I’ve finished row 35 of the borders of the Spring Shawl. These bulletins may make fairly tedious reading for you, but it is a great comfort for me –looking back after no more than a week – to see that I am, in fact, crawling forward. Soon I will be halfway up Border Chart One.

The only other knitting news is that I have had one of those dread announcements from the Post Office to say that they can’t deliver my item because there is a fee to pay. That’ll be the yarn for Matt’s replacement pocket square. I thought that a single ball of yarn might get in under the radar, but no. Half of the fee is customs duty, the other half a “handling fee” to the post office.

Archie came this morning, the last visit for a while as he is about to go back to university. I got him to replace two important light bulbs, so that’s something done.

A book is about to appear called “Artisan Edinburgh”. Greek Helen and her mosaics feature in it. It will be launched tomorrow evening at the Coburg Gallery and the related exhibition – including something of Helen’s – will last over the weekend. I shall be going to the launch which means I can’t do any Italian homework tomorrow evening so I had better do some now. Maybe tomorrow morning would suffice.

I’ve finished “Lady Audley’s Secret”. It’s rather gothic. The second half of it is also rather padded out. (I have my beloved “Mansfield Park” down off the shelf at the moment, since I was looking up Mr Rushworth’s name in order to mention it to you the other day. I read the first page and a half today in order to reassure myself that in Austen, every syllable counts.)

I downloaded “My Lady Ludlow” and “Cranford” – in one volume – the other day, and may proceed in that direction. Shandy, yes, I have read “Wives and Daughters” quite recently. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t answer your question off the top of my head. I remember “North and South” much more distinctly.

But “The Dutch House” – the new, and highly-regarded, Ann Patchett – turned up today. Maybe it’s time for some 21^st century. Alexander came to see me yesterday. He said that he, too, is keeping a record of books read in ’19. His list includes comments, and marks out of 10. I am interested to see, looking back over my list, that, on the whole, it is the rubbish [judging by author and title] that I cannot remember.