Papers and novel

Parts of the Saturday papers are getting smaller and smaller. The Age Spectrum is more like a leaflet as are both travel supplements, I suppose because of the lack of cruiseship ads because they are a bit on the nose. Having done my computer updates, I went on with the BIG novel. We then had vegie soup for lunch followed by a nap. I'm making anchovy pasta for dinner, then teev interspersed with a virtual concerts: Siobhan Stagg at Wigmore Hall doing songs by various composers, Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy and Strauss. Then Kenji Fujimara on piano with works by Mozart, Coleridge-Taylor and himself.

Big novel and pickup

I did a bit of work on the BIG novel this morning. It has come back and I've offered to cut it a bit. The author can do what they like then and either accept the cuts or not. Then I picked up Manon the Corolla and P. and we picked up a case of wine which missed delivery from the post office. We also got pies for lunch from Smurf Street. Out and about in the last three days, I am amazed by how many men seem to think that they don't need to cover their noses with their masks. Now for a nap. P. made curried lamb cutlets with leftover dahl and rice for dinner then the usual Gardening Australia, Vera and Mum.

Up to the shops

This morning, while P. did his post-colonial lit. on Zoom, I went up to the shops to get the Green Guide, sangos for lunch and other essentials like tonic. We had our sangos and it was naptime. I'm making leftover soto ayam for dinner, followed by Victorian slums, Fargo and late news. An attempt to view a Trobriand Islands doco. was frustrated by lack of connection.

Report out, shopping in

I sent off my report on the autobiog. this morning to the publisher. We'll see. Then P. and I picked up Rupert the Picanto and did the shopping for ourselves and Noel. We delivered Noel's and he is awaiting the NBN this arvo who will, with any luck, fix his landline and computer link. Then home for salmon patties. I optimistically ordered MSO tickets for the first half of 2021, Covid safe supposedly. Naptime. We had prawn bisque and Vietnamese spring rolls for dinner, followed by baby cheeses and dips. Roman roads and Australian airways on the teev followed by the always good Planet America. Roll on the election.

More autobiog.

More work on the autobiog. report until P. took over the computer for the U3A AGM. Then we had minestrone for lunch. After a nap, I did some more on the report and I emptied the fridge and we had leftovers for dinner: dahl, curry, ratatouille and mashed spud. A multinational dinner. Then Noni Hazlehurst on fractured families, Craig Reucasel on floods and SBS on Thailand. The protestors in Thailand, Hong Kong and Belarus are incredibly brave.

Autobiography plus

I ordered some drugs from pharmacy today (they should be delivered tomorrow) and then got on with reading the autobiography. I've now finished the first read but need to go back and check some things before doing a report. It hasn't changed a huge amount from the last version I read. It will be interesting to see how the publisher and author respond to my suggestions, still formulating. I ruminated while doing preparation for the soto ayam for dinner and listening to the Bull Sisters do gospel. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then naptime. Now finishing off the soto ayam for dinner. The new Covid restrictions mean that we might be able to go out for dinner and in a week's time travel to Sunbury and beyond. Normal Monday night teev.

Just when you thought it was safe...

Late last night, a new version of an autobiography I have seen before lobbed. I'll look at it later, after we've finished the big Sunday crossword. A BIG mistake this week, Lyndon B. Johnson spelled with a 't'. In a clue, they mispelt John Barth, the author. They must have had the L-plater on this week. Now for the autobiog. which I'm now about a quarter way through. We had tinned soup for lunch, and now for a nap. P. is making goulash for dinner tonight while I get on with the autobiog. It was delicious with snap peas and mashed spud. We watched Incas, the unlikely Grantchester then Concordes making a profit at last before folding completely in the wake of 9/11 and a crash of their own.

