I hadn't quite finished with July but here I am, blundering into August at break-neck speed. Life has been predictably and pleasantly boring. My brain is on a mini summer hibernation. James and Alistair have one week of holiday left, the relief of them being occupied with learning just around the corner. When they used to be smaller, we would book them into week-long holiday camps but most local camps cater for younger children only. There is one outdoor adventure camp for older children but a £42 a day a child, not cheap (but probably barely covers the costs of running it). To be honest, some days I would probably pay double just to get them out of my hair for a while. Maybe treble. I know exactly how the person felt that sprayed the rude graffiti on a wall along the river. Seven weeks of school holidays

Eating courgettes. Lots of courgettes. Courgette fritters and frittata, spaghetti with courgette-pesto sauce, vegetable curry with courgette, quick pickled courgettes, courgette lasagna, vegetable stir fry with (yes, you guess right) courgettes. You name it, I've eaten it. There is more to come. I don't mind, such a versatile fruit. 

Taking the plunge and buying a new sewing machine. It is an investment machine, one that should last me until such a time when I can no longer use it. Let hope that this is in the very distant future.

Of course, testing my new sewing machine. It doesn't eat fabric and it cuts thread efficiently. I no longer need to pull out a tail of thread to start the next piece of sewing, holding it tight so the fabric doesn't get sucked in. A true thread saver that, particularly when piecing a quilt. I am also swearing less.

Piecing Annie's leaving home quilt. I am a bit in a rush, her moving date is September 4th. I don't like sewing under pressure but I spent too long procrastinating and now I am in a rush. The pattern is fiendish, although it does look rather simple. 

Replacing the neckband of my white t-shirt with one that is not stained by sun block lotion. I make that mistake every year, wearing a white t-shirt on sun cream. 

Celebrating Annie's new driving licence. She has been busy getting practice without an experienced co-pilot ever since and has clocked up plenty of miles. 

Commiserating with Sam and his intern colleagues. They are all self-isolating at home, after spending some care- and no doubt mask-free time together. Sam has to delay his second jag because he can't travel to Scotland for his appointment. 

Loving the first bunch of sun flowers this late summer.

Selecting hardy perennials to fill a few holes in the garden and to address the lack of July flowers. It is a good time to buy perennials. As they come to the end of their flowering period, the plants are available at a reduced price. 

Wondering if I get to pick a few of the hazelnuts growing along the river. The squirrels beat me to it every year but maybe I am lucky this year.

Reading "Love after Love" by Ingrid Persaud. 

Listening to "Song of the Dead" by Douglas Lindsay. I am also listening to my own voice. It is the time of year to update lecture materials. 

Thinking of all the blog posts I could write about garments that I made this summer. What holds me back is the modelling and taking decent photographs. I always feel a bit self conscious twirling around the garden with the camera mounted on the tripod. 

Meeting a friend for coffee. We haven't seen each other since March last year, so lovely to finally catch-up on each other's news. 

What is happening in your lives? Do tell 🙂. Thanks for visiting.