…. is a rare treat these days, as I visit my mother in her nursing home on my two half-days off in the week and on Saturdays. But today I found a spare hour, the sun was shining, and so off I went. And it was a trip that brought rich rewards.

I went in search of the newest issue of ‘Country Life’, because I had learned from Marley that there was a lovely cover picture of a border terrier, and an article inside about Briar’s kinsfolk.

Briar was very pleased that the cover described her as ‘the thinking man’s best friend’ (though in this house it’s more a case of ‘the reading woman’s best friend’) and I was very pleased with the article which explained what wonderful dogs borders are, noted their growing popularity, and expressed concerns about some of the negative consequences of that popularity.

When I went out with Pip, who was dog of the house here before Briar, we rarely saw another border, but Briar meets borders, locals and holiday-makers, on a regular basis.

While I was in the newsagent I spotted the new, early autumn issue of ‘Designer Knitting’ (‘Vogue Knitting’ in most of the rest of the world). It’s not a magazine I’ve knitted much from, but the articles are well worth reading and even the patterns that don’t go into my ever-increasing Ravelry queue are interesting to study for stitch patterns, construction, unusual ideas …

This issue I have my eye on a checkerboard mesh raglan (I’d change the cuffs to something a little simpler and bracelet length), a cable cardigan (I’d lose what the magazine describes as ‘layering details’ and enlarge the shawl collar), and a couple of shawls, should the shawl knitting bug ever bite me again.

And then there was the bookshop …

I found, among the cards and artwork on the table outside, a print from 1907. ‘The Fairies of the Serpentine by Arthur Rackham. It was less than £10 and I couldn’t possibly have left it behind.

Inside I found a copy of The Story of Jessie by Mabel Quiller-Couch. I’ve been looking for a copy for ever since I read about it in the back of an elderly library book earlier in the year.  A Cornish author, the sibling of another author – literary families fascinate me, and such a pretty book.

(I should probably mention that Mabel Quiller-Couch was the sister of Arthur Quiller-Couch.)

And finally there was a little Orange Penguin. When I read Simon’s Five From the Archive Canadian books I noted the name of Stephen Leacock, I checked the library catalogue, and I added a couple of his books to my ‘maybe someday’ list – list making is a very useful feature of my library’s website and I’m hoping it will save me from ordering more book than I can possibly read at the same time. but then a copy of ‘Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town’ appeared on the Penguin shelves. Isn’t fate kind sometimes?!