That was Shrove Tuesday. Here's Ash Wednesday.

Archie has a school friend with him in Athens for the half-term week. They are doing a certain amount of sight-seeing. Here is a picture of Archie, looking rather embarrassed, with the Kouros of Sounion. You will remember that Professor A.R. Burn of Glasgow found an 8” piece of his – the Kouros' – hair but didn't know what he had until a classmate of mine told him. Greek Helen says that the broken bit of hair is just above the left shoulder, which sounds about right.

And here are some Greek cats on the Acropolis. They must be the greatgreat...greatgreat grandchildren of the cats I met there sixty years ago.

Podiatry went well yesterday. (=We got there, I found a place to park, we got back.) I didn't get much sock knitting done because I had to spend most of the time untangling, so I went on with it in the evening and am whizzing down the foot. A couple more sessions should finish off this pair. And, indeed, if I am to go to Athens at Easter, as is the plan, I will need a fresh pair of socks to knit.

Arne and Carlos? No – I've got plenty of good unknit socks in stash, including at least one more Pakokku skein.

Alexander and his family are coming over to Murrayfield to see Scotland v. Italy on the 28^th. Rachel seems to be afraid that the Curse of the Little Boys will strike again – they have never seen Scotland win. I am more confident. As you say, Knitlass, we are playing well. Our new coach is working wonders. I am more afraid that we will win the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham on March 14 and involve me in yet more knitting.

There should be some prescription pills to pick up at Boots (I email the dr, he sends the prescription there by post) and if so I may well go to the new Apple shop on Princes Street this morning and get a new iPad. That would be exciting. Picking-up-pills-at-Boots is about the farthest I get into the real world these days, unless you count Waitrose and hospital appts.

I find that I continue to hold two contradictory beliefs simultaneously – I think my dear iPad is gone; I don't think we have had a thief in the house.

It is worth mentioning again that the Polish cleaning woman is blameless – I had it when she was here on Tuesday, now a fortnight ago. I had it on Wednesday and Thursday and (I think) Friday morning. She has never had a key to the house. She remembers it – I showed her some wedding pictures on it, and she also remembers it lying in the place where it belongs. She had a good look the last time she was here, to no avail. She didn't come this week, being on holiday in Poland with her family.