some of the blooms not even open yet. It’s a cloudy, cold day with a temperature of 11 degrees outside, keeping the flower gardens in bright, long season but not allowing for fruits and berries to grow and ripen.

Is this springtime? Perhaps this is our summertime? Will October be the new August? Not according to The Old Farmers Almanac, but I am still hopeful that some kind of summertime will come sooner than later.

Here in Alberta, we have had challenges with dry heat and wild fires for years now, but this 2022 season we have seen almost as much rain as we did in 2013 when Alberta saw devastating floods; reminders that nature always wins.

_{Skincare Season}

Our skin generally loves humidity. If you’re like me and your skin tends to mix between oily and dry, humidity brings a beautiful dew to the face, and excessive skincare products are simply not necessary. I’ve been using my Isola Lumiére du Soir: Evening Glow Facial Oil in the daytime because its full of minerals and nutrients for the skin that the humid weather is allowing to be absorbed well throughout the day. If it were hot and dry out, I would, of course move to the Isola Lumiére du Jour: Daytime Facial Oil, as it will sit with slightly more viscosity into the skin, preventing ‘drying out’ at any point of the day.

Although its been chilly and I haven’t been wearing shorts very much, I can never get enough of the Isola Betty’s Legs: Coffee & Thyme toning body oil, especially in the spring and summertime months. I love growing the thyme in my gardens here and infusing it into its smooth oil, along with organic peaberry coffee: both herbs stimulating and refreshing to the skin and muscles.

_{Body Season}

What are tonics?
A tonic is an herbal and/or natural and medicinal experience that gives you a refreshment of vitality and a feeling of well-being. In the springtime, we transition from the cold, winter season of the kidney, to the woodsy, windy season of the liver. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these seasons and their related elements and organs can help us to determine how to best balance our bodies for optimal health, and the springtime season, the season of the liver, is the season for tonics.

The season’s are lightly based on our Gregorian calendar months, but more accurately based on the cycles of the moon and the weather, so although it is now summertime: the season of the heart, we can still benefit from balancing springtime tonics.

This year, especially since walking everywhere in France and Spain on our vacation, my husband and I are maintaining our enjoyment of walking rain or shine, and our little dog Chloé sure does appreciate the lack of snow on her long walks!

As summertime is the season of the heart, it is an ideal season to spend time meditating, doing some yoga and stretching, and spend time with loved ones and things loved: in the garden, at the beach, enjoying your favourite foods… we must work to reconnect and revitalize the body and minds connection to the heart during these summer months.

_{Summer Season}

As most of you know, I am a ballet dancer. The ballet training season for non-professional dancers like myself ends in June, and begins again in September. The summer months sometimes have classes, but usually ballet dancers have applied to take part in summer intensive trainings, as on a summer break they are often available to train for a week or two straight, all day and evening. As an adult dancer, there are usually not options for ballet intensives unless you are a professional, however this summer I am training to take part in an adult ballet intensive in California! These courses are named accurately as ‘intensive’, as this week-long course will be exactly that, with 6-7 hours a day of dance training with some of the best dance instructors in the USA!

I am grateful to be able to take part in this, and working hard on my strength so as to ensure that I don’t endure an injury before or during the intensive week.

You don’t have to be a ballet dancer to take advantage of the summer season and its benefits on the heart, mind and body! One thing that I love to do as part of my ‘training’ is to challenge myself to go for an hour-long walk… every day. If you’re in Europe, this is no big deal, but here in Alberta out in the prairies we essentially need to drive everywhere to do anything. However, the fields are beautiful, full of foxes, coyotes, gophers, birds and butterflies, and an hour goes by quickly. You may even find that the toning effects that walking has on the legs and body are perfect for a season where shorts and spaghetti-strapped tops are part of the wardrobe!

_Finalé

It’s been a long time since I’ve sent out an Isola VIP newsletter. I’m excited to share some of the changes that are helping Isola to grow and bloom with the season, starting with our online exclusivity. With the exception of some wonderful summer markets, Isola products are now sold exclusively online through www.lsolaHerbals.com! This means that you will always be able to take advantage of new products and discounts, and have the convenience of our products being delivered straight to your door. The retail partners that we have had in the past have been so much fun for us to work with, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to have been in local stores, but now is the right time for us to make a shift and we cannot wait to share more with you…