I hope that you are having a great summer, swimming, diving underwater and exploring the beach, riding your bike or walking in the woods with your family.

Hello Summer, how are you today?
I’m so glad that you have come my way
Hello Summer, say, you’re looking fine
We’ll go swimming everyday in the sunshine.

We’ll go chasing dragonflies down by the stream
Or watch the clouds, dancing as we dream
No more school, we’ll stay up at night
Telling scary stories by the firelight!

By Charlotte Diamond, from “Hello Winter”
recorded on Diamonds and Dragons

William Waters Nana’s Flowers!

The flowers in my garden are very beautiful this summer although it has been so hot and dry around Vancouver. We need to water the garden often to keep everything healthy and growing.  My grandson, William, who calls me his Nana, has been helping water the flowers.  “Each of us is a flower, growing in life’s garden.  Each of us is a flower; we need the sun and rain”. The rain is so important – it helps to put out any forest fires, keeps the streams and rivers filled with water for the fish and frogs, and it makes sure that we have drinking water to help us grow.

The birds love to come into the backyard to drink water from the puddles.  This July, we had a baby crow living in our garden. It had fallen from the nest in a tall cedar tree before it had learned to fly.  Its parents would not let anyone come near and would chase us away, tapping us with their big black wings.  They fed the baby crow insects and tried to help it learn to fly.  Her parents were very protective and both the mother and father would “Caw” whenever we were in the back yard.  After two weeks of watching, the baby was able to fly away and our yard become quiet again!  Crows are just like us, they have families and they like to be together in groups.  Once I watched families of crows skydiving off cliffs near the ocean, catching the winds under their wings and playing together.  They would tumble and chase each other like children. I am working on a new song, “Families of Crows”.  Perhaps you could draw a picture of the crows flying and playing together.

Families of crows are spiraling, tumbling,
Dancing at play on the warm winds of spring.
Skydiving hills that fall to the ocean
Catching the wind under their wings.

 Families of crows, flying so close,
Wings almost touch, dancing in flight,
They drift apart to climb even higher
Black feathers flash, reflecting the light.

By Charlotte Diamond

I enjoy writing songs in the summer.  It is the best time for dreaming and imagining!

Visit my Hug Bug Club on my website often. The Spring Newsletter has lots of ideas for cleaning your room and chasing the Clutter Bugs away!  There are also Hug Bug newsletters in French and Spanish (en français y en español).

P.S. Write to me often! I love to receive your pictures and letters!

To join the Hug Bug Club,
please send your name and address
to our NEW mailing address:

Charlotte Diamond
The Hug Bug Club
5005 Vista View Crescent
Nanaimo, BC V9V 1L6
CANADA

or email fanmail@charlottediamond.com