Look at that! The last time I took a picture of my avocado tree, on April 30, it was in its usual state of quiescence. Today, when I went to water it, I found it full of new leaves:

Helen came around today for an early walk. She is full of enthusiasm for her garden, having previously lived in a flat and before that in Greece. I warned her that May doesn’t last.

She is worried, and no surprise, about what the world holds for her sons. Both Archie and Mungo are about to graduate. There are no jobs, because everybody is on the brink of bankruptcy. The National Trust, among many, many others, is in a very bad way. They own Fair Isle, I think. The ramifications are everywhere.

I spent much of the morning recovering from my walk (and knitting). I had sufficiently done so by lunch time to make myself a tasty and healthful Mindful Chef meal. But the to-do list (including the Guelphs and the Ghibellines) is virtually untouched.

I’m nearly finished with the fourth of five gradient stripes on my EPS sweater. I think I might as well wait until the fifth is done and the main colour resumed before I take a picture. It’s looking well. I’ll put the same stripe sequence just above the ribbing at the wrist, with narrower stripes. These initial ones are about 1" each -- 7 rounds. What about the yoke?

It seems to take me rather a long time to get around, but the size continues to look plausible and the gauge seems to be the same as the one I based my calculations on, 6.5 stitches to the inch. And the number of stitches seems in tune with Meg’s number bearing in mind that her gauge is 4 stitches to the inch.

Meanwhile I am much enjoying re-reading that issue of Knitter’s. It was published shortly after EZ’s death, and contains an interesting conversation about her between Alexis Xenakis, Nancy Thomas, Elaine Rowley, Kaffe and Meg. The issue also contains the pattern for Candace Strick’s “Mitred Mozart” --  a delicious pattern.

Non-knit

I am glad to be able to tell you that Mrs Sakoolas continues to bubble on in the news. She is the woman who killed a young motorcyclist while she was driving on the wrong side of the road, and then nipped back to the US claiming diplomatic immunity. Britain has formally applied for her extradition. Pompeo swept the request aside without bothering the courts. Now the US wants us to extradite a couple of baddies to them and people have begun to murmur. Meanwhile Interpol has put a red notice on her which means, I think, that she could be arrested if she leaves the US.

Do you ever hear anything of this in the US?