Consolation prizes

The summer vegetables may have been a big flat failure - the green tomatoes didn't even grow large enough to make chutney - but there are one or two reasons for cheer out on the baloney.



This hyacinth pot which sprang into life a couple of weeks ago has now come inside to cheer up the kitchen and on Sunday I took advantage of the lovely weather to plant out the garlic that I bought at the CLA Game Fair back in July.



I really hope they come up OK as we get through a lot of garlic in this household.

Here's something that should be ready a bit sooner than the garlic.



I'm up (or down if you will) to the heel on the second Thelonious sock. Progress has been a bit slower than expected on this due to a) having to rip back nearly everything I knit at Bluestockings last Wednesday as I only knit the non-pattern rounds once rather than three times and b) spending a lot of time crocheting on a secret project. I'm really enjoying the pattern now that I'm well into it. It's an interesting pattern but straightforward enough to knit without reference to the chart whilst walking or listening to the classic Radio 4 adaptations of Sherlock Holmes with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams on the bus. Despite my recent Wimsey infatuation, Sherlock really is my first love when it comes to detective fiction and I have to say that the boyfriend is relieved that I've started I've given up droppin' my g's in casual conversation.