Grannypurple, absolutely not (comment yesterday). Printed matter of all sorts, including downloaded patterns if printed out, counts as potential archival material of interest to the future historian of knitting. Not as stash. I’m not kidding.

Little to report. The third row of dots are installed.

Greek Helen phoned last night with a brisk catalogue of summer plans. She says a slow cooker is now absolutely essential to life. I’m not sure I can face carrying another one home from John Lewis. Maybe they’d deliver.

There are stirrings in the salsola soda tray in the dining room this morning. Some seeds have found their way to the surface and are trying to sprout. I will sprinkle some earth over them shortly. These seeds are notoriously reluctant to germinate, and also are said to deteriorate fairly rapidly. The Italians often sow them as soon as ripe, and nurse the little plants through the winter.

Information from Real Seeds – highly recommended, not just for salsola soda.

So maybe next year I’ll start them on the windowsill in March. What I don’t know is how hardy they are supposed to be. Real Seeds says to sow at about the time you would sow French beans, which sounds as if they are not hardy at all. On the other hand, they don't like great heat, at least when germinating. That is an easy requirement to meet, around here.

Inspiration fails, this morning. In lieu of it, I leave you with three-dimensional pics of the Drummond Place doorstep vegetables – lettuce, which we’re eating, and “mignon” carrots, which promise fairly well. The herb garden on the other side is in daily use. The thyme here is much better than its source plant in Strathardle, which has become woody and entangled with weeds. That’s mint, in the separate pot.