Monday morning has never been so welcome!

I had a good day with the tax yesterday, as hoped, and am now nearly ready to file. My usual practice is to let it settle down for a few days – not too long, because I need to keep mentally focussed on it – just long enough to allow mistakes to float to the surface. Perhaps I'll print some of the spreadsheets today and clip them to the supporting documentation. The tax man wants to know only the bottom line – you don't have to Show Your Work these days. But I always try to keep it all in orderly form in case we get inspected.

Like Ros Chast's elderly parents, we have money squirrelled away hither and yon in various accounts, each yielding a derisory amount of income/interest. It all has to be added up. It will be a nightmare for Alexander when he moves into Ros Chast's shoes. (I spoke to Rachel yesterday. She has finished reading the book and was shaken. I thought, again, that James and Alexander ought to see it. And both are married to women both of whose parents are alive.)

Knitting

Sunday never produces much. I am sorry to have to tell you that the new ball of lace yarn which I have just joined in, is full of breaks. The ball I used to start the Queen Ring over Christmas had the same trouble. I have to conclude that the problem is m*ths, and am distressed. So the last couple of inches of the Unst Bridal Shawl edging are decorated with a lot of loose ends, where I thought I had wound back to sound yarn and found I was mistaken. No great harm done but it seems messy and incompetent.

I had better bag the Queen Ring edging and its ball and put them in the freezer for a while, if I can make space. I think m*ths are particularly keen on lace.

Helen read yesterday's blog and sent me this, taken, she says, in 2011 to show me that boys do wear sweaters. I have no memory of it. It shows Fergus, on the left, and Mungo, Archie's younger brothers. Neither sweater is of my knitting, and both are rather interesting. I see a great future ahead, knitting for boys.

Thank you for your help with the Calcutta Cup scarves. The match is on March 14^th – halfway to Easter. I am, at the moment, rather taken with the idea of Shadow Knitting. I think boys would find it fun. I'll have a look at the book. I think I remember that none of the patterns supplied had much appeal – but the question now is, how easy is it to construct one's own, given a basic two-colour chart?

We must bear in mind that Scotland probably won't win. There's no point in investing too much mental energy now.

The week ahead involves two hospital appts., days of maximum stress; and Archie, a welcome treat in between. I hope to drive him  to school on Wednesday. I always enjoy that. He'll have to go by taxi if the day is bright, though. I really hate driving blind into the low winter sun.