Thomas’ and Lucy’s engagement should be in the Times today.

Very miscellaneous

-- There is good news from Loch Fyne: “The ducks were very excited to meet William and they all seem to be getting on like long lost sisters, which indeed they may be. [They are all Khaki Campbells from the same source.] They are roaming freely and sticking together so far. William is noticeably smaller than the others and has a voice which wavers about like a boy whose voice is breaking. Thomas thinks she has yet to acquire a Cairndow accent.”

-- There is a mildly interesting article in the current Economist about how video game-playing can improve cognitive ability in the elderly. Unfortunately, the headline is: “Put away the knitting”. Those people down at the Economist should try the BSJ if they feel they need their cognitive ability improved.

I didn’t get much done on mine yesterday. I’ve finished the neck shaping, though, and am about to do the first row of buttonholes. Double-breasted, so there’ll be another.

-- One of those dread cards turned up in the post yesterday: “Unfortunately we can’t deliver your item because there is a fee to pay.” That’ll be the Milano yarn – I had almost forgotten about it in the general excitement. I have negotiated the post office website and stumped up the cash.

-- Kristie and Kath are now in England. If all goes according to plan, we will meet in the departure lounge of Edinburgh Airport a week tomorrow, for the mid-day flight to Sumburgh. They will have flown up from Wales. I still can’t believe it, and am proceeding from day to day in a state of near-inertia. I’m going for a walk with our niece on Saturday – that should blow away some cobwebs and reveal whether I am still fit enough to do more than 100 yards.

I don’t want Kristie and Kath to be over-burdened with the care of the elderly on this trip. I discovered the other day (in looking up the Latin for “duck”) that the language has a separate adjective, equivalent to “senile”, for old women: “anile”, roughly. [The OED allows it, with 17th and 19th century citations.] Ancient Latin is not rich in vocabulary, although ancient Greek is, like English. But it sometimes springs surprises like that, and displays an unexpected precision.

-- The Brooklyn Tweed Fall Collection is wonderful, needless to say. And beautifully photographed, and wonderfully choreographed, so that I can flip through the pages with ease even on old slow-coach here. What I secretly want in life is an unbuttoned cardigan – they’re everywhere; the one in this collection is called “Trillium”, I think. Something that hangs straight down on either side without needing to be hitched and secured across the bosom. When I try, it slides off my stooped shoulders.

Maybe Herzog will crack it for me, when her new CustomFit website goes live. She says in her latest blog entry that she’s given up the day job. This is rather exciting.

-- I flipped through the class list for a Vogue Knitting Live  yesterday.  Wow! I thought I knew everything, but there are lots of classes I’d sign up for there. Franklin – not a man for resting on laurels – has added Bavarian Traveling Stitch to his repertoire, as well as his new class on Steeks & Zippers. That’s just for starters.