The miracle didn't happen. Scotland were leading by three points at half-time, astonishing enough, but England took over in the second half. We haven't won in Twickenham (where the match is played in odd-numbered years) for 30 years. They showed the Cup, on a table.

I am indeed just as glad, Jean, not to have those scarves on my immediate to-do list. It means there a much better chance that I'll get that dog knit soon.

I wound the yarn for the next pair of Pakokku socks – we have a dr's appt this week; I'll need a sock to take along and of course for the flight in a fortnight's time. That was a good rugby-match activity. Casting on and knitting those first tricky rounds was a good deal more difficult and involved a substantial false start. I blame the Calcutta Cup rather than senility for that one.

But I got it in the end, and have done about an inch. So I can safely put that away and get back to the Sous Sous today. Alas, I can't find the ball band and don't know what these socks are called. I suspect it will turn up.

There was a brief passage about the Edinburgh Wool Fest on the Scottish news last night. There's glory for you.

Non-knit

I had a good time yesterday, and my husband was fine without me. We started off by going to the restaurant at the Botanic Gardens – it's awfully nice, food-wise and ambience-wise – where C. had breakfast and I, another coffee, and we made Athens-orientated lists. My own is very small. I've got to buy tights, and remember to take my out-of-date passport with the vital stamp “Given leave to enter the United Kingdom for an indefinite period”. What would they do with me if I tried to come back without it? C. is going to get Greek Euro's for us both.

The list for my husband is a good deal longer.

Rachel phoned in the evening, to sigh about the match result. We agreed that it would be a good idea if she came up after work the night before my husband's departure for London, and drove down with them. Alexander apparently has pooh-pooh'd the idea, but I think it could help a lot. Those journeys are the aspect of things that worry me most. On the way back, they'll have Ketki. The Little Boys are staying on in London on their own, apparently.

Rachel and her husband Ed are going to see Hellie and Matt today. They can talk about pocket squares.

After the list-making session I bought another cactus and some proper terracotta flower pots in the excellent Botanic Gardens shop and then we went for a gentle walk, maybe three miles or so altogether, up and down the sea front in Portobello, invigorating and just tiring enough.