Flying!

Tess and her school friend flapping enormous leaves (I think they were from a gigantic rhododendron bush - literally rhododendron giganteum) and running at full pelt down a slope.
I expect they nearly took off... They must have.

Seconds earlier the leaf wings were bunny ears and just before that they were large fans. (It was blooming warm today).

I think my best photo of the day is of the 2 of them sitting on a bench being bunnies but as I haven't asked permission to use Tess's friend in my journal I think it would be unfair to have a clear picture of her face.

We had a lovely day borrowing someone else's child, and making the most of a) the fabulous weather b) Tess's last 3 days of summer holidays (read it and weep other kids who have already gone back to school and c) Richard actually not working (WHOOP!). I organised an early Sainsbury's delivery which worked out perfectly because it meant Richard had to take delivery (genius). The we went to the lovely gardens at Marwood again and watched two 8-year-old girls being two 8-year-old girls. They were so much fun and really got on well. You don't need much.

They scoffed beans on toast for lunch, charmed the staff, and were really brave about the wasps in the café.

At one point in the afternoon, Tess surprised me by suddenly popping out from the middle of a tree she'd been climbing and hanging from a really high overhanging branch with only a rather high drop onto the lawn below her. I had to grab her legs and get her to drop onto me (onto my face... Yeah, thanks for that, Tess)

Then Joel texted to say he'd finished college early and we had to get home to let him in.
After blueberry muffins and some time out of the sun for the girls we took Tess and her friend to the beach and met up with some other people there.

By the quite remarkable passing of time we found it to be after 6pm and we realised we had to get home, and shower and feed and return the borrowed child.

So we did.
Although it took us another 2 hours.