Saturday papers

The Saturday papers avalanched into the house. As usual, the real estate shows there is nowhere we can move to that isn't a long way to the shops to buy a sausage roll. The Saturday Paper continues to demonstrate that the Scummo government is not a good economic manager and presides over massive corruption. Oh well! Apart from a bit of reading it's a very quiet day. There are new people moving into Maria's old shop. I made contact with one of the young persons, Beth, and offered our help if needed. I doubt it will be, but she said we should catch up for a beer. We had our bonus Bellota spicy chicken wings for lunch, followed by a nap. We finished off the Bellota box with an Italian chicken dish with salad. Then Victoria (more royal propoganda) then a Digital Concert with Moz and Stefan (our friends) doing works by Schumann and Grieg, great. Then Endeavour.

Phone fun

This morning, Frank came around with Noel's phone and later P. went off to Noel's place to restore the fixed phone. Phew! I went on with some tidying up but not filing. After lunch and naptime, we had the Bellota entrees for dinner followed by Gardening Australia then a rerun of an old Vera, still holding up.

Shopping plus

Off today to Victoria Gardens in Rupert Murdoch the Picanto for our shopping and Noel's. We delivered Noel's shopping and he is having huge telecom problems, one of which we hope Frank can repair and his carer Ann, who arrived while we were there will try the other. Now for lunch, salmon patties. Naptime. The Bellota box has arrived so we'll have oysters (from Vic Gardens) and swordfish (from Bellota) for dinner, before the Yarra Riverkeepers AGM which was good and informative. Keep up the good work. Then Henry VIII and Fargo. Both good melodrama.

Lazy day

Having worked very hard yesterday, there is nothing on my desk today (except, ugh, filing). So it's a lazy day apart from a doctor's phone appointment at lunchtime which went well. Doc Joanne now has my colonoscopy results (fine) and will get my vascular results (not so good) and refer me to vascular surgery. Now for leftover pasta for lunch then a nap. P. made yummy chicken curry with dahl for dinner, followed by very good teev on Roman Britain (!) and Australian airline social history.

Story plus novel again

This morning, I finished off checking the short story and sent it off, then returned to the BIG novel. I am pleased that I am in cahoots with Alice Workman, who does the Strewth column in the Oz, who used the 'never work with children and animals' as I did about Albo's antics at a childcare centre. Also pleased that Adern's government has pipped the UK with 9% gays against 7%. One will be deputy PM. I've got back to the author of the BIG novel about possible cuts. It will be interesting to see how they respond. Now for leftovers for lunch and maybe dinner as well. Naptime! The author of the BIG novel has got back and is revising it. It will return in November or sooner. We nearly emptied the contents of the fridge to have for dinner which turned out quite well. We watched the SBS show on heritage then a concert with the Australian String Quartet with Mozart's Dissonance Quartet. A good night.

Story and the novel

I forgot to mention, I've got a new short story to edit which I'm halfway through and will let rest till tomorrow. Meanwhile, it's back to the BIG novel. Nearly finished this pass. It's Bellota sausage rolls for lunch. Yum! Naptime. For dinner, we're having Belotta pasta for dinner plus chokkie truffles and ice cream for dessert. Normal Monday night teev though Q&A was more interesting than I thought about social media.

Crossword, novel and leftovers

We despatched the crossword with no errors this week, then I did a bit (small) of the novel and we had leftover sweet-and-sour pork and fried rice for lunch. Naptime. P. made steak with ratatouille and mushrooms and potatoes for dinner. We then watched Petra and Grantchester, followed by the final of The Split (for now, I'm sure it will be back).

Papers and quiet Saturday

After a small sleep-in, we attacked the papers and marvelled at scandals down the east coast. Annabel Crabb described the opprobrium directed at Gillard and their Glad as STD, sexually transmitted disgrace. I did some computer tidying and not much else. I can't bring myself to work today so I read most of the Saturday Paper and the review pages (that didn't take long). We had Coles quiches for lunch which were quite good. Naptime! For dinner we had Bellota's confit of duck with accompaniments, then teev (Victoria, ho-hum) with an intermission with Orava Quartet from Townsville with works by Haydn, Schulhoff and Ravel. They were excellent in their matching clothes (why?), and we had seen them on this very weekend last year in Port Fairy, then, on the teev, Endeavour in a slightly contrived episode (identical twins are always a cheap trick).

