Mary Wigham in Texas and the Antikythera Device

It has been a mesmerising day today - in spite of the continuing rain. I have a lesser spotted woodpecker feeding on and off just outside the window and the sight of this bird disrupts all work for the duration - the intricate web of black markings over its head and neck and those flashes of crimson hold me spellbound. And the other delight was to see a wonderful Mary Wigham. Many thanks to Anita for sending in the picture - she says: This was stitched my a friend of mine, Sheryl. She began stitching it back in the summer of 2009 when you kindly released the chart. It is now on display at our local needlework shop Stitches from the Heart in San Antonio, Texas. So, Brava Sheryl - you have stitched a fabulous sampler! And Hello to everyone at Stitches from the Heart in San Antonio! I have a feeling you are not as rainy as we are here... send us a bit of warm sunshine, please. At lunch I watched HRH Prince Charles deliver the weather forecast on the telly - a few swear words (his not mine, I hasten to add) but even he couldn't promise any sun. And I have just finished watching the documentary on BBC4 which started at 9pm on the Antikythera Mechanism - a 2,000 year old computer for predicting eclipses and planetary movements. (But not the weather!) If you are able to watch this programme, do, it is a breath of fresh air to see. And you will see some of the imaging equipment that I was familiar with in the past - and some of the archaeological stuff that was my obsession when I was in Greece as a teenager. I hope you have mesmerizing and inspiring day too!