There was mention on Radio 4 today of blind Willie Johnson the blues gospel singer who lived in the burnt out ruin of his house as he'd got nowhere else to go. Not even a hospital would take him when he was ill.

The weather is still dark and wet here and we tested the heating last night, but our cavity wall insulation keeps us snug. Our bill for gas is far smaller than for other houses this size, it is even smaller than my daughter's one bedroom flat. The roof is insulated, the windows are double glazed, the French doors, back door and one window are inside the conservatory, which saves heat loss from them.

I am working on a full length cloak at the moment, even though I ought to be working on some knitting machines for other people to earn money. I have some material 90 inches wide and want to cut the cloak from one piece - easy enough - make the back to my height, gather the fabric a little across the shoulders and cut out a piece in front slanting outwards to where it is long enough to reach the floor. I think I need to take out about 18 inches along the bottom each side of centre front.