I have a lampshade I made by covering a frame with fabric to match curtains. When I was at school I was taught a method of making shades by winding raffia (synthetic imitation) over frames.
So. for my new home, I went to look for frames to make my own, as there weren't any in the shops I really liked. And nobody had any, and I couldn't find any on the internet.
So I understand Dorothy's problem. (I have bought a couple of capiz shell shades, and some of those student type paper shades, and one fabric one for a serpentine table lamp which really doesn't work well.)

I have now acquired a replacement autoharp, thus reversing some early decluttering. I paid more than I had planned, getting involved in a last minute bidding war, but I felt it was the right instrument, from the right seller - one who is only selling because he has upgraded to 15 bars, and plays in his local club, not someone who knows nothing about the instrument. I have an invitation to meet sometime! He reckons me to be the right buyer, as well.

My knitting loom has arrived - and I'm beginning to think it may have been a mistake as I try out various stitches. It doesn't really work the same way as the round looms and is more fiddly.

I have listed an old bakelite phone on ebay, and have 5 watchers but no bids.

Yesterday I lined the ceiling and part of the back of my airing cupboard with foil radiator reflector material. When I was moving things about in the morning it had felt cold and even dampish. It is right under the flat roof, and there is a void between it and my bedroom which I suspect of also channelling heat to the roof. The hot water tank has been losing heat surprisingly fast during the day, though it doesn't feel warm to touch. Even though it is not a really tidy job, stuck into plce with odd strips of gaffer tape, this morning it does feel much more like an airing cupboard. In summer, it gets quite hot in there. Now is when I need it. I've got more foil ready to do the rest of the back when I feel like crawling around in there again. Oddly, it makes it look darker in there than the white paint did.

The weight loss has reversed. I can't believe this is entirely due to the box of chocolates the school gave me, and am now rather suspicious of the scales. The losses it recorded sometimes seemed too big for what I had eaten and disposed of, and now the gain seems too big ditto. How can I put on more weight than I have eaten? Doesn't make sense!

Penny