The weekend

Yesterday we walked with friends, starting at Newbattle Abbey, which was originally a Cistercian monastery founded in 1140. Not much of the original building remains, however, after having been burned by English royal forces in 1385 and again in 1544. Some of the abbey still does exist within the building, which was largely rebuilt as a stately home in 1650 and was further modified in the early to mid 19th century. It's now an adult education college.

It has a slightly mossy but still quite elegant formal garden at the back,

 

and also much woodland, with carpets of snowdrops (oh, the temptation - resisted - to dig a few up)

and walks by the river. The weather was much nicer than it looks here: mild, springlike, windless, exhilarating.

Now, enough of this leisure: I've started to make a quilt for Grandson using these bits - mainly leftover fabric from Mr Life's railway quilt. This is going to involve some crazy quilting, which I've never tried before. I don't think he'll be a severe critic as long as it has vehicles and road and train signs.

And here's Vaseline's 1925 advert. All you need to protect your skin from the sun, seemingly, is a thick layer of this. You'll be fine, Australia! And you'll smell spectacular.