When I got to the hospital yesterday I found that my husband had been moved along the corridor to a slightly smaller room, still four-bedded, for men who no longer needed to be immediately opposite the nurses' desk. And guess who was in the opposite bed? – Colin, the sumo wrestler.

My husband was exhausted and furious. He said he had had no sleep at all and refused point blank to stay where he was another night. Colin was to blame, but I never did hear the details. When I left in the early afternoon, it seemed as if the problem was in hand, although no solution had been found. When I phoned at the end of the afternoon, another shift had taken over and the charge nurse seemed unaware of my husband's incandescent fury.

He is getting better. The course of antibiotics is nearly finished, the catheter is again out. And I suppose with no clothes and no money he can't very well discharge himself before the weekend when his release is expected. But I dreaded today's visit – and our niece C., my companion on a couple of notable recent adventures (Greece, the wedding), has heroically stepped up to the plate (as they say).

She will visit today. I will phone the ward soon to ask them to tell him that I'm not coming, that I don't feel very well, that C. will be there. And so I've got a whole day of my own. Maybe I'll go to the Botanic Gardens and look at their cactusses.

Skeindalous, I like that Greystone hat pattern of Melissa Leapman's that you referred me to yesterday. I've been browsing hats, and nothing else has had similar appeal. So I bought and printed it just now, and ordered three balls of Zealana Rimu DK from Hulucraft to knit it with. I wanted to do something special to mark My Day.

(And, hey! It won't count as a WIP until I cast it on.)

I've ordered Rata Red. I seem vaguely to remember that the leaf or (more likely) flower of the rata tree appears somewhere in Margaret Stove's lace.

The pattern is written for a worsted yarn. Adjustments may or may not be necessary for DK. But they shouldn't be beyond the wit of man.

As for actual knitting, I've got another four rows to do to finish off the first Dunfallandy triangle. They are slow, tough rows in which a horizontal cable appears. But I should get them done today and start the next one.

First, I must deal with the kitchen.