Life is various

I've never understood people who get bored - well, unless they were forced to sit still doing something tedious. There are always lots of things that I want to do. I've been going through some of my father's archives and came across this - a newspaper list of his prizes in his final year, 1937-38 - at this famous Edinburgh boys' school, which he was able to attend only because he won a bursary to go to the senior school. As you see, he was dux (ie, top of his year) by being first or first equal in maths, physics, German, English Literature and Russian. And this was an academic school.

He was also very musical, playing the piano and organ well, and could make up stories and draw funny pictures. 

My brother and I grew up being told by everyone how clever he was. I've never discussed this with my brother, I don't think, but I anyway just assumed (correctly) that there was no point in comparing myself to Dad so it wasn't worth really thinking about. He was, by the way, very hard-working as well, which to my shame I never was, as a child. 

There's also a lot of war stuff, such as this notebook full of information about German bombs - he was in bomb disposal in Egypt - after one year at university. He went back to his studies when the war ended.

Here he is, the smaller chap on the right. 

And there are many photos of bridging the Rhine, which he also did. He notes that they were under heavy enemy fire all the time. 

I think possibly some of this ought to be in a museum. 

Some of us live littler lives (thank goodness). Littlest Granddaughter painted me some yellow flowers for Mother's Day yesterday. Her mother carved "Granny" in the card. Lovely.

And thus the archives grow... .

Yesterday we went for a Mother's Day walk by the river with the Edinburgh family and bought ice creams to celebrate Biggest Granddaughter's 8th birthday.

At home, I did some spring garden tidying and put grass seed down on the balder patches on the new bit of lawn. The pigeons were very appreciative. 

The amaryllises continue to flower. 

And I sewed together the extremely crazy patches I made from scraps at the end of 2019 (remember then?) and added a border. 

And then another one. It looks like it's going to be the world's ice-creamiest ever quilt. I have no idea what I'm doing, really, but it's fun. No fabric shops are open so I'm just playing around with the bits I have. 

All primary school children went back today so my home schooling duties are over for the moment. Thus the quilt.

Goodness me, there haven't been many comments recently, though according to Blogger there a quite a few silent readers. Hello. I wonder who you are.