Today’s excitement has concerned plumbing, never the best news. Our downstairs neighbour came up yesterday to say that I was dripping into his bathroom. Tradesmen have appeared. The leak has been identified and repaired. Unfortunately, it has been going on for a while, and the floorboards around the washhand basin are in a deplorable condition. More tradesmen next week.

I have resumed the Spring Shawl but, despite careful record-keeping, I seem to have promoted myself by two rows. Nothing for it but some very careful tinking tomorrow morning when I’m at my best.

The new VK was among the delights in the pile of mail waiting for me when I got back. Nothing I’ve got to knit, but a promising start for the new editor. Another thing in that pile was Thomas Ligotti’s “Noctuary”. Archie is about to resume his university career, and intends to write his senior thesis on the relationship between horror fiction and gloomy philosophers (there must be a more formal name for them) such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. Archie knows a lot about horror fiction. I had never heard of Ligotti or Lovecraft before I met Archie, although I was up to scratch with Poe.

But “Noctuary” isn’t easy to get hold of. We had to order it from the US. Fortunately it came very promptly. Archie says it’s not in the university library – it is nice to think that his supervisor will have to go to the trouble and expense of ordering it, too.

Meanwhile I progress with “The Eustace Diamonds”. It’s very long, and somewhat depressing.

Knitting

Kate Davies’ messages sound energetic and cheerful, and she plans to be back in full swing very shortly.

It sounds as if Annie Modesitt is getting better, too. She has abandoned blogging in favour of Facebook, alas.

Non-knit

Here is the baronet crossing the bridge in Kirkmichael last Saturday. It would have been a better picture if I had waited a few more heartbeats, but you get the idea.