Tidying up, novel and more Zoom

I did some computer tidying up this morning, Luminosity (I still can't crack the elusive 1300) then the BIG novel, preparatory to a Zoom film course discussion on Fritz Lang's 'M'. It went amazingly well. As one person observed, better in some ways than the large group 'in person'. Perhaps, but nothing beats the social touch. P. got sandwiches for lunch, now naptime. An old friend sent P. a portrait she did of him years ago, but left no address. Please get in touch. The Bellota box arrived while I slept and P. had a walk. We'll have three meals, starting with the entrees: a mix of Italian bread, pickled fish, chicken wings and burrata with vegies. More to come tomorrow. Then Friday teev with Gardening Australia, Vera and Mum, a promising night.

Shopping plus more zooming

With Rupert Murdoch the Picanto, P. and I stormed Victoria Gardens, did the shopping for ourselves and Noel, dropped in to Noel, who wasn't too bad, then home for salmon patties as usual. After a soothing nap, we went to the Hares & Hyenas (virtual) launch of Dmetri Kakmi's new collection of ghostly stories The Door. It was a good discussion about the book with Sophie Laguna. Then fish soup followed by cheese pudding, then Fargo, new series, very good.

Zoomy day

I got up early to get some work done on the BIG novel before P. has his U3A committee meeting late this morning. It was a very long meeting and I got lots of reading done and had my lunch and was napping before he was finished. Now we've got a family Zoom meeting at 5pm with (at our end) gin and tonics and at their end, exotic cocktails. After a good catch-up mag, we ordered Asian takeaway and settled in to watch Australia in the Air which was not bad, then Planet America, always reliable as the countdown continues.

Shopping

I slept in this morning, then schlepped up to Brunswick Street where I got coffee beans and quiches for lunch (and peanut butter which was missed in the shopping last week). Home again to slurp up the quiches, then naptime. I made very filling cheese pudding for dinner with leftover potato and vegies from the frig. We retired replete to watch Fritz Lang's film 'M' for Friday's film course. It was exceptionally good and food for thought.

Back to the big novel

After a few routine tasks, I got back to the BIG novel. I hope to make a dent in it today.Having got up to a quarter of it read, and enjoying it, it was lunchtime with cheesy tomato soup, then a nap. P. is making beef burgundy for dinner, then it's normal Monday night teev with Four Corners doing over Tinder and Q&A boring the pants off us with Albo.

Crossword plus not much else

On a fairly gloomy day, we did the crossword not too early then settled back to a lazy Sunday. I did start on the BIG novel, which is very virtuous though I didn't get very far before we had lentil soup for lunch. Naptime! P. made delicious duck with orange and star anise for dinner with fettucinni. Then we watched the teev with Grantchester, Egypt and Richard Nixon (very satisfying watching him go down; why can't it happen to Trump?)

Lazy Saturday

Apart from reading the papers, I haven't done anything too energetic today. Had an auxiliary nap this morning and P. made leftover chicken with soba noodles and broth for lunch while I was reading the very short children's book by the authors of the short novel. It's very good and deserves its various prizes. I've been staving off starting on the BIG novel again, so will have another nap. We had the final Belotta meal tonight: lamb shanks in bacon with barley and potatoes. Then Father Brown, the final (is that a promise?), then The Split, which is really hotting up, then Endeavour, which is always good.

Small novel finished, for now

I worked very hard this morning and got this stage of the new novel finished so I can now talk with the authors. Time for lunch as I'm exhausted. We had tinned soup with wild rice (a smidgeon!) and more of Kent's yummy bread. Naptime. We've received our Council voting papers and P. has already voted. I'm still pondering as most of the candidates sound plausible (unless you have met them). There is one Reason Party, two Greens, two ALP, two LGBTI+ plus one Liberal and three independent. It's hard. Before dinner, I spoke with one of the authors of the small novel who seemed nice and receptive. Then we had the entrees from the Belotta box for dinner: cured salmon, terrine and straciatella. Very nice. Then gardening, Vera and Mum.

