A progress report from home
I'm still checking through the BIG autobiography and probably will, with interruptions, for the rest of the week. We're having a leftovers day with bean casserole for lunch, then lamb curry and courgette patties for dinner. And in between, a short nap. Not bad teev to follow especially an hour on climate change action, or the lack of it.
I've re-assembled the BIG autobiography and am now working through to check it and maybe lose a few more words. It's now expanded back to 95,000 words, which is not a bad reduction from 156,000 but it maybe could do with a bit more. P. went off to town to shop including Noel's elusive razor blades. Now for a short nap. P. made leftover coq au vin for dinner and it was even better second time around, especially with courgette patties as well. Settled in for normal Monday night teev. Hamish is taking a holiday so we have Virginia Trioli instead.
After we did the Sunday crossword, earlier than usual, I spent the morning amending and cutting the big autobiography, so that now this stage is nearly finished. It will need a final check through, then I'll print it out and send it to the author for approval. Now for leftover rakott krumpli for lunch and a Plexus concert: what a treat! After a long nap, I made leftover leek-and-potato soup for dinner followed by delicious baby cheeses then the absurd Buffalo on the teev, then the film of Bran Nue Dae, always good, but not as good as the show.
I slept in a bit this morning, then hoed into the multitudinous Saturday papers. I finished off the leek-and-potato soup which we had for lunch. I had made the stock out of two chicken carcasses so it was very rich. We've still got two carcasses left for another round of stock, plus some stock in the freezer. Now for a nap. P.'s chook has been marinating overnight to turn into coq au vin. We are not eating badly in this viral lockdown in spite of there being few restaurants. After dinner we watched an Agatha Christie remake, then archival Tour de France then Unforgotten, always good.
Up early this morning for a visit from Garyth the aircon man about getting a quote for installing reverse-cicyle aircon, initially for upstairs which gets very hot in summer and then maybe for downstairs. I've had a favourable response from the Perth editor of the BIG autobiography and should hear from the author today. But now, after all that excitement, I might have a lie down before embarking on anything else. I then cooked up a storm, making a big batch of chicken stock (preparatory for leek-and-potato soup) and beginning the rakott krumpli for dinner. We had tomato soup for lunch, then I had my phone consultation with the Royal Melbourne preparatory to my colonoscopy within a few weeks, she said, but maybe as much as three months. Then I had a call from the boys of the BIG autobiography having discussed it and calling for some minor restitutions and a bit of re-ordering. Nothing serious, so I'm very grateful. A very short nap followed and now for the rakott krumpli, which went down very well. Now for standard Friday night teev, Gardening Australia (final???), Baptiste and Grantchester.
This morning I pursued my podiatry appointment and after a few difficulties got, through Dr Joanne and Vanessa the nurse, an appointment first thing tomorrow. Yay! However, later in the day it was put off to next Wednesday. P. had his post-colonial session on Zoom about The Sweets Vendor by Narayan (the real book still hasn't arrived so it was lucky I printed out an online version). The discussion went quite well apparently, while I went off to the shops for the Thursday Green Guide. It's a fairly dismal, dark day. We had leftover fried rice for lunch. Now for a nap. P. made very strange minced-meat lamb curry for dinner, then I watched a concert by Leigh Harrold and Jennifer Timmins for piano and flute with a very varied repertoire from Bach, through Schubert to the 20th century.
This time we were back with Rupert Murdoch the Picanto again and went to Victoria Gardens, got our shopping and Noel's, after stocking up on Jasper's coffee. We delivered Noel's to him, had a quick chat, then came home to unpack and have salmon patties for lunch. After a nap, I 'made' prawn bisque from Hobart with real garlic prawns for dinner. We then watched Siobhan Stagg live from Berlin doing French songs accomapnied by Kunal Lahiry. It was a brilliant concert but do all Australian embassies have grand pianos in situ, or was this one brought in for the occasion?
I'm reduced to bringing in the bins (which P. kindly put out last night) while waiting for a response to my work. However, today I commit to getting on with the tidying and unpacking, I promise, but first I might just puddle around on the internet. P. made very tangy guacamole for lunch, and now it's time for a little lie down. I suppose I don't need any excuse for being a bit lazy after working my butt off on the BIG autobiography. We're continuing the lazy theme by having takeaway Vietnamese for dinner. Then southern ocean and politics on the teev.
