Flower Friday

At this time of year I cannot resist the beautiful blossom - it doesn't last long and a strong wind or heavy rain can easily ruin it so I take as many photos as I can when it is still looking good. It will also do for the Flower Friday challenge.

I really wanted to blip the photo of Luke and Meriel which I have added as an extra, as I love it. However I took it yesterday evening so I could not blip it today. The sun was setting and the last rays were creeping across the garden, and I used some fill in flash to lighten their faces.

Adam left to go back to Cambridge last night (but he will come back for the Easter weekend) and Meriel left to go home by train early this morning, so the house is much quieter today. Thomas is working hard at his revision. He has another set of mocks at the end of the school holidays, and then his final exams start on 13 May (a week before he actually is allowed to go off on study leave). A level exams are not usually spread out and there are fewer than there are for GCSEs, but I was looking at his exam timetable with him today and he has 19 exams to write and they are spread over five and a half weeks, he only finishes on 24th June. I am sure he will be exhausted by the end of that! For those who don't live in the UK I should explain that there are quite a few different exam boards for the A level exams and so not every student in the country writes the same set of exams.

Tonight we have a treat - it was booked months ago as a holiday treat and it could not have come at a better time after the horrible time we have had losing Murdoch. We are all going to the opera to see La Forza del Destino so that should be enjoyable.