Off the needles
I finished my scarf (which you might remember was inspired by this somewhat pricier version). It's OK, if slightly wider in parts than others as a result of some clumsy and probably unnecessary pressing. But it does have a proper label (get me). I've also made a couple of knitted cotton washcloths because you can't have too many. Or, looking in the bathroom cupboard, maybe you can.
In the garden
The eucalyptus near the pond has had its five yearly trim, much to the delight of certain neighbours who gave us a thank you card and went halves with the bill.
Out of the oven
A couple of heavily speckled bananas were languishing in the kitchen so I made a cake, based on this recipe (subbing half wholemeal flour, soft brown sugar and sunflower oil) with the addition of a handful of roughly crushed walnuts and using Willie's Cacao (the best chocolate, no kidding) buttons. Rather than baking the mixture in a loaf tin (my track record with those is dire), I used a parchment lined brownie pan and it turned out well. Moist without being overly so (some egg free cakes can be positively damp) and oh so tasty.
From the bookshelf
My latest reads are all recommended. The current book at bedtime is Stoner which is beautifully written. It hasn't had me crying yet but I have a feeling it will. Annie Proulx's Postcards was her first novel and I think I just might rate this even more highly than The Shipping News. It begins in the 1940s with a girl's sudden death and the subsequent departure of Loyal Blood from his family and life on their Vermont farm. His only contact with his parents and siblings over the next forty or so years is through a series of postcards, all sent with no return address. Each chapter begins with a postcard, though not all are written by Loyal. If you're looking for an uplifting read and a happy ending, this isn't for you. This is a book about tough lives, about choices, about survival. Initially, I wasn't too sure about Life After Life and found the repetitive start-stop-start again format ('What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? ') a tad disorientating. But it really works and the retelling of events in main character Ursula Todd's life/lives is very cleverly executed.
Overheard in the supermarket
Small boy: Will you buy me some grapes?
Small boy's mother: No, you'll only eat them.