Helen has been here today, mosaic’ing in my husband’s study. It’s a wonderful big room, down at the end of the house. It’s the room, indeed, that sold the house to me. I had been around all the rest, thinking that this might do, and when the owner opened that door and I saw the study, I knew that it would do. It’s a shame that I haven’t had the energy to do anything with it since he died, but it’s nice, at least, that Helen can use it occasionally. And it's been nice to have her here today.

 

She took poor Paradox down to the vet this afternoon for a preliminary inspection before her spaying. Poor beast.

 

No rugby today, so a fair amount of knitting. I’ve advanced to the next colour which, so far, appears to have been less inviting to m**ths.

 

Helen seems to think that the accountant she recently found for me also works for Kate Davies. She (KD) lived very near here, before she went to her current location. It’s entirely possible.

 

Driveway: We have a Permanent Heritable Servitude over the route of our present driveway. It cost a lot in blood, sweat, and tears (and money). It runs along the side of our neighbours’ field until it reaches our paddock. On the left of the driveway is the field, with sheep. On the right there is a narrow strip of land, belonging of course to the neighbours, and just beyond that – slightly above the level of the driveway – a ditch. At the point where the driveway enters the paddock, the ditch runs under it, and proceeds happily around the edge of the paddock down to the burn.

 

In that narrow strip of land, the neighbour has planted some leylandii: true to their reputation, fast-growing. But the ditch needs to be cleaned from time to time, or else it overflows onto the driveway. When my husband and I were strong enough, it was our autumn chore. Really rather fun, in good weather. Helen and David are more inclined to get a Man In, with a machine. But the leylandii, as things stand, make that impossible. And they are also big enough, by now, to begin to narrow the driveway.

 

Helen and David talked to the neighbour and his wife on site on Saturday. I gather the conference went well.

 

Wordle: We were all over the place today. Alexander and I did it in three, and we were the only threes. Given that today is his birthday, that seemed rather appropriate, even poetic. Thomas needed six, and Roger failed. Fours elsewhere.