I was all primed to get up and go out with my bucket of water to try to see the transit of Venus at 4:30 this morning. But the cloud cover was solid, and I was not entirely sorry to go back to bed. Despite the Beijing haze, James, who is something of an amateur astronomer, managed to see it – which makes up for any disappointment I might have felt. (Bucket of water = to look at the sun, reflected, briefly.)

I’m not sorry for the end of the Jubilee and the restoration of postal services, either. Enough is enough. A message from the Queen herself was inserted into the television schedules at the last moment yesterday. I expected it to be live, but it wasn’t. Despite being very brief – thanks to everybody – it wasn’t even done in a single shot. Framed photographs from the recent royal wedding were artlessly/artfully displayed on a piece of furniture behind her.

I had a sudden Wonderland moment – “‘Who cares for you?’ said Alice (she had grown back to her full size by this time); ‘You’re nothing but a pack of cards!’”

Still…

Thank you for the link to the PBS item with the interview with the Dunkirk survivor included, Janet. It was good to be assured that one was there.

Shandy, there was a Plan B, at least to some extent. The Queen’s coat and dress were wool. And she went on board carrying a shawl, which, by the end of the trip, she had deployed. What if it had been a sizzling hot day? Those uniforms must be heavy.

And Knitlass, yes! The most unexpected of victories (Scotland over Australia at rugby yesterday)! It hadn’t happened in Australia for 30 years, and Scotland have been rubbish lately. The weather looked appalling, just like our glorious Calcutta Cup victory in 2000 when we came within a whisker of winning both the Calcutta Cup and the Wooden Spoon in the same season. Italy, alas, snatched the latter glory by having more points-scored-against.

(Sorry for that, but it was a wonderful victory.)

Still with comments, but segue-ing into knitting: follow the link to Knitlass above for a splendid bit of yarn-bombing, even though it is croch*t.

Dawn, thank you for reference to the Wendy Johnson toe, now pasted into my electronic Filofax.

And thank you for your interesting comment about the satisfactions of work, Woolly Bits. I’ve never had time – I’ve never taken time? – to immerse myself in knitting. But I wonder if you’re not perhaps right, that it would be as demanding and as wearying and as satisfying as any other work, if I did it. I think it would have to be complicated lace, as you imply.

And, everybody – follow that link to Woolly Bits’ blog, and have a look at the “Fuchsia Cottage” socks, 26 May. Not to be missed.

Me? I’m round the second Strong-Fleegle heel and steaming up the leg.