It has been sort of peaceful, a day without Wimbledon. According to a pundit I read, Gouff is not going to win her match tomorrow. 

I am in a state of paralysed anxiety about the trip south. Archie will be here tomorrow, and we will get some things done. Arrangements for the cats are complete. Helen is safely back from Greece – she has been teaching mosaic-making on Mt Pelion, and it went well. She will be driving down on Thursday & Friday with two of her boys. Archie will fly with me on Thursday.

I haven’t done any knitting today, but hope to shortly.

Mary Lou, I don’t know what I think of Melvin Bragg either, but I will try to find his broadcast about the Famine. I am getting on fine with Castle Richmond – I read it years ago, and remember some of the parts about the Famine but nothing of the plot. It is rather interesting, and rather like No Name. Which was first?

I have also read a bit further in my history book. The gov’t in London is making efforts, right away in ’45 when the crop first failed. Maybe they were misguided and ineffective efforts, but “genocide” is not the appropriate word to describe them, so far.  

I was mildly surprised to find that relief (at least at that early stage) was largely in the form of public works for which workers were paid. Instead of just doling out money, as nowadays. I think I sort of thought that Roosevelt invented that idea in the ‘30’s. Cornmeal was the substitute food, but people had to buy it. They didn't like it much. There were soup kitchens as well. A lot of this is in Trollope.

Presumably we get Andrew and Andrea this week. That should soothe the nerves a bit.