Another good day. C. came, and we got around the garden. I think some of that wild garlic back by the fence is ready for picking. Archie is coming tomorrow – I’ll send him in for it. And then make that nduja and wild garlic pasta.

 

 I failed Wordle – how do brainiacs keep such long winning streaks going? It was one of those familiar Wordle situations where I had four green tiles, but any one of a number of letters could have gone into the empty slot. My two guesses were wrong – but I could think of at least two more, plus of course the right answer. There’s no way to choose except luck. (Unless you have a couple of guesses in hand, and can use one of them to eliminate/identify candidates for the missing slot. Perhaps that’s what brainiacs do.)

 

And I got the ends tidied up on the Aroon jacket. I have found – strictly, Daniela has found – my needles and thread and buttons. I didn’t proceed to that tedious task, and the blocking. I thought I deserved some knitting, so I cast on the Baby Surprise. Buttons tomorrow. I won’t dispatch the finished Aroon to London until Hellie is safely home with yet another daughter. I don’t see how people can bear to have baby showers, with all that can go wrong.

 

I’m awfully pleased with the Aroon. I’ll photograph it for you as soon as it’s a little bit tidier.

 

Kate Davies’ pattern this week is socks. Very nice indeed, but I know I’ll never knit them. I prefer to let the yarn do the patterning. In the days when we went to London three or four times a year, I got lots of socks knit.

 

I got a letter from my energy supplier today saying that over the next year my bills for gas and electricity will go up by £2284.97. I live comfortably, and don’t worry much about money, but I don’t think there’s that much slack in the system. Food is going up, too. I no longer drive. It’s all very well to think of wearing a heavier sweater, now as the light comes back towards the end of an easy winter. They aren’t all easy. Lots and lots of people are going to be harder pressed than I am.

 

Some rugby tonight – Wales v. France. It will last past my bedtime, but I’ll give it a try. (“Vive la France!”) The beginning of a Baby Surprise is ideal rugby knitting. Scotland will play Italy in Rome tomorrow. A loss would be embarrassing, but we ought to pull through. Ireland v. England in London could be a humdinger.

 

(The spelling checker let both “brainiac” and “humdinger” through, but objected to "nduja".)