Moving out

First up this morning, the woman across-the-road is moving out to Darwin. She says that the owner is going to re-let the ground floor of Maria's old shop. We picked up Rupert Murdoch the Picanto and went to Victoria Gardens, then Noel's to drop his shopping. Home again for salmon patties having unloaded the shopping. Naptime! We had oysters and a gin to celebrate the disastrous US Presidential 'debate', then watched the Gay Archives zoom on gays in the 20th century, with a big thankyou to Graham Willett for his usual good analysis. After fish chowder for dinner, we watched ABC 'comedy' then Planet America which was great as usual especially in view of the debacle of a debate in the US of A.

New novel

I went on with setting up the new novel (stylesheet etc.). We had minestrone for lunch, then a nap. I made a new recipe, Vera Carbonara, for dinner, to match Vera Bolognese. It was quite good though couldn't quite match the Bolognese. We watched fairly humdrum teev including the last of the Ferrones and a Thai Buddhist scam.

No clinic

This morning the wound clinic cancelled because of illness, just as Sally was on her way to pick me up. We had a good mag instead, on the pavement. I went on with the small novel while P. did his American lit. report and questions. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch. Now naptime. I made cheesy potato and onion to go with reheated roast harissa chook and peas. Then we watched Lindy Chamberlain. No surprises but quite effective. Then Q&A. A bit yawny.

Crossword then back to work

The crossword was done lickety-split after a big delay on one-down mainly caused by him being an obstetrician really rather than a gynaecologist. Now it's a welcome back-to-work on the short novel. We had cock-a-doodle-doo chicken noodle soup for lunch, then a nap. P. is revisiting the polpette for dinner. We switched to commercial teev for the Lindy Chamberlain story which was very familiar but worth watching. We then backtracked to the Murdoch horror doco, then Grantchester for light relief after all that awful reality.

Good reviews

Surprisingly, both The Age and Australian had lots of interesting book reviews today, though The Age book pages were still very thin but their travel supplement reappeared, albeit also very thin. The dove is still industriously building its nest outside my window. I've now got a new novel to edit so the short holiday is over. What's the point in having a holiday when you can't go anywhere? This novel is very short, supposedly Young Adult, though it could be read by anyone. I'd previously done a reader's report on it. P. made harissa chicken for dinner which was yummy and filling, then endless UK detective shows on the teev. Mind numbing. I should have read my books.

Yet another quiet day

A rainy day today (and for the next week) with the heating on. I slept in a bit so it took a while to finish the routine computer things like Luminosity. Because we can't go away anywhere I have passed a record number of consecutive days (144 so far) but can't improve my score very much for all that. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then a nap. P. made delicious garlicky polpette and rice for dinner, then we had Gardening, Vera and The Accident on the teev. Though we're very boring, we are holding up well under lockdown.

Another quiet day

The dove continues busily building its nest outside my window. I watched some virtual music while P. went to get the Thursday Age (for the Green Guide) and sangos for lunch. After a nap, we had the contents of the Belotta box for dinner: mussels with tomato sauce, sausage rolls and cheese and salumi platter (not all eaten yet). Then on the teev: a reminder of our Transalpine railway trip in Te Waipounamu, the Hunter Valley and museums, apart from the first not very inspiring but okay. The electrician came to inspect what he has to do to finish installing our aircon. but probably won't return to do it until late next week.

Shopping day

I was up reasonably early this morning so was able to attend to the computer before shopping. Steve Blue from Los Angeles sent a photo of Peter and I having lunch with him four years ago exactly. Since then we have been to South America, Europe (England, France and Italy) and Te Waipounamu (South Island, NZ). Now we can go nowhere, not even Castlemaine. We picked up Rupert Murdoch the Picanto and went to Victoria Gardens and Noel's with his shopping. Then home again. As usual we had salmon patties for lunch, then a nap. I made prawn bisque for dinner with leftover cheese pudding and the cabbage salad. The Bellota bag came early today, rather than tomorrow but no matter: we'll have it tomorrow anyway. 'Normal' ABC 'comedy' tonight, though Planet America shines as always.

