Sunday, August 09, 2015

My husband continued to seem better when Helen and I visited yesterday, although some diarrhoea continues and he is still in hospital clothes. There has been no report back from the lab. The first samples must have been sent off on Thursday — perhaps this means, at least, that they weren’t marked urgent.

Helen and her boys are going back to Strathardle today, after another early hospital visit. We have been joined by Mungo — I haven’t seen him yet; his plane landed after my early bedtime. He has been at a Joint Association of Classical Teachers summer school in ancient Greek. He says, according to Helen this morning, that it was the first time in his life that no one did a double-take when he told them his name.

Not much to report here. In fact, no knitting at all yesterday. I have a strange belief that it is wrong to knit before 5p.m. I think I need to overcome that, because after 5p.m. I am likely to be sagging. I feel well, these days, but weak — eager to sit down, if a chair is available; unwilling to attempt to walk very far. I think this is normal after/with a pulmonary embolism episode, and the list of possible side-effects of Warfarin is pretty well endless.

The fact that Serena Williams has been here and done this, is enormously cheering.

Anyway: I pursued Wooly Thoughts with great interest, first on Ravelry and then on their own website. It was only when I went to the list of their books that I remembered that I’ve got “Wooly Thoughts”. I haven’t seen it for a long time; it’s not where it ought to be, on the knitting shelves. But that cover is familiar, and I have some memory of the contents.

As for “Knitting Nature”, my feeling is that I have never owned it, but that someone loaned it to me once. I think I thought it was too difficult. I’ve ordered it, this morning.

The remark in Loop-d-Loop which launched me in pursuit of this chimaera is as follows: “[The spiral growth pattern] is based on Fibonacci's law, a numerical series in which each new number is the sum of the prior two. When expressed geometrically, ever-larger spirals spread outward from the centre…”

I observe that “Wooly Thoughts” doesn’t figure in my Library Thing catalogue. I catalogued everything faithfully once, although I haven’t been very good at keeping the list up lately. So it must have been missing for a long time.

Non-knit


I thought of sending Perdita to Strathardle for a few days with her aunt and cousins. I’m sure she’d love it. I feel more and more guilty about keeping her away from outdoors. But my husband thinks it would be confusing for her, and Helen’s youngest son Fergus said, rather sweetly I thought, that he didn’t think she was old enough to go to Kirkmichael “by herself”.

9 comments:

  1. Get friend for Perdita? A "little sister" to play with would be the best possible toy for her.

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  2. You must be proud that one of your grandsons is following in your classical footsteps. I like to knit first thing with a cup of tea. (After reading your blog, of course.) When I get tired I can only do the simple stuff, or I find I've got problems to fix the next day.

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  3. Isabella's comment reminded me that I once had a cat who bit and I did get him a friend and it did help. The two of them never really got chummy but they didn't fight either. They did get into trouble together, howerver. My current two are brother and sister and they both get chummy and fight, sometimes in the same five minute period. Just like sibling children, I think. Anyway, a friend for Perdita might be the answer.

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  4. I believe your husband and Fergus are right about keeping Perdita at home with you. You are her constant. It seems to me that "outside" is not something she'd miss having never experienced it, but a separation from you is something she would certainly feel.

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  5. i have always believed two kittens were better than one. ... especially since i am out of the house for work five days ... and they are able to play with each other in a way that no human can - i have had several combos = not related, mother and daughter, siblings and now half sisters (different fathers same mother).

    my current pair interact when they want however as i live in a long railroad apartment they have each claimed their own territories - Isolde (appropriately) has the music room and even a 'child gate' to keep Emil out (he can not jump she can). Emil has the study including almost all the sofa (Isolde has two very comfy chairs in her room). They each have their own litter boxes in their spaces and their food is separate as well. Isolde has a bowl in the bathroom sink for her water (i refuse to put water in the music room).

    This territorial delineation has developed over time as they grew up. Now they both seem happy - Isolde chooses when she wants to visit and play and Emil (who has always been the dominant male) is content in his area.

    As kittens its even more important to have that interaction. And i have found that two is not much more work than one.

    Continued prayers for your husband's latest upset.

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  6. =Tamar10:01 PM

    Many cats are perfectly happy and safe indoors. No ticks, no fleas, no random dogs. Kittycams have shown that most cats left in apartments sleep all day anyway (though there was that one that learned to flush the toilet...). Cats can handle solitude far better than dogs.

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  7. Thank you for this. I'll tell Mungo.

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  8. Jean, Pulmonary Embolisms can be very draining. Mine was diagnosed in May 2014, I had 8 months of twice daily injections to cope with before they were happy with my results. I'm only just beginning to regain my energy and stamina and still have to inject if I'm going to be travelling for more than 4 hours. I was told it would take at least two years before I really felt like myself again. Please take care of yourself, take regular rest and gentle exercise and help others recognise that you have had a life threatening illness and will need support for a long while to come.

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