A progress report from home
This morning, I had to admit I couldn't do the shopping, though after the crossword, breakfast and a nap I feel a lot better. Maybe tomorrow. After lunch and a nap, I made anchovy pasta for dinner then had a quiet night with the teev. Let's see what tomorrow will bring, but it's looking good.
I had intended to go shopping today but though I felt a bit better this morning, I thought it better to defer. I really didn't feel competent to drive. Fortunately, I was able to cancel the car and let Frank and Noel know. Maybe tomorrow. Meantime, back to bed, while P. goes to the doctors. We both got up for soup for lunch. We're getting souped out. The doctor was inconclusive on P. but he hasn't got pneumonia so I suppose neither have I. Back to bed. After a nap, I'm making David Herbert's baked sausages, potato and onion to finally eat something real. It came out quite well though took longer to cook as the potatoes wouldn't soften. I should have parboiled them. The teev was so awful we went back to reading the papers.
After a very good night's sleep with few interruptions, I slept in a bit this morning, then went back after breakfast. Now it's lunchtime and I'll have some soup, then another nap. By dinnertime, I might be okay or is that just wishful thinking? Feeling much better after a long nap, having prawn bisque for dinner. P. is not much better, at least a day behind.
I had a very good sleep last night from about 9pm to 7am but having had breakfast I'm taking to my bed again. I don't think I'll do a lot today. After a snooze, I went up to the shops for the Green Guide, milk and bread. We're now set to be home alone tomorrow. Then the gutter clearer came to clear out the plane leaves. I had an arvo nap then heated up French onion soup for dinner. To bed early.
On a very chilly morning, the AEG people delivered our stove-top as promised right on 7am, saying, 'It's very chilly.' You don't say. I am going back to bed to catch up on my sleep. I actually stayed in bed into the night with a very bad cold, including a 3am hallucination where I thought I heard Scummo promising that rents could only go up in line with inflation. Then I realised it would mean all landlords would put up rents in line with inflation whether they were intending to or not. Not such a good deal, but it was all fake news anyway. Up this morning early to put the heating on and have some breakfast (I ate nothing yesterday, Tuesday). Sadly, had to cancel today's lunch with Bryony C. and Kerry B. and go back to bed. After sleeping through to one o'clock, I had some soup and checked emails (lunch recheduled to next week). Back to bed. Got up feeling a lot better, had a shower to clean up then some snacks for dinner. P. is still poorly but I hope he will be better by morning. Early to bed.
It was one of the coldest mornings this year but the cleaners came, lickety-split, and P. went out shopping. After soup for lunch, P. went off to staff the U3A office. In the early evening, we went to Yoyogi for a good meal thence to the Recital Centre for a Plexus Concert. There were two world premieres, of pieces by Leanne Bear and Scott McIntyre and two pieces by Shostakovich. As well there was a trio written the year after I was born by Russian Galina Ustvolskaya which could have been written last week. The second piece by Shostakovich was an arrangement by Stefan Cassomenos of his Symphony of Psalms from 1930. It was also the debut of a new vocal group, Plexus Vox, which included among others old favourites like Katherine Norman, Ben Owen and Jerzy Kozlowski. Home again after a very satisfying concert for Q&A. Unlike last week's with all scientists, this week included some boring politicians.
I started off the crossword relatively early this morning. Then I moved on to the new chapters of the non-fiction memoir which were very moving and sent off some notes to the author which got an almost instant response, which is gratifying. I then made some French onion soup for lunch and f'rafter. In the arvo., we went to Homo Hall for the Australian Chamber Orchestra who had an inventive program twinning 20th century unpronounceable Polish composers with contemporary pop composers who are influenced by them. Home again for leftover fish soup and baby cheeses.