Another quiet day

There's not much on today so I did some tidying and cleaning: fresh sheets etc. P. made Russian eggs for lunch after a shopping walk. After a nap, I reheated the not-so-good Bellota pasta for dinner with the cabbage salad. Then okay teev with the Ferrones in the depression and the Finns who more Australians should be like.

Lazy Monday

With no work to do and domestic tasks unappealing, I watched the last stage of this year's Tour de France on replay while I did some token tidying. A dove sems to be painstakingly building a nest in the tall bush outside my window. We had leftover chicken curry on toast for lunch, then naptime. I made a new Cranks recipe, cheese pudding, for dinner. It is very easy but good and depends heavily on the quality of the cheese used. We had Belotta salad and potatoes as accompaniment for a really fine and simple dinner. Normal Monday night teev with the Poms being really duplicitous about how the Victorians cared for poor people in Britain by giving them free culture rather than wages and conditions. Then, more honestly, slavery in modern Britain, then Q&A, a bunfight about Trump v. Biden with very partisan participants.

Sunday bustle

Up early to start the crossword but mainly to be ready for the air con. workers who are coming because of a cancellation. I didn't expect them till later. However, they say that they will finish the installation today and the electrician will come sometime this week to connect it all up. They have certainly been wiring and installing lickety-split and were finished upstairs and downstairs by lunchtime. P. made a Reuben sandwich for lunch, so now we feel very New York. Then we watched a zoom meeting of the Melbourne Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive to see Bryony C. expound her thesis on George Berenger (a relative of Philip Heath) who was a silent movie star. She had illustrative clips and photos to give an absorbing account of his life and career in Hollywood. It appears that Richie Porte will make the podium in Paris which we'll watch tomorrow. Bellota pasta for dinner. not so good compared with P.'s vera bolognese, then the Murdoch dynasty followed by America as seen by Michael Moore: a bit depressing.

Saturday as normal (more or less)

The Saturday papers are still shrinking, especially the book pages. Given that we can't go anywhere, the travel pages have evaporated in The Age and are tiny in The Australian. At 11am the replay of the Tour de France was on so we watched to the end while having vegie soup for lunch. Naptime! P. made chicken curry and rice for dinner, then Father (yawn) Brown and Endeavour repeat, then Tour de France, a few time trials but we'll leave the rest till tomorrow.

Tour again

I looked at a query I had yesterday, but didn't get very far with it. I really don't understand electronic publishing. If I were younger, I'd learn about it but at this stage I think I don't need to. We then watched last night's Tour de France two-hour version and had tinned beef-and-vegie-soup for lunch, then a nap. I got a delivery of a next year's calendar of Australian endangered species for me and one for P. It was advertised on a crowd-funding page from an artist in Queensland. And STOP PRESS: Gareth, the aircon man, has had a cancellation and will be starting at 8.30am on Sunday. For dinner, we're having Bellota part II: a prawn stirfry with fennel and classy potato wedges, followed by chocolate balls. Teev tonight: Gardening Australia (yay, Tino), Vera repeat then nearly the end of the Tour de France but we won't reach the end of this stage till tomorrow.

Quiet day

Just computer fiddling this morning, then watching last night's Tour de France replay. Some domestic tasks (washing etc.). P. went shopping for the Thursday Age and brought sandwiches back for lunch. After a nap, Bellota delivered what turns out to be three nights' dinner. Tonight, it was pickled sardines, followed by kingfish then delicious sausage rolls. Teev consisted of railways, Crown Jewels (Betty Battenberg's) then back to the Tour de France.

Banking, shopping

We picked up Rupert Murdoch the Kia Picanto this morning and went banking for ourselves and Noel, then headed to Victoria Gardens for normal shopping, delivered Noel's to him and came home for salmon patties as normal, supplemented with P.'s delicious guacamole, followed by custard tarts. A three-course lunch, now for a nap. We're watching the highlights of last night's Tour de France, then I'll make seafood chowder for dinner. Usual Wednesday night ABC 'comedy', the always reliable Planet America, then more live Tour de France. Getting near the end.

