Big news -- I GOT MY NEW GLASSES.

The world is now visible with startling clarity. It is all a bit disconcerting.

We have decided to stay here today -- I will see the dr this morning about my lameness, which is if anything worse, and hit Sainsbury's this afternoon. Tomorrow we'll go to Kirkmichael IN THE CAR. It has not been driven since late June. The picture above, I hope -- I haven't taken it yet -- shows the grass growing under its feet, as it stands on the cobbles outside our front door.

The other big news is an email from Heirloom Knitting to say that my order has been dispatched (the Wedding Ring pattern, and the yarn for the Princess Shawl). So maybe TODAY! When I didn't hear from them for two days after placing the order, I had begun to think that even Sharon and Mike allowed themselves a few days off in August, but no. I think we are very fortunate that Sharon's great talents are being marketed like this. It would have been impossible without the Internet.

So yesterday I did more Wallaby than usual -- now that I can actually SEE the television set, it is interesting to be in a position to look up at it from time to time -- and correspondingly less shawl edging. Even so, I'm halfway through repeat #55. The next one will be another of my little landmarks -- perhaps I will press to finish it today. When I've done 56, the repeats remaining will be numbered only in the 20's.

Non-Knit

James phoned from Kirkmichael yesterday, where they seem to be getting on fine without us. He and Alistair were planning to camp at the bothy last night. It set me reflecting on how everybody who lives in the country must build up a set of family vocabulary for places -- in our case, "the bothy", as just mentioned; "the nettle way", "the stubble field", "the commonty", "Sim's pool", "the bumpy road", and so forth, all pretty unintelligible even to neighbours. The commonty isn't common any more, the stubble field has carried no crop except sheep for decades, and the bumpy road is now tarmac'd and as smooth as a motorway. And some such words become common among neighbours, and make it to the map. One passes signposts to places named Wolfhill and Gallowhill and, in Kirkmichael, we have the Bannerfield. I think the standard was raised there once for some rebellion or other. We hold the Games there now.