Happy family

I haven't done any quilting at all today, I've been to my annual family gathering. Some years ago, one of my aunts died, and I went to her funeral. She was an old lady, so it wasn't a particularly sad affair (if you understand what I mean), and afterwards, it was good to catch up with members of my family who I hadn't seen in a while. Someone said, it was a shame that we'd probably have to wait for the next funeral before we saw each other again, and the idea of an annual gathering was born.

We rotate it round the houses, and this year is actually the 15th gathering of the Shacklock clan. (My mother's maiden name was Shacklock, and she was the seventh child of that family. There is only her and her next elder sister left of the oldest generation.)

Here are 32 members of the family (I made 33) in my cousin's garden in Nottinghamshire. The youngest one Alastair (not in the picture - asleep upstairs) is 7 weeks old, and the oldest one (my Dad) is 83. The two remaining sisters, my aunt and Mum (80 and 82) have white hair and are in the centre of the photo.

Happy days.