Big joy

The radio weatherman this morning promised us a perfect day, and he was right - sunshine, warm but not too hot, and for once not even the threat of rain.

The morning was taken up for some of us watching the Wimbledon men's final on a live internet link - great match, who did you want to win? Then in the afternoon we made good use of the pool before heading over to the beautiful garden across the road for an ice-cream party with all our nearest neighbours. The kids had fun catching frogs in a small pond - the same frogs, we realised, that often keep us awake at nights with their strange plunking croaks.

The Boy was very thrilled today when his Grandpa presented him with a rather lovely old model railway engine, 'Big Boy'. He keeps opening the box just to look at it because, as he says with sighs of happiness, 'I love to admire it!'