Great excitement today. Somebody came to the door during the carer’s   break. She wasn’t even here. He was, fortunately, patient — and I, miraculously, got to the door. He was bringing a new, magic mattress which promises to be more comfortable. (Nights are tough.)

   Sunshine (quite a bit) and showers today. I’m told it’s still cold. Helen came and we ordered some pelargoniums for the front doorstep. I’d like “Lord Bute” from Sarah Raven — because we knew him, and because it looks like an interesting flower — but went instead for cheaper and more abundant from Thompson and Morgan.

   Otherwise not much. Some knitting, and I hope to do more this evening. I’ve gone on with Allingham’s biography, which is interesting. Maybe I’ll finish it and read the three more (besides “Sweet Danger”) pre-war books before the club starts. At the moment, poor Margery is sinking under the weight of life, writing rubbish for the women’s mags to keep the household in coal and cabbages, in between her real books with Campion in them.  Her husband was pretty well useless. And yet her best thrillers were still to come.

   I don’t think either Christie or Sayers, at the height of their careers, had a husband to support.

   The introduction to one of my reads, quite likely this biography, says that Campion had buck teeth. Rubbish. He had a famously vacant expression, misleading to friend and foe. But not buck teeth.

   Wordle: I found it enormously hard this morning. My starters gave me two greens, in the first and last positions, and two browns, a v. and a c. Easy, one might think, but I struggled and could think of nothing. I finally gave up and put in Jean-words, taking care at least that the browns were in new, possible positions. It took two goes of that, but I got it right in line five.

   Rachel and Mark had threes. Four for Alexander. Ketki scraped home with six — some comfort for me. Theo was another six. He had four lines, 2 through 5, in which the pattern was ???, grn, ???, ???, grn. No browns at all. Then he got it. Nothing from Roger yet

   

 Thank you for all your comments yesterday. I didn’t deserve them. I’m glad you saw the eclipse, Tamar. James went to see one once in China, and is eloquent about the effect it made, approaching over the desert. 

The closest I ever got was a partial eclipse here in Edinburgh, goodness knows when. I took a bucket of water out to the doorstep and saw reflected the sun with a bite out of it. It got just dark enough for the birds to start crying in anxiety. 

It has been another day of sunshine and shadow. No knitting, I am afraid. I am reading “The Adventures of Margery Allingham,” a biography. Its author will be contributing to KD’s club-book. I’ve got it here in my Kindle and must have read it before, although I don’t remember a syllable. Maybe I fast-forwarded through the early years.

  The club begins the first of May — with a knitting pattern.

   Wordle.  My starter words did most of the work for me, and I scored three. For a while I hoped I might be the only one — but then Alexander came along.Thomas, Ketki, Mark and Roger were the fours.  Five for Theo and Rachel. 

 A better day, although I have lost a temporary carer who had made herself very dear in only a few days. No knitting, because Perdita is lying on my work and has been there for hours and there’s no arguing with a cat. The weather is off-and-on — sunshine through the windows, much appreciated by me and the cat, but actual human beings who venture out say that the wind bites. 

I’ve finished listening to Allingham’s account of village life during the war, not without interest. And also finished reading “Sweet Danger”. I am now driven back on the biography, “The Adventures of Margery Allingham” but I hope KD will take over soon with the new club. I’ve been sent the dates but I’ve forgotten them.

Wordle: my starters served me well — two greens and a brown, and I remembered in time one of my few — perhaps my only — rules for Wordle, and got it in three. Thomas joined me there. Four for Alexander and Mark. Five for Rachel and Ketki. We haven’t heard from DC yet. I’ll try to remember to tell you my rule tomorrow.

Bedtime: a five for Theo. Silence still from Roger.

 Sorry about yesterday. I’m not doing very well. And I’m pretty droopy  again tonight.

   However, it’s been a brighter day. Knitting progresses — I’m creeping up the second collar, and it’s looking good. I’ve joined the second (and last) ball of contrast yarn. I think there’ll be enough to attempt the cuffs.

