The Six Nations rugby season got itself underway yesterday. I don’t feel much enthusiasm this time, but I tried. I watched most of the match between Wales and England, and got quite a bit of knitting done – the gansey pattern is easy enough to accommodate rugby, at least when Scotland isn’t involved. There remains about 3.5” of the back to do.

Unfortunately the part of the match I didn’t watch, having drifted away to do something else, was the good bit. Wales came from way behind, and won.

Scotland play France today, here in Edinburgh. That’s often a good match, and the weather doesn’t seem likely to tempt us out for a walk.

I feel I have been churlish in not acknowledging, so far, Helen's and Kathy's nomination of this blog for the YMMD award. I was very touched.

I was interested in Helen’s list, too. (She’s brilliant at finding gems on the internet.) I know I ought to re-arrange my own list: I find I’m not bothering to look at a lot of the posts which I have asked igoogle to look out for and remind me of.

Leaving Helen and Kathy out of it, the ones I never miss are – will the list reach to ten? – Franklin, Queer Joe, Annie Modesitt, my sister and her family, Knitterguy, the Curmudgeon, Rabbitch of course, Lorna, Mel , and Sean. Ten it is -- 12, of course, really, because Helen and Kathy belong there.

Kathy, I love Nick’s hat. My plan for myself had been to gansey-knit single-mindedly until Tuesday, and then allow myself a couple of days frivolity per week – a scarf from Knitting New Scarves, a watchcap, maybe finish up those KF socks for Alexander’s birthday at the end of the month. (He was born in a leap year and has never been entirely forgiven, as I’ve probably said too often before, for not holding out until the 29th. He should be 12 this year, instead of whatever boring age it is he will have attained.)

But what if the nomination continues to be poised on a knife-edge?

On reflection – a million US pundits must already have said this – I don’t see how Obama could accept the VP nomination from Hillary, quite apart from the considerable Problem of Bill. It would be selling out to the Old Washington against which he has aimed his whole campaign. On the other hand, he’s young enough to think of ’12 or ’16 and maybe wouldn’t want to alienate the party high-heid-yins by being seen not to be a team player. Tough one to call. Let’s continue to hope he doesn’t have to.

I liked the clip of him which comes with this article igoogle found for me – Obama in reflective rather than oratorical mode.