Novels

I still haven't started on this rerun of the BIG novel as I want to get the small one back to its authors by early next week. In a touching display of optimism, I've bought tickets for next February to a Melbourne production of Das Rheingold for P., Frank and I. If only... P. went up to the shops to get the paper and some lunch: sangos and sushi. As well we both had some of Kent's delicious home-made bread which he delivered (safely) yesterday. Naptime! The Bellota box arrived in the arvo and we'll have the swordfish with accompaniments for dinner plus the dessert. It was rather like eating out, having something exotic. It's the start of the new series of Fargo tonight, a long episode or two, which was very promising.

Shopping plus

A little bit on the novel this morning (the small one) before going shopping. Then we picked up Rupert Murdoch the Picanto, went to Victoria Gardens, then Noel's with his shopping, then home again for our usual salmon patties from the fish shop. Naptime. Tonight is fish night with prawn bisque and leftover cheese pudding with spinach. We watched ABC comedy which was not bad, then the news then bed.

Novels again

I am about a quarter way through a second pass on the new novel, and I think it is going well. Strangely, I've had no response from a Sunday email to the authors (both of them). Perhaps they're away. I've also received another big novel for report, so I'll be working on both large and small simultaneously. P. went shopping for the paper (for the Good Food pamphlet) and brought back some yummy wraps for lunch. Naptime! P. is making chicken with soba noodles for dinner which were yummy and a nice journey back into Japanese food. Then budget and bed.

Moments medicaux

This morning, I had a fair time while waiting for Sal to come with a lift to the Wounds Clinic so I did some more on the short novel. Ellen at the Clinic said my wounds were healed and to tell P. he'd done a sterling job, in her splendid Scottish accent. She's sent me on my way with some moisturising cream and tells me unless I get recurring wounds there's no need to see a vascular surgeon right now. Home again with Sal (thankyou) to have leftover mushroom pasta for lunch, then naptime. I am making cheese pudding with leftover chicken for dinner. Normal Monday night teev.

Crossword then not so lazy day

Because of daylight saving starting, both P. and I slept in a bit so were a bit late finishing the crossword, which was pretty easy this week with no errors. A bit more on the novel so I can contact the authors tomorrow. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, and now naptime. P. is making roast roll of lamb tonight with spicy sauce and vegies. Delicious! Then horrorshow Rupert Murdoch (the person, not the car), then Grantchester, a sexier version of Father Brown, but not much better. Then even more horror with Richard Nixon, then a welcome relief with Heather Ewatt in Back Roads, then welcome bed.

Papers and novel, then entertainment

After the usual avalanche of Saturday papers, I did a bit of work on the novel, then watched Alexis Wright interview Melissa Lukashenko (both authors I have worked with) then some moments musicaux from Melbourne Chamber Orchestra members. P. went up to Smurf Street shopping. We had vegie soup for lunch; now for a nap. I had sad news that Bruce Sangster, a fine old colleague from Penguin, had died. We finished off (almost) the Belotta box with bread and anchovies, then mushroom pasta and dessert. Teev was Father (yawn) Brown, then the divorce program then repeat of Endeavour which I always like.

Novel and U3A

I did some more on the novel this morning before P. started on his U3A American Lit. zoom session on Joan Didion, while I had a wash and did some reading. After that we had Belotta sausage rolls for lunch, then naptime. We had the next Belotta instalment: Chicken pies with baked potato and salad, followed by icecream and chocolate balls. Teev was okay: gardening, then Vera and a new show, rather bitter, Mum.

End of month and novel

The end of month accounts and business activity statement were done quite quickly. As P. said, 'You must be working too much,' when I said I had to pay the Tax Office this time. I then got on with the new novel and am about two-thirds of the way through this pass. It is a lot better than I thought at my first quick read through though the faults noted in my report are still there. We had chicken and leek pies for lunch (bought from the flash butcher at Victoria Gardens) and they were not bad at all. The electricians arrived after lunch and the aircon is now working. After a short nap, it's part one of the Bellota box for dinner. This one looks as though it will make three meals. The first instalment, the entrees, were delicious. Salmon with potato salad, pork terrine and pickled vegies. Then Victorian slums, Gippsland real estate and museums, all pretty ordinary.