Goodness, its’s dark. Less than three weeks to go, now, until the solstice. Helen has gone up to Kirkmichael to see how everything is, since the storm. We know from the wonderful man who tends the garden that there are no trees down on or near the house. That’s a start. And since he has electricity, we probably do too. A neighbour has reported that there is a dead deer in the garden. The gardener will deal with it. Helen checked in advance that there is no serious snow – but today has been so very dark that I fear some may be about to fall tonight. Our house is six feet or so below the level of the road – getting up the driveway can be difficult (=impossible) in wet or snowy weather.

 

I’m rather glad to be excused by age from doing battle with the dark midwinter in Strathardle.

 

Otherwise, there is little to report. I did some knitting this morning while watching Part Two of the much-discussed BBC “The Princes and the Press”. I thought it was boring. I long to be knitting bright colour, such as Machu Picchu will provide – but not until the summer solstice, at the rate I’m going. I stlll mean to persevere until the armhole before switching to more urgent projects.

 

I like Kate Davies’ new “Carp-beth” pattern, a twisted stitch variation on her previous “Carbeth”. It’s cropped, which I don’t like, but could be easily lengthened. It’s not bright, fortunately, or I might be tempted to order it – the very last thing I need.

 

Comments

 

You’re right, Tamar – there are few things so sweet as the self-solving problem.

 

Mary Lou (and anyone else interested) – I presume “Americast” is available in the US. I find it very entertaining. Alas, one of the pivotal characters, the BBC American editor Jon Sopel, is about to come back to London. I am sure his replacement will be excellent as far as reporting America is concerned, but will she fit into the little group with anything like the same chemistry?

 

Other

 

My grandson Thomas, son of Alexander and Ketki, went to a St Andrew’s Night dinner at his school last week. The significance of the picture is that Thomas’ bow tie was the only one (I am told) which was self-tied. Even the headmaster and deputy head were wearing snap-ons. My husband would have been very proud. What agony that was, the few times we went anywhere that it was required.