Monday, April 02, 2018


A grand weekend –

I’m sorry I have no pictures to show you. On Easter Sunday we had a particularly splendid day – sunshine, and windless. The impressive hills which surround Loch Fyne were marvellously mirrored in its still waters. Easter was early, spring is late – we were cold. But it was wonderful.

A jolly priest comes over from Dunoon to say Mass in Inverary. In earlier life, he was a postman, before he gave that up for the priesthood. He it was who officiated at the wedding of Matt and Hellie, in Alexander and Ketki’s garden, a couple of years ago. He began his Easter sermon by telling us that, in view of the calendar date, he was tempted to begin by saying that the resurrection never happened, we were all barking up the wrong tree; and then sitting down. But he wasn’t brave enough, he said.

Given the size of the world, and the popularity of the poisson d’avril, I wonder if any clergyman anywhere actually did it.

Knitting went well. The Calcutta Cup vest, tried on Alexander, is manifestly too large. The tape measure wasn’t necessary. I could gather up a pattern-repeat into my hand and see that what was left would (probably) do nicely. And, actually knitting,  I got well down the leg with Archie’s second-attempt socks. They are rather alarming, colour-wise. He hasn’t seen them yet.

All is well here. If the cats were actually glad to see me, they didn't say so, but they have clearly been well looked after. Both are here beside me as I type.

Rachel will be 60 this summer. (If you want to feel old, try having a daughter of 60.) We are planning various celebrations, and she says she wants a pair of socks. She enters the Wimbledon lottery every year, and this time, God has come through for her: two Centre Court tickets for the second Friday (which is surely Men’s Semi-Final Day). She has invited me to join her, and, goodness! what a thought! Federer himself!

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:12 PM

    So happy you had a nice holiday.

    Good thing you got to try on the vest before you'd gotten too far. & good thing it is such a beautiful pattern. Much more difficult to have to re-do an unpleasing one!

    Beverly in NJ.

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  2. Congratulations to Rachel on both her birthday and her tickets! I was once able to sit, with my daughter-in-
    law, in the fourth row for a Green Bay Packer playoff game. They lost soundly but, oh, to see Brett Favre. A wonderful memory!

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  3. You were more fortunate in your weather than we were. We are deep into April showers here. This did not deter the crowds who patronised the coffee shops where I have been volunteering all weekend - I'll be hearing requests for lattes and cappuccinos in my sleep.

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  4. Now I'll have to be sure to watch the men's semi in case I spot you!

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  5. Anonymous1:34 AM

    Glad you had a lovely time at the loch and the priest does sound good fun! On my next birthday I will be 60 and just a month either side we have a number of special birthdays. My daughter will be 20, my nephew 40, me 60, my sister in law 70 and my dad 80. We were born 39, 49, 59, 79 and 99. That must be worth some celebrating!

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  6. Anonymous2:02 AM

    How wonderful about the Wimbledon tickets! Our minister made hay in the best way, in his sermon, about the coincidence with April Fool's day. Yours sounded good too. How is the kitchen?

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  7. =Tamar7:40 AM

    How neat, that it's exactly one pattern repeat. That should make the recalculating fairly simple.

    Weather here is slowly warming. Even the named snowstorm melted off after a few days.

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  8. It was the end of daylight saving here and one of the local priests told me he had some in his congregation nicely fooled when he looked at them and said, "It's tonight you put the clocks back."

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  9. Anonymous1:20 PM

    Sunshine and no wind - what a wonderful Easter gift. So glad you are getting to go to Wimbledon this year, Jean. Chloe

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  10. Wow what a grand gift for Rachel. And you to go how fabulous. I too shall be watching as always. I despair of ever seeing roger live as tickets here are so expensive and if I ever make it to England it would be a miracle and then to be there in July and get a ticket well that would be several miracles.

    So happy for you!

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