Away for a while

I will be away from Random Mansions for a week or two and possibly will not have the opportunity to add any posts until I return some time in mid-November. Tomorrow I will be going to Oxford for the funeral of my friend. Then on to London to look after granddaughter Amelia (Millie) while her mummy has an operation.

Millie is now almost 8 months old and, since I saw her last, has become independently mobile. She hasn't quite got around to driving the car yet but apparently she has developed a most efficient and high-speed crawl/slide around the room and she never rests! I am expecting to be too exhausted to do more than read my favourite blogs and answer emails.

I hope we will have some crisp, dry days so that we can get out onto nearby Hampstead Heath. I have been busy knitting for Millie for just such an occasion.
Embroidering lazy daisies onto the little cardigan was a new experience for me. No-one will ever doubt that the garment is hand made because no two daisies are the same. I don't think Millie will be too harsh a critic, though.
It has been good to welcome Juliet back to Blogland. I am looking forward to seeing more pictures from her trip to lovely Lindisfarne and beyond on Musings from a Muddy Island. You might have noticed, too, a new addition to my favourites: Advanced Style , it is a must for everyone who refuses to believe that style is exclusively for the very young.

I can't leave without mentioning that my son, who writes under the name of Brit, is filling in for Bryan Appleyard on Thought Experiments for the next few weeks. I shall be keeping a proud, motherly eye on that.

I'll be back soon. Don't have too much fun while I'm away!

P.S.I forgot to mention an important date for the diary - 4th November. That is the MM's birthday and the day of Tanith's operation and I think there is something else happening but it has slipped my mind for the moment!