Saturday, February 27, 2021

 

Oh, Mary Lou, thank you! How could I have forgotten a point so important? I have marked the correction in the book – it won’t happen again. I’m now knitting the 10th stripe. Tomorrow it will be time to measure and calculate. And perhaps photograph.

 

I’ve been watching the rugby, and it is quite an interesting match, but I am finding it difficult to whip up any enthusiasm. They are playing in an empty stadium, with an overlay of phoney crowd noise. I’m glad we didn’t have that for the Calcutta Cup.

 

A nice day today, but I felt completely flattened after my Italian lesson and have scarcely moved – 578 steps. Helen was here and tried in vain to persuade me to bestir myself. C. tomorrow.

 

Reading

 

I must finish Fontamara, but the end is in sight.

 

The weekend FT has an interesting article about the “big houses” in Ireland belonging to the Protestant ascendency. Many were burnt down; some that remain have become boutique hotels. But the article mentions several writers who used them for settings, a genre I much enjoy. Molly Keane, top of the list. William Trevor – I’ve read a lot of him, but I don’t think I know the one they mention, “Fools of Fortune”. JG Farrell, “Troubles”. John Banville, “Snow”. Elizabeth Bowen. Edith Somerville. Much to investigate.


Life


A nearby friend says that electrical work is going on in the vicinity, and that various oddities have affected her supply. Could that be what tripped my fuse? It's a comforting thought, anyway.


6 comments:

  1. Jean - I am an avid reader and book collector. In moving to an assisted living community, one of the hardest things has been leaving my huge book collection behind. But I am discovering the joy of building a new collection here. I find I am buying and rereading old favorites. Elizabeth Bowen for one. And now you mention J.G. Farrell - that might be my next purchase.

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  2. I have decided that my undisciplined reading habits are caused by owning a kindle; it is so easy to order another book and start it before finishing the other six half read novels.
    And then you can't pass the book on to your friends afterwards.
    I hugely enjoyed listening to The Thursday Club Murders on the bbcsounds app. They have a good variety of radio programs that you can get to.
    I am halfway up the teapots on the teacosy. Somehow 4 extra stitches joined the party, near the steek stitches, but I did some surreptitious k2togs. Mary Lou, my spit welds seemed to be all spit and no weld. I need to work on the technique. Or maybe it is the wrong kind of wool?

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    Replies
    1. If it is super wash, it won’t work.

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    2. Thank you for your reply, I have no idea what kind of wool it is, but superwash would not be out of the question. I've just opened my packet of Real Shetland Yarn from J and S and will give spit welding another try.

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  3. =Tamar6:13 AM

    I think electrical work elsewhere could have done it. When there are power outages (whether accidental or due to work being done), I'm told it is wise to unplug anything sensitive because when the power goes on again there is a surge, which could perhaps affect the balance on the grid even if your power didn't go out.

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  4. Anonymous11:22 AM

    Hope you are doing better today with your steps, Jean. I was watching an ice-skating contest recently and was at first perturbed by the phoney crowd but then forgot about it since spectators don't figure as much in that sport. Kept wondering though how much it would cost to "hire" all those fake people. Thank you, Tamar, for the tip re the electrical grid. Chloe

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