Summer is Here

It was both a long and a short week as we hurtled towards the summer holidays. It was so cold, miserable and like November on Tuesday night that I lit the wood-burning stove.  I completed my teaching duties for the term and was offered a temporary two day a week post at Aboyne until October. I have decided that two days in school is sufficient - no matter how nicely they plead, otherwise the quilting business does not get my full attention.  

My husband was not given approval to fly to Rome following his recent eye operation so he had to book a series of trains and keep his fingers crossed that he would arrive before Freya and Sam who would fly out on Thursday. It was quite an adventure for them to travel via Schipol unaccompanied but they managed the trip admirably for their week of sightseeing and rock concerts. 

I completed the machine embroidery on Dunes Duet and wondered whether it was really done. I could add tiny shells or crystals or I could just agree that it is meant to be subtle, therefore finished. Ann is taking responsibility for the blocking and binding so I should just have to check for yet more stray threads and spray paint the slightly scruffy reverse.

Fergus attended his Primary 7 leavers’ church service on Friday and we were surprised that when the sun came out it was actually hot! It seems to have been a long time since we felt summery and the fine weather held for us to host the leavers’ assembly BBQ on Saturday night. It was unusually balmy with just a few midges. We had a camp-fire with marshmallows, plenty of wine and sausages, toasting the possibility of a good holiday. 

Just as I posted off a parcel containing a customer quilt, another package arrived for me which contained an amazing applique wall-hanging that I had commissioned from one of the Egyptian tent-makers at Uttoxeter. 

The challenge for the coming week will be to keep two children busy while I teach a long-arming class over two days, attempt to make long overdue updates to my website and meet the teacher with whom I will share a class. I daresay we may need to do a bit of hoovering before the travellers return from Rome as I have deliberately let grass, crumbs and cat-fluff build up in their absence...