Here we are, after all, the computer somewhat stronger. The awful map program I stumbled into on Maundy Thursday had left a toolbar behind – Explorer performs better now it’s gone. The alarming blue crash screens seem to be related to attempts to write to CD-ROM. I will continue to fiddle around with that, but meanwhile have laboriously backed everything important up onto floppy disks. Well, not floppy, those little square ones.

So we’re off to the country. I should be back here by next Wednesday, and should then remain long enough to finish the centre pattern of the Princess shawl. Wow! I am currently knitting row 27 – 11 to go, when that’s done. Cynthia has got me thinking about the planning necessary for the top edging. One wants to end with a complete tooth, and one wants the same number of teeth on either side. Sharon has drifted off into the warm waters of “adjust” at this point.

I think, roughly, the thing to do is to start at one corner (obviously), knit across one end of the border, and pause when one reaches the live stitches of the centre. One has to fiddle those stitches anyway, knitting two together at various points. It should be possible to add additional fiddles to make the second border-end match the first. We’ll see.

And at the very end of all, one has to graft the ends of the edging together in lace.

Sometimes I think about what I am going to do about blocking. There is not enough unencumbered floor space anywhere in this house, except for a couple of Major Traffic Areas. I just might manage by rearranging the spare room, pushing the beds together. Otherwise, it’ll have to be a floor in Perthshire. I don’t mind floor, for blocking, although this one is going to be a big job.

I advanced the ribbing of the second bedsock at my committee meeting last night, and will take it along today. Hospital appointments next week and the week after will help on that front, too.

Everything is all right with Trailfinders and my Edinburgh-Newark booking. So today’s chore, before we leave, is to chase a man who took a fair whack of money three weeks ago to replace the rubber seal on the washing machine. He said it might take a while to get the part, but I think it’s time he had a phone call. The invention of the mobile telephone has made it easier to get hold of tradesmen, although they remain no less hard to pin down.

The sun broke through the haar for an hour or so at midday yesterday. How it lifts the spirits, the sight of the sun! Accuweather says “partly sunny” for Blairgowrie for the next five days, and getting warmer. That’ll do.