Saturday, April 10, 2021

 

I had my second Covid vaccination this morning. All well so far. I haven’t got a medal or a certificate or anything. The dr said that the Scottish government is thinking about what to do, and meanwhile my record is safe with the GP. And the great thing about a Majestic Line cruise (assuming C. and I really do get to set sail in late May) is that you can set out that morning without anything (except your cruise clothes) – you just turn up and say Hello, I’m Jean.

 

I thought that was enough for today, despite Helen’s disapproval (she had driven me to the appointment). 1522 steps, anyway. Not too bad, for total inactivity.

 

We all continue to surprise ourselves by how sad we feel about the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh. Catdownunder, I was very touched by your blog entry – what a wonderful story! But I forgot to go out on the front step at noon – I’m sure I would have been able to hear the 41-gun-salute from the Castle. I slept badly last night (that doesn't often happen), listening to the World Service talking about him. I'll be glad for tonight's sleep.

 

I am knitting boldly forward. I think my preference, for corrugated rib, is to change colours – if you’re going to – for the knit stitches. This time I did it on the purls, as I had read somewhere that that was the Proper Way. I have introduced a touch of pink which looks, at the moment, a bit girly, but I am confident that once the other colours get into play it will be all right. I have heard – I think this was in McGregor’s “Fair Isle Knitting” – that there is something about corrugated rib in Mary Thomas’ Knitting Book. I mean to have a look. She is not to be trusted, however, on traditional knitting of any sort. She was interested in fashionable knitting, in separate pieces, carefully sewn together. And why not?

 

Reading

 

I proceed with Roy Strong. I don’t know where to turn. My tutor suggests Elsa Morante. I gather it’s cold in Rome, too. This morning’s paper says that the vineyards in France are in despair.

 

General

 

I haven’t looked at a map, let alone a globe – but is it significant that volcanoes are in action in Iceland, Sicily (Etna) and now St Vincent in the Caribbean?

6 comments:

  1. Forget amap, I think we might need a course on plate tectonics! I heard recently that magma from the earth’s core was welling up at the mid Atlantic Ridge which as I understand, is a
    mountain range on the seabed, and that the plates of North and South America are moving apart from those of Europe and Africa at a very slow rate because of that.

    I wonder too, whether these eruptions are related, but I’m not sure Mount Etna can be included, because isn’t that one of the most active volcanoes in the world? Must try to learn more about this stuff...

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    1. I recommend Simon Winchester's "A Crack in the Edge of the World," about the 1906 earthquake in California. A lot of information about volcanoes as well as earthquakes, including the super volcano that, in geographic terms, is in my neighborhood (Yellowstone National Park), a little close for comfort.

      Also, the dust jacket unfolds into a full size poster -- fun graphics!

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  2. Anonymous10:11 AM

    When and if you can get a certificate please do so. In America they are talking about requiring presenting one on planes, in stores and other places. Read that quite recently. Can't remember exactly wher but I think it was in a newspaper. Chloe

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  3. The main importance of vaccine certificate is to know what you received and when. That information will be most helpful when they decide the frequency of booster shots, like the annual flu vaccine.

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  4. =Tamar5:01 PM

    I have heard that Mary Thomas wanted to present historical knitting in the round, but the publishers demanded that she convert the patterns into flat pieces.
    Also that the publishers have told knitter authors that if they insisted on including footnotes, the book would be rejected, "because nobody wants that".

    I wonder that your doctor didn't give you at least a written record, after all the noise in recent years about how we're supposed to be alert patients and proactive about our medical care.

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  5. So glad to hear you're now fully vaccinated, or will be once the 2nd shot takes effect! In the US we get a CDC vaccination card that shows which vaccine you received and when.

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