Being temporarily work-free, I've done a bit of cleaning and catching up this morning. The cleaners came, lickety-split, and did a good job as usual. P, went off to get sangos for lunch while I 'sorted' the ongoing podiatry saga. It's still not completed yet and I'm still waiting for an appointment two months later, but a nap intervenes. I made anchovy, lemon and bread pasta for dinner then it was very normal Monday night teev.
...with nothing to do. (Flower Drum Song). Actually, there is lots to do, but I don't want to do any of it. Hang the pictures, unpack bathroom stuff. But I have started the big crossword and done my daily Luminosity, but I can't feel very virtuous about that. However, P. and I finished the crossword before 9am so that's pretty good. I was feeling a bit queasy so had a rest for an hour or so, then felt chipper enough to make fried pork belly and eggs on toast for lunch. Now for a Syzygy concert online which consisted of works by Debussy, Jolivet, Frankel and Mantovani (Bruno). It was great to be back in the Salon, electronically. After a nap, P. made roast porchetta for dinner with all the trimmings, a lot of hard work. I would have done it a lot simpler. Then the absurd Buffalo series (how to make nuclear bombs funny), then, as I've never seen it Mao's Last Dancer. I'm not convinced by it. It's a good movie which reminds me a lot of fifties Hollywood movies, but probably hasn't got much to do with the real China. How come the Chinese moved from being bad guys at the start to good guys at the end. Please explain.
I revel in the Saturday papers but as the reviews sections get thinner and thinner, I await their demise. With the BIG autobiography back with the author, I am temporarily without work, so I can do some unpleasant things like unpacking and gardening. P. bravely did some weeding in the back garden. We had cheese tomato soup for lunch; now for a nap. We had leftovers for dinner (pancake and bean casserole) then I watched part of an online concert with bassoon, then Agatha Christie, then Unforgotten. Very satisfying.
I started early checking the stylesheet for the BIG fella and by lunchtime I'd sent it all off westwards. We'll see what happens. We had soup for lunch, and I hope I've booked a trip to Dunkeld in July. Now for a well-earned nap. After a nap, it turns out demand for Dunkeld has pushed us to the end of July. Never mind. P. is making Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) for dinner. It was delicious. Not bad Friday night teev with Baptiste and new look Grantchester, a bit grittier.
I steamed through this stage of the BIG fella this morning. Only checking the stylesheet to go before sending it back to the author. Then P. and I caught the bus up to Brunswick Street where we had lunch with Barry D. at Mario's. We had a good lunch and a catchup. I bought a copy of his new book, One Punch, at the Brunswick Street Bookstore next door, then home for a nap. Sal dropped in as I slept but it was good to see her as we emerge from lockdown. I then made prawn bisque with prawns for dinner, followed by leftover fried rice. Rather normal and missable teev. You can tell that when Father Brown is a highlight.
I started early this morning to get some proofing in before going shopping in Rupert (Murdoch the Picanto). We got most of Noel's shopping and all of ours at Victoria Gardens, delivered Noel's and came home for salmon patties for lunch. After a nap, we caught the bus to Kew where we had dinner chez Maryann B. and Andrew K. Jackie Y. and Steve R. also came. We had an excellent dinner, too many wines and a good gossip. Home far too late but replete and happy.
After routine tasks, I went on with proofing the BIG fella. We've also got deliveries today of wine and toner for the new printer. I hoped that the drivers (under great pressure no doubt) didn't just run away quickly as they often do but both were delivered perfectly. P. went off to get Noel's watch repaired and I had leftovers for lunch (flied lice: is that racist?). Now for a nap. Back to the proofing after the nap, then a quick shower and off to Anada in Brunswick Street for our first restaurant meal in months for Frank's birthday. We had a very good meal (three courses fixed price) with Frank and Margaret G. Eating out seemed a bit strange but we'll get used to it. Home again to Tuesday night teev.
The weather is gloomy but today is fairly bright. Last night, I found ABC i-voo has the ACO playing Beethoven's Fifth and the TSO playing Lark Ascending. Both worth watching. I've printed out all of the BIG fella and started proofing, plus ordered replacement toner filler for the new printer. After months of lockdown we're going out three days in a row, but not today. I've got about a third of the way through proofing the BIG fella, then P. came home from shopping and we had prawn bisque from Hobart for lunch, then Giuliano arrived and fixed the stove. Now just the fence and the fireplace to go. Now for a nap. P. is making bean casserole for dinner with standard Monday night ABC teev to follow. Can't wait for Heather Ewart's Nullarbor part two which turned out to be absorbing. Then Four Corners focused on China and AI which was a bit scary, then Q&A was about sport. Well, I suppose some people are interested.