   I’ve finished Allingham’s “Sweet Danger”, the first title for the KD club. I’m tempted to go on, but I’ll resist. Campion and Amanda are introduced to each other, and clearly we’re going to see more of her. It’s in “Traitor’s Purse”, early in the war, that they finally get married. I’m looking forward to the essays — and, indeed, to the knitting patterns.

“  I’m listening to Allingham’s “The Oaken Heart”. It is autobiographical, about village life in the first couple of years of the war, written for an American magazine, I think, in the hopes of softening up the American public to the idea of joining the war. Mercifully Hirohito took over that project and succeeded brilliantly.

  For listening, as I doze or sleep or knit, I need a book interesting enough to hold my attention but not so interesting that I mind missing great swaths of it when I fall asleep. “The Oaken Heart” is perfect.

  Wordle: threes and fours; same yesterday.Today Mark, Thomas and Roger were the threes.Theo took five. 

 A mildly better day, again. Maybe we’ve turned the corner. The forecast is not very promising.

  A new carer today — not the usual handover day. Something about holidays. This one is just here for a long weekend; then we go back t o my two regulars. She is very agreeable; I could wish her part of the normal rota.

   Knitting has gone well. I’ve finished the first, left-side, collar and embarked on the second. There are differences in the way it is attached to the picked-up stitches, to accommodate the fact that it slopes in the other direction. I struggled, but I think I’ve nailed it. 

   I’m currently at a stage we would all recognise, when the first ball of contrast yarn goes on forever. I’m already into the third inch of the second collar.

   I’ve also had a good time with Margery Allingham and KD. Today we were introduced to her collaborators. One of them has written a biography, which I am glad to discover is the one I’ve already got in my Kindle. (All of MA’s books seem to be there, too — this is going to be cheaper than might otherwise have been the case. Perhaps I can use that as an excuse to join the KAL.) 

   Wordle: We were all threes and fours today, except for poor Thomas: five. I was one of the fours. Alexander and Theo and Ketki were the threes.

 A much better day, sunshine-wise. Maybe the worst is over.

   Helen came this morning and brought me a delicious purple globe artichoke, my very favourite thing after sweet corn. I’ve just had it for my tea.

   Otherwise, a fairly uneventful day. Archie dropped in and was persuaded to have lunch. I’ve made some progress with reading Allingham’s “Sweet Danger”, the first book on the list for KD’s new club. It’s an early one, and certainly doesn’t move as fast as “Hide My Eyes”. But it’s where Campion meets Amanda. 

   I was excited to learn (comments yesterday) that you know Tolleshunt d’Arcy, Shandy and Jane. Where Allingham lived and wrote.

   Wordle: my two starters left me with four greens this morning, the classic Wordle set-up for failure. Mercifully, I got it in five. Mark, another five, was the only other one with that configuration. Threes for Ketki, Alexander and Rachel. Fours for Roger and Theo and Thomas.

   

 Another grey day, with plenty of rain. This is getting tedious. There are farmers fearing no crops at all this year, as day after day of planting time slip by.

   C. came to see me this morning. Otherwise quiet. Very welcome, after all the recent excitement.

   Knitting has gone well. I should finish the first collar tomorrow.

   I’ve finished the (umpteenth) re-reading of “Hide My Eyes” and will leave the rest until KD’s new club actually starts. HME was Allingham’s last, I believe. Mr Campion scarcely figures in it. Club-wise, it is connected with the KAL I think. The main club will start at Allingham’s more cheerful but less exciting beginning. I needn’t worry, now that I know I can knock them off fast.

   Queer Joe and Franklin, both old cyber knitting friends, both post almost daily. Franklin has just come through a session of chemotherapy but otherwise remains happy in Paris. Joe’s life is more tranquil, looking forward to the next Men’s Knitting Retreat. I dearly love them both.

   Wordle: my starters pretty well solved it for me this morning — a quick three. For a long time I had hopes of being the day’s star, but Alexander has matched me. Four for Mark and Ketki. Five for Thomas, Theo and Rachel. Nothing from Roger again.