More autobiography

This morning, I will try to finish off autobiography no. 2 to send it off to the publisher before we head off to Kangaroo Island. We are nearly ready to go though still have two possible people to catch up with while we are there. However, if that doesn't work out we can have meals for the two nights we are in Adelaide at two eateries we have been to before: Africola and Shobosho. Oh! And I need to pack. P. cooked delicious vera bolognese for dinner, I sent off the autobiography and completed the three-day test for Memory Train. Now I've packed and all's right with the world, almost, except the Liberal Party.

Unusual music

Yesterday (Wednesday), I did a deal of work on the report on autobiography number two which will go on for the next couple of days. I also started the first of my at-home exercises on my (borrowed) mobile phone for the Memory Train project. There seem to be some design flaws (or things not thought out) in this project e.g. I missed one of the unscheduled quizzes because I couldn't take the mobile phone into last night's concert (how could I have it whistling in the middle of a string orchestra playing?). I think I also missed another while having my arvo nap. P. and I went to Yoyogi for a very satisfying and cheap meal, then went to the Recital Centre for the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra. It was well led by Rachael Beasley and did a concert of less usual pieces by Mendelssohn, Puccini and Grieg. There was also an unusual piece by Dutch composer Johannes van Bree for FOUR string quartets. It was fun and the players obviously enjoyed it. They rounded off with a spirited performance of Dvorak's serenade in E major. Unfortunately, the audience was a bit spare for a brilliant and energetic concert. Today, I'm back on the autobiography which is a fair amount of work but quite satisfying (intellectually). The Memory Train continues but this time I caught the both random quizzes. This evening, P. cooked a superb roast chook for dinner for which Frank joined us. The chaos of the defunct Turnbull government provided entertainment on the teev tonight.

Hardly a moment to pause

Yesterday (Monday), I finished off the report on autobiography number 1 and sent it back to the publisher. The cleaners came, lickety-split and P. went off to the gallery to escape them. I also sent the amendments to the sketch plan to the architect, who will come and measure up soon, and to the south of France trip to our man in Marseilles. After a nap, I cooked tuna for dinner. We finally caught up with The Split on i-voo and it is very good as Frank said. Today, I went off early to the Catholic Uni. research bit for my first test on Memory Train, a research project into memory in the ageing. It was a bit tedious, but I could see the point of it. Now I have a phone for three days to take designated pictures and answer quizzes! I had brunch afterwards at Mario's. In the early evening, P. and I went to the Recital Centre to see Ludovico's Band and the Arts Secondary School students do Dido and Aeneas. It was excellent with soloists Sally-Anne Russell, Bethany Hill, Jacqueline Dark (who had a really good time as The Sorceress) and Jeremy Kleeman. The Band was expanded with students from the Arts High School. We followed up with a quick meal at Script which was empty when we arrived but soon filled up with folk from the MTC early session.

Very busy weekend

This morning, it was off to the shopping with Franz (no Frank) then to Noel's place with his goodies. He'll have to survive for a fortnight without our shopping because we're off to South Australia, but he says he can okay. In the evening, P. and I went to Yoyogi for a quickie then to Homo Hall for the second Lennie Bernstein concert, this time Bernstein on Broadway. Conductor and pianist, Bramwell Tovey (any relation?) talked too much but the concert was good, especially Brenton Spiteri and Liane Kegan. She displayed her comic side very well and I hoped she would be drafted to sing, 'A boy like that, would kill your brother', but they didn't. On Sunday, we did the crossword lickety-split, faster than ever. Then P. and I went with Franz to visit five of the six finalists in this year's architecture awards. They were all very plush: all of them had swimming pools, I think, and most had monster barbecues, a bit like submarines. Three of the five were quite livable. I wonder how many points the award-givers give for livability? My favourite was the North Melbourne terrace house which included views of the North Melbourne Town Hall and surrounding buildings. In between times, we had a good brunch at a wine bar in Victoria Street. The houses were in Northcote, Fitzroy, North Melbourne, South Yarra and Toorak. Now for a short nap. After that, we joined Frank and a big crowd at the Recital Centre for Simone Young's 'annual' concert with the ANAM orchestra. They did works by Rihm (Ernster Gesang), Strauss Metamorphosen and Brahms' symphony no. 3. The young players were enthusiastic and actually smiled at each other. We followed with a good meal at Fatto.

