The Glorious First Of June!

M&S is full of stuff celebrating 125 years, all very cute a retro. I was sorely tempted by both the recipe journal and the set of three tea towels.

But I resisted temptation - I do not NEED a journal or more teatowels, and the teatowels are too pretty to use anyway.

I suppose I could put one of the towels in a clip frame and hang it on the kitchen wall at Cornerstones...

We have a great piece of original artwork in the kitchen here - Steph did it some years ago when we had just repainted. It is just the right colours for the sunny yellow walls.

You can just make out "Our daily bread" down the centre, and the Lord's Prayer written on the left behind the dove. I love it - and it reminds me of Steph whenever I look at it. In fact, wherever I look in my home, there is something that reminds me of my daughters!

The sun continues to shine outside. Soon the air will be redolent with the smell of the neighbour's BBQs, I expect! [as opposed to the sound of their lawnmowers]

It is absolutely de rigueur for the weather to be glorious today, the anniversary of the Battle of Ushant, in 1794, which was otherwise known as "The Glorious First of June" . It was the first great naval engagement of the Great War with France (1793-1815). Participants on both sides considered it the hardest-fought battle between them in the eighteenth century, and both sides felt they attained their objectives: the British captured or sank seven French battleships, and the French saved their big grain convoy from America.

Isn't it bizarre, the random facts you remember from O level History? I seem to recall that one of our exams was on June 1st and Mr Watson, our History Teacher made a big thing about explaining the battle to us!