In an orgy of shopping (for us) we did Victoria Gardens with Franz but not Frank (radioing again, already). Before taking Noel's shopping to him, we stopped at Hardly Normal and finalised our new stove and cooktop as the old one steadily disintegrates and more bits fall off. We eventually settled on gas for both, in spite of rising gas prices and the Government sure to do nothing about them. However, we found to have an electric oven would require $400 worth of electrical work plus installation so decided against it. We could be sorry when solar batteries become affordable. Home for salmon cakes for lunch then a belated nap. I made phoney bouillabaise for dinner, using a shortcut method (I'm good at those) then we watched the Lincoln Centre South Pacific, courtesy of Noel T. It was very good though some of the more tedious songs are painful (Younger Than Springtime, Some Enchanted Evening, This Nearly Was Mine).
Today's sassy dame was Claudette Colbert (apparently genuinely French, from Jersey) in company with a very young Clark Gable. It is a screwball comedy called It Happened One Night directed by Frank Capra. It is good value and beautifully filmed even though Colbert thought it was the worst film she ever made. It scooped the Academy Awards for every category it was nominated for (film, director, male Actor, female actor and script). Afterwards a few of us had lunch at Mavis which was good but didn't meet with everyone's approval for various reasons (too far, too dear, too little choice). We'll have to explore other options unless Red Whatever reopens. After a nap, we had leftover Rakott Krumply for dinner, then Frank popped by after his return from the UK for baby cheeses and a good chat.
Most of this morning was spent on the non-fiction memoir which is moving faster than I thought it would. Soup for lunch followed by a nap. We had leftover Beef Provencal for dinner then went to Homo Hall for the MSO in a suprisingly good concert: Ravel's Mother Goose Suite followed by Mozart's Requiem. The chorus, often a bit shaky, performed very well especially in the Lacrimosa. Home again to top up with baby cheeses.
I went to the Health Centre for more pills this morning while P. downloaded some more pictures from his phone, not necessarily an easy job as it interleaved them by date with the camera pictures. I started on the new chapters for the non-fiction memoir but it is quite long and will take days to finish. After a nap, I made Rakott Krumpli for dinner. It's very good winter fare, from Hungary, as it consists mainly of potato, egg, hot salami, red onion and sour cream. P. did some computer work as acting treasurer for U3A Yarra. Normal Wednesday night teev to follow.
This morning I did more tidying up of files and so on, finished this batch of CDs, then had a lunch visit from Sally S. who had some mushroom and cashew soup. Just as I was going for a nap, a batch of chapters arrived from the non-fiction book I have been shadowing for a while. Nap first. P. and I went into town to Tazio's in Flinders Lane for a quite good dinner, then to 45downstairs for Travesties, the Tom Stoppard play, put on for Bloomsday by the Melbourne Bloomsday committee. It was an excellent and entertaining production of a play which perhaps hasn't worn too well over time.
After yesterday's holiday planning, I did some booking today, for a Dunkeld/Grampians trip and for more of the Port Fairy music festival trip. We're still, pending renovations, holding our NZ Te Waipounamu (South Island) in waiting. Whenever that is, it will conflict with some music/drama bookings unless it happens next year which will mean a full year between starting to plan the renos and them actually happening. Thank you Yarra Council for the delay and no one even objected! We had Provencal fish soup for lunch and P. started making the Provencal casserole for dinner. It's all very classy here.
After the crossword, which only had one mistake this week, we both did a bit of tidying, me of the CDs, alphabetising, and P. captioning our overseas photos. Soup for lunch, then a nap, then mushroom and cashew soup for dinner, followed by fish (salmon) and chips. Good soothing Sunday night teev. A very boring, nice day with some holiday planning as well.
Just a very quiet Saturday, with lots of newspapers and a bit of tidying up and even some cleaning! Soup for lunch, then a nap. Then we went to Homo Hall for Eumerella: a requiem by Deborah Cheetham. It was huge! A very big orchestra, three choirs plus soloists in a requiem for a massacre in western Victoria. Standing ovation at the end and a very moved Cheetham. She deserved it. Afterwards, we had a very satisfying meal at Fatto nearby with a waiter with attitude. Oh well, these pretty young folk can afford to be smug, for now.
