Monday, May 10, 2021

 My friend Sylvia – my Oberlin friend Sylvia, whom I’ve known for more than 70 years – writes a private blog to 30 or 40 friends and family, It’s a bright spot of my morning, although lately not so bright because her cat Frankie was missing. Day gave way to day, confidence to forlorn hope. But this afternoon – still morning in Binghampton, NY – Sylvia wrote to say that he was home. A neighbour had found him in her cellar. He was carrying identification. Happy news for everybody, and I suspect Frankie is a very happy cat.

 

Another bit-warmer day here, with just enough of a shower that I don’t have to worry about water for the pots on the step. 2238 steps. Helen walked me around the garden. She hopes to take me to a garden centre on Wednesday What a treat that will be!

 

I found the “sock size” page in my electronic Filofax, and it isn’t as definitive as I remembered. I thought there was a simple formula – so long a foot for gents, so long for ladies. But no. I’ve advanced slightly with my current sock. I haven’t watched “Pursuit of Love” yet. (Well-reviewed in this morning’s paper, but with elements that make me sceptical.) Maybe today will be the day when I get back into the sitting room and the television set after blog-writing and a bit of supper. That’s where the difficulty lies, essentially – no evening knitting.

 

Reading

 

Peggy (comment yesterday): Yes! I’m a great Jhumpa Lahiri fan. I “discovered” her in the New Yorker (as I did William Trevor and Alice Munro) and went on to read much of what she has published. She is, so to speak, in the generation of my daughter-in-law Ketki: the daughter of immigrants with imperfect English, who grew up speaking American. And then, in Jhumpa’s case, fell in love with Italian, moved her family to Italy for two or three years, and has lately been writing in that language.

 

I am reading the book you mention, I didn’t want to say anything about it for fear of sounding too highbrow. It has now been translated into English. There was a long review in the weekend Financial Times. It feels slightly thin – I can’t think of a better word. I’m sure all the Italian is perfectly correct, and vastly better than I could do. I wonder if my tutor knows about it.

 

That still leaves me to decide between an Italian thriller and something more weighty. You’d be surprised at how fast the weekend comes around, if you’re not careful.

3 comments:

  1. I have seen interviews with Jumpha Lahiri re. Italian film, didn't realize the connection. I am a fan of Emily Mortimer, I await your review of Pursuit of Love. Not that it will be available here yet.

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  2. =Tamar8:49 AM

    All I know about sock sizing is that an average adult's foot is about the length of the forearm from the outside of the elbow to the wrist. Check by propping a shoe upright on a tabletop with your forearm next to it. But then subtract a bit, maybe an inch?, for negative ease.

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  3. Anonymous1:07 PM

    Tamar's comment seems in line with theYarn Harlot's book Knitting Rules where she lays out how to make hats, mittens, etc. by measuring various parts of the intended wearer's body. I can't find my copy of the book, as often happens, so I can't confirm about feet but attempted some contortionist skills and it seemed about right. Does not apply to babies but make the item big enough and sooner or later it will fit. Chloe

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