A day of errands

First to Hassop Station Bookshop to deliver more copies of But i told you last year that I loved you, which is selling well.

Then to Sheffield to call on the family member who declines to be named. He gave me a helpful lecture on

1/ macro economics and free trade

2/  the current phone hacking scandal

In order to understand more about the latter, and the dark side of power, he lent me John le Carre’s Our Kind of Traitor to read, so my summer reading list is becoming ever longer and ever more varied.

Thence to John Lewis to buy some wool and a knitting pattern. It will be 2 months on Wednesday (not that I am counting the days or anything like that) that I fly off to see Lux, and I want to knit her something for the Californian winter, such as it is.

But when I look for a knitting pattern, I always feel desperate. I want a simple pattern that I can vary myself with pattern or colour or stitch. It is not easy to find one, unless I spend a fortune on a big glossy book of patterns. I could have a big rant here about the current state of knitting and the price of wool and the inaccuracies of fashionable designers’ patterns (no names no pack drill) but I won’t, as you can’t all be knitters, and I don’t want to bore you. I used to have a large collection of old knitting patterns that were just the ticket, but they got burned in the fire along with all our other treasures, and at times like these I feel fed up again about the fire.

Just as I was tossing the pattern books down in despair (along with an old lady who felt exactly the same as me)  Zoe rang and the very first thing she said (presciently) was, “Are you all right?”

So I called in at her house and she lent me some patterns.

Thence to a friend who is reading my book and finds Sol adorable (ah, a woman with excellent taste), and thence to Hobbs Craft Shop at Monsal Head to replenish their stock of my book.

So… a day bookended with sales of my book – cash on delivery – just what I like.