The big news is that Eeny Meeny will be on a Sunday Times bestseller list this weekend, at no. 8. I asked Hellie in my reply whether there have been any newspaper reviews – haven't heard yet. Maybe those aren't as important as they once were. It continues to sink in the Amazon rankings.

Still no courgettes. I put in two different sorts in two different pots. Not a squeak, and it's been nearly a fortnight. Everything else is well, especially the Salad Leaves (Mild). I thinned them a bit yesterday, feeling rather sad, as always, at having to rip out little plants that had taken all the trouble to grow.

Today I hope to get down to B&Q and buy some earthenware pots for potting-on the little chilli plants Alexander gave me, and some potting compost to put in them. I have come to think that everybody is much happier in earthenware. My husband profoundly disapproves of potting compost, but when one has no other access to soil, what is one to do? Plants like it.

Knitting

I've started round 102 of the borders of the Unst Bridal Shawl, another plain garter stitch round. 101 involved the trellises only, moving left and right – so easy a round that it was also easy to lose one's place. And what is not easy, is tinking a k3tog. That is what the trellises are composed of. I will count carefully in this round and may be able to make some adjustments.

Then in 103 the final motif will be established and all will be well – it's an upside-down Tree of Life. Upside-down so that it will read as right-side-up when the finished shawl is viewed from the outside-in. If you see what I mean.

You have left such nice comments lately that I will let you in on something – to do with football. You will remember that on Easter Sunday, way back then, Liverpool were well placed to win the League. And they won that day, which made it better. And Matt said that if Liverpool won the League, he might propose to Hellie.

That doesn't mean that Hellie would have been obliged to accept him, of course. She'd better get married to somebody at some point, however, now that I have invested six, at least, of my dwindling stock of remaining months of life, in knitting this shawl.

Cam, that's an inspiring idea – to take the Carol Sunday scarf along to Strathardle this weekend. I may just do it. Poor Pakokku socks! They haven't been forgotten, either. You would think with all this doctor-going lately that they would have been finished long since. What happened was that, waiting for one appointment, I messed up the k2p2 rib at the start of the second sock. I think that was the day when Alexander had come over to support me, and I was talking as well as being nervous as well as knitting.

At the next appointment, which was cardiology I think, I tried to repair it and gave up and started again.

At the moment, I am within a round or two of finishing off the 35 rounds of ribbing. After that, they should knit themselves.

Here's a mildly amusing yarn-based video for you.