Redress

This morning, P. found the photos from our let's-miss-the-Olympics European trip with Kent and Wendy. Nostalgia plus. Then he undid my foot dressing so I could have a proper shower, then reapplied it. We then had leftover beef-and-mushroom on toast for lunch. Not bad but very filling. After a short nap, Genie the Nephrologist rang early. My tests are all okay, apart from chlorestorol, so she is giving me a new scrip for a different statin, Krestor. She says that P. is a 'treasure' for doing my dressing. Now back to my nap. We are having leftover Bellota pasta for dinner then baby cheeses. We finished off the 'stinky' cheese from the last (and only) cheeselovers delivery. We watched more railways, the Ferrones again, then more Tour de France but not too late as it's shopping tomorrow.

More Tour

After a bit of computer tidying this morning, we watched the Tour replay from last night. No big changes except Richie Porte's position has improved and Bernal has gone down the toilet. P. made delicious scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for lunch. Naptime! P. made roast pork straps with sauce for dinner tonight with courgettes, beetroot, potatoes and parsnip. Then conventional Monday night teev leavened with an SBS program on Victorian sewage. Rest day on the Tour today. The riders deserve it after the pummelling they took on the climbs yesterday.

Sunday as usual too

The Sunday Age arrived late for some reason so we were a bit later finishing the big crossword, though there were no mistakes this week that I could see. Then I settled in for the replay of last night's Tour de France, especially to see where they arrived in Lyon. Cheesy tomato soup for lunch then naptime. For dinner, I made beef and mushroom pie with peas, then fairly conventional teev with archaeology, Midsomer Murders which they promise is 'final' (I'll bet it's not), then Tour de France near where we have been (Annecy, Albertville).

Usually quiet Saturday

I'm out of work again, temporarily I hope. The papers arrived in bulk, I scanned them, read my favourite parts then went on with starting to make the beef and mushroom pie for tomorrow. We had leftover leek-and-potato soup for lunch, then a nap. P. heated up last night's lemon chicken and rice for dinner, then we had Father Brown (yawn), then a concert from members of the Australian Classical Orchestra including works by Mozart, Richter, Beethoven and Rossini, then Endeavour (repeat).

Medical morning

Having fasted since last night, I went to the Health Centre this morning where Virginia the nurse looked at my dressing and said that P. was doing a good job with it. Then I went to pathology to give blood for my tests before my consultion with Genie on Tuesday (by phone). Home again to send a report on the BIG novel to its author who rang back nearly straight away. Now for French onion soup for lunch then a nap. P. made lemon chicken for dinner, then we watched Gardening, then had a virtual concert from Brisbane of predominantly wind works by Brahms and Dvorak, then Accident, then Tour de France. A very pleasant night.

Shopping as normal

We picked up Rupert Murdoch the Picanto and went to Victoria Gardens for the usual shop, then delivered Noel's to him via his pharmacy for some medicaments. Home again for the usual salmon patties from the fish shop. God, we're boring. After a nap, we had prawn bisque then leftover pisaladiere for dinner. Not bad, if I say so myself. Then trains, houses and more Tour de France before bed.

Tidying

I did a bit of computer tidying this morning before handing the computer over to P. for a U3A committee meeting on Zoom. While he did that I got lunch ready (French onion soup) and had a wash. It was a very long meeting (nearly three hours) but P. finally emerged to have lunch (I'd already had mine). Naptime. P. made delicious beef stroganoff for dinner then we watched Tour de France replays, the news then Arabia and ABC 'comedy'. As usual Planet America was good, though seeing Donald J.'s polls plunge is good but there's time to go yet. A bit of Tour de France (original) followed.

Novel again

Back to the BIG novel this morning and made good progress by lunchtime (4/5ths through) on an overcast day. P. went off to the shops and got sangos for lunch which were pretty good. Naptime! Back to the novel again and I've got to the end. Now I have to think about what to say about it. Then I'm being brave and making pisaladiere for dinner, a la Saint Stephanie, but it turned out rather well, and we'll have leftovers for tomorrow. We didn't feel as though we were in Nice, but rather in Malaysia on Michael Portillo's railways, then in the Greek Islands where we've been (Lesbos). Then a small sampling of the Tour de France in Brittany.

