Velvet

Well, I have finished the bedskirt apart from the violet gussets, the silk for that has vanished, and I have made the two silk velvet banners after several false starts. Can there be a more contrary fabric to work with? Then when I finished one I found a tiny nick from my scissors in it, so had to start all over again. Caroline can use it as a scarf, the colours are wonderful.

As you can probably tell I feel very dreary, don't like my red hair as it reminds me too closely of the dreaded Miss Kelly. She wore swishy chiffon dresses with cross-over bodices and peep-toe pumps - to off-set the moustache I suppose. I fear the same mechanism in myself - dyed red hair wildly signaling insecurity and insignificance.

It was very pleasant sitting round the fire last night yarning. Interesting political things are happening at Felix's college so he was filling us in, and Cissy has changed the subject for her paper and is all enthused. Stefan is so drained by the effort of working in tandem with the opinionated and ignorant that he sloped off early, and I tackled Mary Wesley in the spirit of open-mindedness. Her nastiness suits me this time round. Thinking: when does sweetness become anodyne. Do we need our faults, and those around us. Does it matter. Is practically all effort misguided.