Gorgeous weather and eight 14 year-olds!

I decided to try out a style of quilting I saw at the Festival of Quilts, on the sewing machine. Normally my machine quilting is disasterous but I thought if I raised the mobile table surface so I could stand, and with the ironing board behind as extra surface, perhaps I could manage the bulk of the quilt. The result is middling, quite a few boggles which have had to be undone, and lines of stitching ripped, but still, better than I hoped, and a darn sight faster than hand-quilting, much as I enjoy it. Not finished yet, but I'm pinning the binding.

B and her friends have had a very noisy day. The weather is just glorious so they have only come inside to eat or drink! I could have set the food outside for them, but was afraid the dogs would get there first! First of all they went down to the wood to climb trees, through the garden, under the fence, over the wall, across the field and along by the stream...

Then after twenty hot-dogs and some DIY cheese sandwiches they headed off up the mountain, carrying a jumbo pack of maltesers and all the cup-cakes from the kitchen tin! Nearly two hours later they returned to lie around on the grass...

...play twister briefly,

...then back out to the woods (can you see the trees shaking?) and the fairy fort (left edge of photo) at the end of the garden. I can hear them from the kitchen but I guess they won't return now until they are hungry again! I think that's what being children is all about, trees, sunshine, friends, eating, and running loose around the countryside. Its the same childhood we had, and these guys are so lucky to live here where it is safe to do the same.

I was outside earlier looking at my weedy flowers and trying to find where the buzzing was coming from. Well if anyone is looking for hover flies, bees, wasps, and bugs of any and every description, I think they are all in this patch here! I can't get good magnification for photos but I was ages out in the sunshine watching and listening. Don't buzzy bugs epitomise summer?

Its cooling down outside now, but after the sun today our hot water will be scalding hot! Oh the joy of solar panels! I'd better start the oven for the pizzas I reckon, because as soon as the sun dips behind the hills they ravening hordes will be in like locusts devouring everything in sight! Its been such an easy day though, no refereeing necessary since they've had half of Leitrim in which to roam!
Pizza and tomorrow's hymns and the binding on the quilt...