Flowers

I don't know if we picked a particularly floriferous time of year, but both on Orkney and on Shetland, the wild flowers were spectacular. Campion here...

... and a LOT of thrift, or sea pinks, together here with bird's foot trefoil.

Here combined with cow parsley or something of the sort.

I have more to say about Orkney and Shetland but not now because since we came home, we've had the children here a lot, since their parents are selling their house (they hope) and it's easier to have it looking neat without the small untidiers around. And as a result, I'm somewhat weary.

It's very difficult to get Grandson to smile naturally for the camera at the moment. He does try, by sticking on a huge cheesy grin for about one second before returning to whatever he's busy with.

It's much more successful with Granddaughter, who's at the easily amused stage.

How I love them. But they're exhausting. I can't think how I managed to look after my three, mainly by myself during the day, and then do lots of marking at night - I didn't work when they were tiny apart from teaching evening classes (which are fairly exhausting too). Possibly I was slightly younger then.

I had Zumba today, too, the first time for five weeks. Goodness, our young man teacher fairly bounces around. Again, age may have something to do with it - though I was never very supple even when young.

I'm going to have a nice soak in the bath with "John Aubrey and His Friends" by Anthony Powell. It's not the most wonderful biography I've ever read (I feel I'd enjoy it more if I knew more about John Aubrey - and I don't know that much, which is why I bought the book...) but it's nice and quiet and doesn't keep asking me "Why?"