Sunday brings the crossword which we finished before 9am, not quite a record, but also a fine review of Julie Janson's Benevolence (Magabala). I went back to the BIG fella. We had chicken noodle soup for lunch for sentimental reasons. It wasn't worth it. I have now got to the end of this stage of the BIG autobiography, which is not quite so big anymore but much more powerful I think. Now for a nap. I've started printing out the whole text so I can send it to the author. I'll also send it electronically to his local editor/helper. And before sending it, I'll proof it in large print text for the benefit of myself and the author. Then I started on fried rice for dinner to use some leftovers and new stuff in the fridge. The teev was indifferent: the Maralinga farce, a boring doco on Clinton scandals and Muriel's Wedding. Yawn!
I'll probably spend most of this quiet and cold weekend tidying up the BIG autobiography before sending it back for approval. Before that I've perused the Saturday papers which point out, in various ways, the perfidy of our present government. The reviews pages of The Age are getting thinner and thinner, now almost at pamphlet proportions as are, of necessity, the travel supplements in both major papers. Richard Ackland is accurate as always in the Saturday paper, especially at skewering Chuckles Henderson, who today describes the NY Times as leftwing in The Australian. Well, I suppose it is to the left of The Australian. We had leftover rakott krumpli for lunch, now for a quick nap. We had not bad pizzas for dinner then watched Digital Concert Hall with musos from the MSO performing works by Weber (Clarinet Quintet), Mozart piano concerto in A minor for string quintet, and Beethoven's Septet. It was excellent and good value, then Unforgotten was remembered by P. so we watched that.
This morning I got straight in to the BIG autobiography, and I think I've now finished the cutting. It is just over 92,000 words and will probably lose some more as I check through it but not much. After checking, I'll send it off to its Perth editor and the author. Fingers crossed! P. has gone off to help Noel with his phone repairer (I think as kind of insurance and doublecheck). Now after all that, a bit of a nap. P. made delicious so-called Russian stroganoff (via Margaret Fulton) but it was delicious. Teev was not bad, though Grantchester appears to have gone off the deep end to cover the departure of its hero. New one, Baptiste, is promising but I fear it's shaping up to be paint by numbers.
I got up early this morning to get some work done before heading off shopping. I made good progress on the BIG one, then went and picked up Murdoch (who I call Rupert) the Picanto and P. and I went to Victoria Gardens for the shopping for us and Noel. We made a delivery to Noel, had a quick chat then home for salmon patties from the Fish Pier for lunch. After a longish nap, I made beer-battered fish fillets (David Herbert) for dinner. Teev was fairly boring so I watched Coastline in Crisis, a splendid video made by Philip H. and David S., with the support of Bryony C., about the coast near their holiday home in Gippsland at Inverloch. However, we finished the night with playing a new CD from Van Diemen's Band called Cello Napoletano. It was excellent and very well produced. It is available from their website.
I made good progress on the BIG one today. I'm now down to 94,000 words and still have a bit to go. There's no target. I'm just going through trying to keep the narrative going without getting bogged down. When P. started his U3A meeting, I went up to the Health Centre for pills and got a quiche and pie for lunch. Now for a nap. Now reheating the rakott krumpli for dinner which turned out delicious, even if I say so myself. Then fairly usual Wednesday night teev.
This morning back to the BIG one. It's now down to fine tuning then it's off to the author and his editor. P. went off to the Health Centre for a check. He brought back a sango and sushi for lunch (but no Porsche, get it?) Now for a short nap before getting back to the BIG one. It's getting close and should be completed this week. P. used the leftover roast chook with delicious scalloped potato for dinner, then not bad teev: on our oceans and human rights (not together) while I made rakott krumpli for tomorrow's dinner.
