Sunday 23rd October 2022

My maternal Grandmother's birthday - she was born 124 years ago today, in Edinburgh. It's quite a thought, that timespan. It seems no time at all that she was in my life - an important daily part of it, and then, by the time I was 16, she was gone. Yet, she is still here in my memories, in my cooking, my knitting, my love for flowery aprons and my middle name. I like that.

I’ve been thinking about Lesley's comment about Bake Off, on my last post. I've really not been invested in it at all - the spark has gone. It's the same with Strictly Come Dancing - all very meh. I wonder if it's because we have been living with the relentless daily soap opera of Westminster since the summer. The trouble is, we can't switch off from that and the consequences of their dramas are very real and far reaching. A light entertainment TV show that has been obviously edited and manipulated to create drama, seems very tame in comparison to what we are living through right now, and yet it provides no respite for our fraying nerves. Not sure if that makes any sense, but I know what I mean. It's an awful situation, borne of selfishness and narcissism, aided by a weak and gullible media.

I’m almost finished my second sock - working my way down the foot. The boy is back boxing tomorrow so I might get it finished then. I think I might cast on a hat next.

I’ve picked up The Brothers Karamazov again. I started it at the beginning of the year, but then the war between Russia and Ukraine started, and I lost the notion for it.

Obviously nothing has changed in that situation, and has even got worse, but I really felt drawn to reading it again. It is superb. Dostoevsky's understanding of the human condition is just incredible, and I am loving every sentence.

Nice weekend. It was a big UFC fight night, on Saturday and at a decent time for us, so we were able to enjoy it live. Popcorn, snacks and a wee glass of white burgundy for me. Lovely evening.