Tomorrow, the Calcutta Cup. Pictures promised for tomorrow.

(Not only did we win the Calcutta Cup in February -- but Scotland beat England at cricket last week.)

Alexander came to see me this morning, bringing Ketki’s swatch-scarf. So both it and his incomplete Fair Isle vest can be photographed with The Cup tomorrow. He professed himself pleased with the vest. There’s not much of that blue in the scarf, but there is some.

I’ve nearly reached the half-way point in the current (third) Fair Isle band of the vest. Thank you for all your comments. I am indeed using blue in this band – in the first and third rounds of the middle three. Its place will be taken by red in the centre round itself. The blue will be a good deal less prominent than in the preceding band, but enough, I hope, to echo it. I agree, Tamar, that one of the great things about Fair Isle is that you can make it up as you go along.

Thank you for your encouraging remarks, too, about Freecell. The one advance achieved by yesterday’s tedious update is that when I click on “Microsoft Solitaire Collection” – not just Freecell – I am thrown out into the harsh world almost at once, instead of sitting about for rather a long time looking at that screen and watching dots go around in a circle. It saves time, but I’d rather play a couple of hands of Freecell.

Not much happened today, but what there was, was good. My garage took the car away and phoned this afternoon to say that it has been awarded an MOT certificate – the fitness test it must pass before I can tax it, and that must be done before I set sail at the end of the month. It’s an old car. An MOT can’t be guaranteed.

Archie came to lunch. He has amiably agreed to come with me all the way to Oban on June 30, when my cruise begins – train to Glasgow, another train onwards. If we leave in good time, we should be able to cop a late lunch at the famous Seafood Hut, if they have room for us. It’s not worth trying to book in advance – that would just add to the stress of an already stressful day. One of the many advantages of Archie as a travelling companion is that he likes food.