I’m ready for our walk, and we’ve got a decent day for it. The forecast is for storm, tomorrow and Monday – Catullus’ caeli furor equinoctialis. If it happens, I may allow myself a look at the Edinburgh Airport website on Monday, to see if the planes to Sumburgh are taking off. Even if they aren’t, it’s a long time from Monday to Friday.

Helen emailed yesterday: “ FOOD: Don't even think about it, as you Americans would say. 

I will take care of Friday and Saturday and Rachel will do Sunday and Monday. Done. End of subject.”

“Period. End item”, my father used to say – as a newspaperman, he would sometimes have to dictate stuff over the phone in those primitive days. Punto e basta, in Italian. It is sweet of her – I am greatly blessed in my children. I had planned not to think about food anyway – there is a pleasant delicatessen around the corner which offers a hot, Helen-y casserole every day (although perhaps not on Sundays). “Helen-y” meaning strong on vegetables and low or not-at-all for red meat.

Anonymous, thank you for your comment about the Textile Museum at Bod of Gemista – oh! the wonderfulness of simply typing the phrase. We’ll certainly go there. Kate Davies has provided a contact – I haven’t emailed her yet, but will today.  I wonder if I could learn to use a knitting belt, at my advanced age?

The Milano yarn arrived yesterday, as hoped. I’m glad I gave in to that one – it’s muted and beautiful. I haven’t even touched it yet: all reports say it’s wonderful to the hand. I was anxious for a moment about the list of colours in the pattern – would I be able to distinguish “lagoon” from “aqua”? “dijon” from “curry”? But it turns out the colour names are hand-written on the labels of the skeins.

I think I should  have a moment next week to wind the first skein – “earth” – and cast on. The BSJ currently lacks about 12 rows (and the stitch count is right on target, I am happy to report – increasing four stitches every other row). It will then need finishing, seaming, edging, and of course buttons. And when I get back from Shetland it will be time to think, at least, about casting on the Kate Davies blankie. The Primrose Path to Multiple WIP’s is paved with the illusion that one has lots of life left for finishing everything,

A propos of yesterday’s discussion about colour knitting in the round – Kate D. does it for that Rams-and-Ewes pattern, and then cuts the steek. Which means that the resulting square or rectangle will be very slightly skewed.

Non-knit

I am a bit worried about whether Lizzie will experience baseball, the best game of them all. And amused to think of Kansas students doing a year in Birmingham – Lizzie is doing her best to promote that idea – and being taken to Edgbaston. [The University is located in the part of the city called "Edgbaston", but in the wider world, the word refers to the cricket ground.]  It is one on the very short list of English Test Match cricket grounds. It is within easy walking distance of the University. They would see world-class cricket there. But – talk about culture shock!