Off to the Club

Yesterday morning (Thursday), I worked on the autobiography report which is looking very good. After soup for lunch, I went off to the Club (Royal Melbourne Hospital) for my regular ear-nose-and-throat checkup. I didn't have to wait for long, for once, probably because I was being used as a guinea pig, which I don't mind. A very thorough surgeon asked in one of his students but didn't tell him about my rhinectomy. He examined my tongue, glands etc. but didn't notice my prosthetic nose. It all depends what you're looking for. Six students didn't pick it when Professor Becker asked them what was special about me, years ago. I went straight upstairs afterwards to tell the cobbler/elves who make the prostheses. I found that my old friend Greg has retired (last time I was there I urged him to do it). Now Geoff and Jess are in the driver's seat. In the evening, P. made leftover moussaka for dinner plus zucchini patties which were delicious. On Friday (today), P. and I went off to the Collingwood Library for Teresa P.'s Australian Movie course. This one was The Shiralee starring Peter Finch. It was really an English-made film though much of it was filmed in Australia. As P. said, it was structured very like an English kitchen-sink drama of the period though with wide open spaces. It was very moving and led to good discussion over lunch. I went on to the Health Centre to pick up pills and after a nap, I made anchovy pasta for dinner followed by good 'cop' shows on the teev.

Lots of work

Magically, I now have three manuscripts for report: two autobiographies and a young adult novel. I'd better scurry on with the short story so I can get on to them. I'd like to finish at least two of the reports before we head off to Kangaroo Island. Sally S. came round after P. had gone off to lunch with Robin S. We talked over Danny's renovation ideas and Sal had some useful comments. We had leftover soto for lunch. In the evening, P. and I went off to Yoyogi for dinner then to Homo Hall for a Leonard Bernstein tribute. There were interesting works by his inspirers, Mahler and Copland, plus Bernstein's first symphony and Chichester psalms, very well performed by alto Liane Keegan and counter-tenor Nicholas Tolputt plus a huge MSO chorus. This Saturday, in a lighter vein, are his more popular works.

Dinner chez Noel

Yesterday (Monday), I was mainly working on the autobiography which has now gone back to the publisher. P. went shopping then to his kidney doctor. In the evening, we went to Noel's for dinner with his friend Jenny from Austage in Adelaide and her friend, Sean, an actor, producer and director. It was the usual delicious meal with very much magging. Today I did a bit of work on the short story but most of the morning was spent going up to Officeworks to recycle two toner-cartridges, buy a 2019 diary as the subscriptions roll in and pop into the Health Centre to arrange ordering for one of my transplant medicines (anti-rejection). We had more French onion soup for lunch (the last of it) plus some pork sweet-and-sour then leftover soto ayam for dinner. Very indifferent teev on tonight, though the food show (revived Catalyst) was interesting like the curate's egg.

Vivaldi plus

We finished the crossword in (almost) record time then had salmon cakes for lunch. Off to the Recital Centre for the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra with solo violins by Sophie Rowell (the associate concertmaster at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) plus members of the ensemble doing solos for some of the works. There were four Vivaldi pieces all up, plus works by Geminiani, Respighi and Verdi. It was a very enjoyable concert. Now we're at home with rack-off lamb for dinner.

Shopping plus

Yesterday morning (Friday), P. and I and Franz the Corolla did shopping for Noel and us then delivered Noel's to him and went home for lunch. We had leftover pork sweet and sour for dinner then lots of teev. I forgot Noel's strawberries and blueberries, so I'll have to take them on Monday night when we go for dinner. Because today (Saturday) is such a miserable day (wet and cold), we'll probably stay at home reading the many Saturday papers. The Australian, in the form of Planet Janet (Albrechtson), is excelling itself in theories of how the left, socialists and even communists, are taking over the world. If only it were true! On a better note, next year's subscriptions are starting to pour in: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Musica Viva just turned up. We already have next year's tickets for Bell Shakespeare. I'd better get a 2019 diary. This morning, I did a bit more proofing on the autobiography. I should be finished in a couple of days if all goes well. One of the fun parts was checking some 70s dance tunes on YouTube which were in the book.

Even more proofing

I found when proofing the autobiography on hard copy that I'd missed a couple of errors when I proofed it onscreen, so I've reverted to my normal practice of doing both so I'm about halfway through the hard copy proofing. I'm not finding much, but enough to make it worthwhile. P. has gone off for lunch with Robin S. In the early evening, we joined Frank at Bistrot d'Orsay for a very good meal, then waltzed nextdoor to the Athenaeum for Der Rosenkavalier with Melbourne Opera. It was a creditable production with Baron Ochs a la Donald Trump (a good move) and good singing all round. The large orchestra played valiantly for over four hours! It's a pity they didn't start a bit earlier as we exited the theatre around 11.45pm. It is very hard to come down after such a musical marathon.

More proofing

Yesterday (Wednesday) I nearly finished the proofing of the autobiography though still have a bit of checking to go. In the morning, Dan Meszaros, the architect who did our renovations 28 years ago, visited to talk about an update. We outlined our wishes for the future and he had a few good ideas. He'll get back to us with some firm propositions and a quote. Meanwhile, I've sent off to Marseilles some plans for our trip to Europe and await a response. We had French onion soup for lunch and left-over beef stroganoff for dinner which benefited from a couple of days resting.

