On we go. This is getting rather tedious, but I’m tottering on. I went out on the doorstep yesterday evening at 7:59 to applaud the NHS, feeling rather foolish and wondering whether Drummond Place went in for that sort of thing. But at 8 p.m. there we all were, clapping away, and next door neighbour’s son played Scotland the Brave on the bagpipes and it was very touching.

The Queen is going to speak to us on Sunday.

The yarn for the scarf arrived. (The only human beings I see these days are delivery men, from a safe distance.) I had already done two rows of Cameron Scarf by that time, and thought I might allow myself to wind a skein of the base colour and make a little start. But I sort of felt in my fingers the wisdom of the suggestion I got on Shetland (mentioned here previously) to stick with lace once having embarked on it, rather than interspersing something of a different gauge. (Although I will intersperse away, once this piece of the shawl is finished.)

I’ve finished row 7, the last pattern row. There now follow five plain rows, and then what I think is called a “break” row – YO, K2tog all the way across. Plenty of time for lots of counting.

I had a nice newsletter-email today from Misa Hay, who so brilliantly organises and runs the Shetland Wool Adventure I went on a year ago. Another small business to worry about. It’s a cheerful message, with advice about gardening and baking – she used often to provide us with her own homemade cakes at tea time – and pictures of chilly Shetland in the early spring.

She says that Wilma Malcolmson is the Wool Week patron this year, and there is a picture of this year’s hat. Well, maybe. The Edinburgh Festival is gone, as you probably know, to the somewhat relief of residents but substantial loss to the city. The 138^th Strathardle Highland Gathering is still going ahead on August 24^th, according to its website. Well, maybe, again.

A “knitted sheep” is asked for in one of the Home Industries Tent categories. Humph. I won the Glenisla Shield with Sam the Ram in ’07, when the category was “knitted toy”. He should remain the definitive Strathardle knitted sheep. (He lives on the shores of Loch Fyne, with Alexander and Ketki’s sons.)