We moved the bookcase back into the dining room yesterday – there is only one. We are well advanced with bracing it from beneath, for levelness and security; and replacing the shelves. Neither task entirely easy, both underlining yet again how weak we have become.

Still, with a favouring wind, that job may be finished today and I may be able to start replacing the books – which will have the highly-desirable result of reducing the number of boxes piled elsewhere in the house.

Rachel phoned last night. She’s having a wonderful time in Olympic London. It does sound as if the whole thing was, after all, rather well organised.

She was making sure I knew that five young people – three of them her children – will be here in Drummond Place the night before the Games, having their annual quick look at the Festival. Two of them, Joe and Thomas, have, in their day, won the Dan Webster Cup for the Best Light Athlete. Rachel’s husband Ed won it once, too, and I had hoped to take a picture of all three of them with the cup before handing it back to the organisers on Games Day.

Joe is the current holder. Thomas wasn’t at the Games last year so the picture couldn’t be taken then.

It looks as if our only hope for that picture is for Joe to win it again.

Knitting

I am well advanced with the final ribbing. I broke one of my beloved Cubic needles last night. Never, never, ever leave knitting on the floor. When will I learn?

I mentioned that I have been buying knitting books. One of them is Arne and Carlos’ “Knitted Dolls”. I can’t imagine knitting a doll. But a year ago, would I have imagined knitting a Christmas tree ornament? I love Arne and Carlos, that’s the thing. Surely their next book will be Scandinavian sweaters. That’s the one we’re waiting for.

I’ve also got “Cast on Bind Off” which seems to have lots of good things, including some good pages on Judy’s Magic Cast-On.

Sue, I did go back to the article in Knitty the last time I was struggling. It didn’t click. What happens with me again and again is that I think I’m sailing along, wrapping the top yarn around the bottom needle and vice versa, getting up a nice rhythm – and then discover that the two needles are unattached to each other. I have cast on a hole. And I still don’t know what I do differently, when I finally get it right. This needs more work.