Coffee concert

This morning, after a bit of admin., P. and I went to the Recital Centre for a Musica Viva coffee concert. It was our old mates, Latitude 37, from the Salon concerts of Local Heroes. This time they were joined by baritone, David Greco, Lizzy Welsh (looking a bit like a Quaker) on baroque violin, Hannah Lane on triple harp and Nicholas Pollock on theorbos. They performed seventeenth century religious music, very well performed and sung, though Greco looked more like he was in Don Giovanni than pious. It was a most enjoyable concert and we followed up with brunch at Trotters. In the evening, I made the roast pork into sweeet-and-sour pork with lots of modifications but it turned out okay, but with lots of leftovers.

At home on a dismal day

A top of 13 (!) is predicted for today so I'm rather pleased to be stuck at home by the heater with the autobiography proofing. I've labelled my study the 'Hall of Mental Cultivation' after one of the pavilions in the Forbidden City. I was distressed to hear that the Chinese have demolished Ai Wei Wei's studio and his supporters scrambled to rescue old art works. P. went to the NGV to review the MOMA exhibition while I stayed home with the cleaners. He made goulash for dinner then normal Monday night teev.

Active Saturday

Yesterday (Saturday), P. and I went with Franz but not Frank (who was otherwise engaged) to the Health Centre to get pills, then to Brunswick Street for coffee beans, then to Victoria Gardens for shopping for ourselves and Noel. We then went to Swan Street for Noel's pills then delivered Noel's shopping and pills. The traffic on Saturday morning was appalling, especially in Richmond. The horror! The horror! We had salmon cakes for lunch and in the evening, after a short nap, went to Yoyogi for a quick meal then to the Recital Centre for the Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir plus La Camera delle Lacrime from France (and other places). Their leader, Bruno Bonhours was a kind of Frog David Byrne and certainly showed Paul Dyer that he was robbing this coach, Mr Kelly. The show, Karakorum, played out how a French priest (played by David Wenham in a very untaxing role) went to Mongol country on the Pope's mission to both find out and convert. The exotic music and closer-to-home mediaeval was enjoyable, though I'm not sure that the whole thing added up to much more than a hill of beans, tarted up with a sense of religiosity and foreign-ness. Home for the final of this series of Poldark. I'm in love with his three-cornered hats. Today (Sunday), P. and I created a record with the crossword, finishing close to 9am. They made a huge mistake last week with the answer, Bede, who was relocated from the 10th to the 1st century in the clue. Both days I did my quota on proofing the autobiography and should finish it off this week. Then I made French onion soup (my version) for lunch. In the evening, I made garlic prawns and we watched Jack Irish which is really hotting up. Not the Right Kind of Black, a program about Boori Monty Prior, was quite well made, though a bit 'paint by numbers', then Vera, good as usual, albeit a repeat from the ABC, Alzheimer's TV. P. and I prove the point by forgetting whodunit.

Friday proofing

More proofing of the autobiography today. I'm now about halfway through and not finding many errors apart from formatting issues. It is an at-home day today while P. went off to American Lit. at U3A which was marginally successful. In the evening, P. made delicious roast pork with crackling that WORKED! Lots of anodyne Friday teev to follow with baby cheeses.

Maddest Place on Earth

This morning, I did a bit more proofing of the autobiography I worked on a while ago which has now been typeset. P. went off for lunch with Robin S. then in the evening we went to the Leinster Arms in Gold Street for the Collingwood Historical Society annual general meeting. They always have a good speaker which we have missed for a couple of years because of absences or other commitments. This one, after a quite good meal, was Jill Giese (rhymes with 'easy') who has a book about Melbourne's early asylums at Yarra Bend and Willsmere. It was a fascinating talk especially after our visit a while ago to Willsmere, now a gated community, locked to keep people out rather than in. There were lots of congenial people at the pub as well (mostly, if not all, not mad).

Busy day

Finished off the end-of-month accounts then contacted Danny Mezsaros, the architect, who did our renovations, about looking at some more. Then P. went off to the U3A committee meeting, then joined me at Graduate House for their monthly luncheon. After a very good meal of two courses including wine and coffee, Professor Alan Pert of the School of Design gave a fascinating talk about affordable housing and re-purposing old buildings. He also spoke about researching designs after the event to find their faults and strengths. It was very interesting. After a quick nap, we joined Frank for a quickie at Yoyogi then went to the Arts Centre where the Playhouse and MTC hosted An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. It was a curate's egg production with some of the cast too mannered in their delivery and pretence of being upper-class twats. Others in this colour-blind production were excellent especially once the drama hotted up. Worth seeing but not a testament to good Australian acting.