This morning I did the usual Monday things (Media Diary in The Australian etc.) then got on to the autobiography. I've cut nearly enough and will do some more fine cutting as I edit. It's now around 98,000 words. The cleaners came, only two this time, and they went beyond the call of duty cleaning up some mess from the builders. P. came back from his walk and shopping before they were finished. As my printer is bung after many years of hard service, I went to Officeworks to buy a new one. That was relatively easy but there wasn't a huge range as obviously people have bought out the cheapies for the viral home office. Both Officeworks and Hardly Normal have run out of many models online so I had to go in person to Officeworks to see what they had. I got one, at a price, then had great trouble getting a cab home because Officeworks have blocked their staff from making outside calls. One of the staff kindly used her own phone to do it. Home again, and all I have to do is make it work which I did without too much fuss, though after doing it I'm not sure whether it is using the ethernet connection or the wi-fi. Who cares as it works and I printed out P.'s U3A secret committee papers for their meeting this week, then had a short nap. I heated up leftover fried rice for dinner followed by baby cheeses and chokkies. Normal Monday night teev.
The Sunday crossword was done not lickety-split but by 10am, then to take a break from the autobiography I went back to the young adult novel. Having despatched my report to the publisher, I made French onion soup for lunch with some leftover beef stock. It wasn't bad. Now for a nap. I reheated pea-and-ham soup for dinner followed by baby cheeses and dips. We then watch the rather silly Maralinga soap and the inconclusive 'final' of Killing Eve. Then in the Sunday night 'gay' spot, instead of Barracuda as programmed there was the docodrama about Peter Wildeblood and the Wolfenden Report: Against the Law. It was much better than Barracuda.
The papers arrived but I gave them short shrift as I have to do some work to finish the short story before my virtual Rutherglen winery tour, followed by a virtual concert this evening, which is good because there is naught, zero, zip on free-to-air teev. In the meantime, we had eggs, speck and leftover potato on toast for brunch. The winery tour was a curate's egg: the winemakers were interesting, the entertainment painful. However, the durifs we consumed during it were very good as were the salami and baby cheeses. After a short nap, P. is making roast chook for dinner which turned out to be delicious with beetroot, broccoli, spuds and pumpkin, with two gravies. The concert was not bad either: Bach and Beethoven with three concertmasters from the MSO.
I did some more on the BIG autobiog. today and have now cut 39,000 words, then P. had a zoom U3A American Literature session on Thornton Wilder's Our Town while I perused a copy of a book on Australian musicals while I should have been doing something useful. We had tomato cheese soup for lunch then a nap. I'm making fried rice for dinner followed by the final of China Girl. It's got a lot to wrap up, then really boring Grantchester. God, lockdown is boring and predictable.
I'm not really ploughing on the BIG autobiography, more like savaging, though not really as it does need severe cutting. I'm about halfway through the cutting (27,000 words down and the same to go, or a bit more). I'm not sure whether the author will agree, but then it's up to me and the publisher to convince them. Anyway, onwards and upwards. After shop-bought pies for lunch (not very good) I had a nap, then some more autobiog. P. made leftover pork sweet-and-sour for dinner, followed by fairly indifferent teev.
Giuliano the builder turned up early this morning as promised to check on what remains to be done. He has an elegant solution for the stove. As a bonus for quick payment on his last bill, he fixed the bung front gate in passing. Thanks. I did a bit of work on the autobiography then picked up Murdoch the Picanto (whom I call Rupert), picked up pills from the Health Centre then P. and I went shopping, had a quick chat with Noel when we dropped his shopping then dropped into the bank then came home for salmon patties. Now for a belated nap after all that activity. I made salmon for dinner then it was normal Wednesday night teev less than inspiring. The one bright spot is that Genet's Querelle of Brest in book form is miles better than the film version by Fassbinder and much more erotic and gritty.
Most of the morning was spent on web trivia but I managed more on the BIG autobiography. P. made delicious scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for lunch. After a nap, P. made sweet-and-sour pork for dinner (using the leftover roast pork). It was very tasty. Then fairly indifferent teev so I've started reading Querelle of Brest (Genet) to see how it matches up to the movie.
Pinch, punch, first of the month and no returns. I therefore did my accounts and that took most of the morning, along with completing the pea-and-ham soup for dinner. This also meant no work done, so I'll have to catch up tomorrow or later today. We had yummy vegie soup (premade from the US!) for lunch. Now for a short nap when I should be working. After the nap, I got in a couple of hours work on the BIG autobiography and I think I've broken the back of it, in spite of needing one or two weeks close work on it still. I heated up the pea-and-ham soup (soup of the evening, beautiful, beautiful soup) for dinner which turned out fine, then we had baby cheeses and dip and normal Monday night teev which was a wee bit boring.
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.