P. and I picked up Franz this morning (Frank is still in NY, NY) and went to Victoria Gardens to do shopping for ourselves and Noel. On the way to Noel's we went to Hardly Normal where a very nice man called Shane took us through oven and stovetop options. He was very helpful and we'll go back next week to order them. Our present stove, over 28 years old, is gradually falling to pieces, literally, as well as going out at unpredictable times like when you are cooking a chook. A new one is essential. We came home to have quiches for lunch which weren't bad even though they were from Coles. Now for a nap. P. and I then went to the Recital Centre to see Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds, a collection of 'musical poems' about birds, some famous, some less so, written by Paul Kelly and James Ledger and performed by them, Alice Keath and the fabulous Seraphim Trio. It was inspiring, magical and glorious. Home again for (at last) my mushroom soup followed by leftover rakott krumpli, a winter comfort dish of the late Les Murray (of soccer fame, not the poet) and some good teev: Endeavour and Spooky Music (Dead Witness).
Off to the Health Centre this morning to collect some much-needed pills and, incidentally, the Thursday paper for the Green Guide. Home again to start making mushroom and cashew soup but it wasn't made in time for lunch so we had tinned minestrone. After a short nap, P. and I went off to Noel's place where we joined the lovely Sean for a very good dinner. Noel's health concerns are getting gradually better though his political concerns are not. We retired, replete, and feeling quite good. Despite doing some more work on the soup when we got home, it is still not finished.
This rainy morning, I've nearly finished the novella while P. went off to a U3A committee meeting as the acting treasurer. It all went well and they had a volunteers lunch afterwards. After a nap, I finished and sent off the novella to the author. We then had leftover anchovy pasta and ginger spare ribs and rice for dinner, then Wednesday night teev including Tory Stories with Michael Portillo.
Not much time to work this morning as P. and I had to go to the Recital Centre, our home away from home, for an ANAM concert. This one was directed by Ben Jacks who played the Mozart Horn Concerto no 3, then the brass players played works by Bach including a brass arrangement of Brandenburg no 3, Barber's Mutations from Bach and Wagner's Reitermarsch. Robin S. joined us then we had a bite for lunch at the NGV International. Sadly the tearoom was booked out. No crotchless sandwiches, boo hoo! Home for a nap then Hungarian comfort food for dinner. We've booked for the Port Fairy Music Festival in October, at least for the accommodation.
This morning the whirlwind went off back to Moss Vale after croissants and coffee for breakfast. P. and I settled back into the quietness of Abbotsford Street. After soup for lunch, we went to the Recital Centre for a concert by the Melbourne Youth Orchestra with works by L. and E. Bernstein, Barber and Mahler (no 1 symphony). It was an excellent, enthusiastic concert conducted by Brett Kelly with violin solo in the Barber by Anne-Marie Johnson, with gusto on all sides. Afterwards, I picked up David Foster's new novel, with tiny print (sigh), at Brunswick Street Bookstore then home for pork spare ribs, oriental-style, cooked by Pierre, which were delicious. Now, boring Monday night teev.
I finished this stage of the non-fiction book and sent it off to the principal editor this morning, as well as finishing the Sunday crossword. After soup for lunch and a short nap, a small whirlwind arrived in the afternoon in the form of the Three Musketeers, Nick, David and Mark. We all went out to dinner with Lesley P., and Michael and Mollie. We went to the Green Man Hotel where we had an abundant meal and came home fully satisfied. It was very good to catch up on all the news, some of it very cataclysmic.
We picked up Franz the Corolla this morning. Frank the person is still in foreign parts. The news last night (SBS) said that Scummo was in London on his first overseas trip since being elected. I suppose they forgot that the Solomon Islands are overseas (clue: Islands) or perhaps they just thought they don't count. We did our normal shopping and Noel's and delivered Noel's shopping, repaired watches and chokkies. Then home again, where it's market day so it's pandemonium in our neck of the woods. Salmon patties for lunch then a well-deserved nap. We had salmon for dinner then awful Saturday night teev. I would have been better off reading.