BIG novel

I went on with the BIG novel this morning, then at 11 went off to the Tour de France replay which was pretty exciting. P. redid my dressing and I made an appointment with the nurse (Virginia) to check the wound, what's left of it, on Friday. We had the rest of the carrot-and-sweet-potato soup for lunch, then a nap. P. is heating the leftover chicken curry and rice for dinner which was very good, then we watched on I-voo the Aaron Pedersen program on parrots which was excellent. Now normal Monday night teev: 4Corners on American opioide crooks then Media Watch and Q&A.

Soup, beautiful soup

The crossword was despatched quickly with no mistakes this week. Then I set about making carrot and sweet potato soup with some modifications (e.g. we had no basil but had coriander and mint, which worked). We had it for lunch while watching the replay of the Tour de France. Naptime before a family zoom meeting which included a few revelations about floods and affairs. My Tour favourites are dropping back: Thibaut Pinot, for instance, while Tom Dumoulin is still in but unlikely. A good night on teev: final of Shetland, a soporific Midsomer Murders then a taste of the Tour in the misty mountains.

Slightly unusual

The Saturday papers were very usual with the one exception of me agreeing for once with Angela Shanahan's op-ed piece (comply with Covid restrictions). Then unusually watched the 11am replay of last night's Tour de France. It is better than the one-hour version at 5pm, being slightly more expansive. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch and while all that was happening I made some chicken stock to turn into sweet potato and carrot soup with mint and coriander, an invention based on what is in the fridge. Naptime. P. made chicken curry for dinner. Delicious. Then Father Brown (yawn), a not-bad but inconclusive finish to Halifax then a repeat of Endeavour (not bad, even though the union man was the villain). Then a touch of Tour de France before bed.

Novel plus U3A

This morning I made a little more progress on the BIG novel (why do I get so many BIG things?), then P. took over the computer for U3A American Literature Zoom, while I went on with tidying up. I'm nearly there though the kitchen, bathroom and living room cupboards are now pretty full. We had leftover anchovy pasta for lunch, followed by Welsh 'rabbit', inspired by the Welsh railways on SBS. It was tasty though a bit runny, probably because of the cheese I used. Thank you the very reliable Bee Nilson for the recipe. Naptime! I made pea and pastrami pasta from David Herbert's recipe and it was not bad. Then Gardening Australia and Greek Islands and the new Accident which seems to be following a formula.

New novel

First up, I had a doctor's appointment with Dr Joanne and my prescriptions are fixed. Later, I had a call from Carlo in pharmacy who had made up what I needed, and it will be delivered at lunchtime. Meanwhile, I've received a very long novel (200,000 words) for report, so I started on that today. P. went up to the shops for esssential supplies, like gin and sandwiches for lunch, and the Thursday paper. Naptime, then P. made roast lamb for dinner with all the trimmings. Very nice! Then railways and Tour de France, in the Massif Central. They keep saying the Pyrenees, but it isn't.

A very quiet Wednesday

We picked up Rupert Murdoch the Kia this morning and did our shopping and Noel's. Delivered Noel's who was quite lively, then came home for salmon patties. For dinner we had fish chowder then baby cheeses then normal Wednesday night teev. Sigh! Oh, and the country is going down the tubes.

End of month

I did the end-of-month accounts lickety-split so feel very virtuous. Now for a bit of tidying. I can't put it off any more as I have no excuses left and, if I haven't finished yet, at least I've made a start on cleaning out the old drawers and replacing the stuff in the new ones and throwing out anything we haven't used for years. Lunchtime: the leftover tortilla from last night, then a nap while P. goes up to the shops. I made anchovy pasta for dinner, followed by fairly lame teev except for an interesting program on zoos and wild animals on SBS. Annabel Crabb's latest concoction was a bit interesting but I think the idea has run out of puff somewhat.