The time of the lime blossoms

The weather in june 2024 still doesn’t match our expectations of summer. Nevertheless, it offers many things to enjoy.

I’m really not very dependent on the weather, but the fact that we’ve reached the summer solstice this week and somehow no day has felt like summer yet has elicited a sigh from me. While heatwaves are already raging elsewhere, the weather here is still far too wet and not warm enough. The constant uncertainty makes hiking in the mountains impossible. What’s more, the Rhine is constantly flooding, making the best summer activity in Basel impossible too: swimming in the Rhine.

The less obvious signs of summer

But still, it’s summer and there are other indicators than sunshine and high temperatures. The scent of the air, for example. You often perceive it too subliminally, but this week I suddenly became aware of this beguiling scent of lime blossom that is in the air, especially in the evening, and somehow surrounds everything. 

Scented memories

The whole of spring is basically a sequence of scents that I really like. In March, the first blossoms of the sloes and dogwoods along the Rhine. Then the cherry trees, the apple trees and then the elderberries. The black locust trees, whose sweet scent has delighted me since my youth, bloom at almost the same time. This then gives way to the scent of mown grass and hay, which can sometimes be smelled very early in the morning, even here in the city. The scent of cornfields that suddenly seem to have grown overnight. And then, finally, the scent of the lime trees, hundreds of which line the streets of the city and whose blossoms seem to outnumber the leaves on the trees.

Keep on exploring

Between all the rain showers, some of which are quite heavy, there are plenty of dry and sunny moments that I try to make the most of, for example by going jogging or running errands on foot. Unfortunately, this week was also so busy with work and appointments that I wasn’t able to get away for a few days. This makes the challenge of discovering new perspectives in everyday life that have remained hidden until now all the more exciting. 

Studio activities

Creative work is still being neglected these days. However, I am in the process of working on a new Alpine landscape. Apart from that, it’s website programming that keeps me busy.

Basel’s unique diversity

The highlight of the week came on Saturday. It was the birthday party of an old friend in Alsace. So I did get out of the city for a bit at least. Despite the rainy weather, it really felt good. It’s just amazing how everything changes when you travel just a few kilometers. The language, the landscape, the attitude to life. That’s what makes living here in Basel so special and is something I really wouldn’t want to miss.

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