Yesterday (Thursday), I did a bit of work on the non-fiction book in the morning, then P. and I went to the Railway Hotel in Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, for lunch with Margaret N. and Kent P. It was a very pleasant traditional oldstyle pub lunch with good talk. Kent has retired. We went home, I had a short nap, then we went to the Afghan Village in Camberwell for an old Penguini lunch, this time plus partners. It had very good food, but unfortunately there were two other large tables plus ours so it was very noisy and hard to talk across the table. However, I think a good time was had by most. Today, P. went off to U3A American Literature, while I went up to Smurf Street to get batteries for my and Noel's watches and pay in cash money at the bank (all counted out in bags). Home again for lunch, then a nap, then anchovy pasta for dinner.
This morning, P. and I picked up Franz and went off to see George P. in Bellfield, near Heidelberg. George seems fairly stable but is getting resigned to the things he can't do or control. We'll have to go more often. It is three months since we were there, though admittedly we went overseas for 5 weeks in the meantime. We then hiked off to Regent to the unusually located Salon gallery which has a wonderful exhibition by Barry Dickins, called Renaissance in Regent. They are charcoal drawings, his best to date, I think. Sadly, we have no wall space on which to put them. The gallery owner Camillo is very nice and we might get some framing done there now that Hogan is closed. Home again for soup for lunch. After a nap, P. made leftover preserved-lemon chicken for dinner with roast veg, couscous and zucchini. Normal Wednesday night teev, fairly boring, but I had stuff to read which wasn't.
I read the new novella this morning which was fine. The hard work comes when I write a report to the author which will be voluminous. The subject matter is very interesting, related but not similar to Sara Dowse's latest novel. P. went off to host the U3A talk this morning, on Germaine Greer's latest biography. Mysteriously, an NBN worker (supposedly) turned up to 'check the box' that they installed a few weeks ago. After a nap, P. and I went to Yoyogi for a cheap and cheerful, then went to the Recital Centre for a very good concert from the smaller Australian Chamber Orchestra with works by Handel, Vaske, Meale and Britten. It was a short concert but a goodie. We saw Catherine L.
This morning, I cleaned up some stuff as I didn't have any work to do, though later in the day received a part of a novel for comment which I'll look at tomorrow. P. went off to Smurf Street to have his hair cut and bank some loose change which I'd bagged. I did a lot more later, so now we have a small fortune in change. After a nap, I cooked beer-battered fish, which was not bad, if I say so, with P.'s beetroot and fetta salad and a few leftovers. The usual boring Monday night teev followed.
Both P. and I got up late but soon finished the Sunday crossword which seemed to have been invented by someone a bit quirkier this week. We finished off the soto ayam for lunch, puzzled over the council's new recycling rules then had a nap. P. made chicken with preserved lemon for dinner which was delicious. Then a good night with the teev including Shetland, Harrow (which I think is fairly punk) then Spooky Music (Silent Witness).
It is end of month, so I did the end-of-month accounts and my monthly Business Activity Statement. In between, Nick rang about his visit. He'll now only be here for one night picking up David for a week's holiday in Moss Vale between touring all round Australia. I also sent of the non-fiction book to the authors, so it will be interesting to see when that comes back. We had smoky fish chowder for lunch (again from Mure's in Hobart) then a short nap. We then went into town to have a good meal at Italian restaurant Tazio in Flinders Lane, thence to 45Downstairs for two Patricia Cornelius plays, Shit and Love. The second was less successful though rivetting in its awfulness. After Shit, two of the cast were in the bar selling Shit T-shirts. They were calling out, 'Buy a Shit T-shirt'. The only one in P.'s size was worn by the (um) largest member of the cast. She stripped it off and gave it to him, saying, 'You'll need to wash this before you wear it.' He always does, unlike me. A wonderful night in the theatre.
Live in a two storey house with Peter, work as a freelance editor and like good food! I'm not an Aries as the computer says but Aquarius. I'm a Pig not a Rat. Peter is an Aries.
