A progress report from home
P. and I did the shopping this morning with Rupert, dropped Noel's shopping in to him, then came home for lunch and a rest. I made fish and pea curry for dinner, then we watched Liverpool cathedral, Shane Micallef then on to the Tour, a time trial.
I went to the Health Centre to see Helen Supernurse to have my dressings changed. Home again for more biog. proofing and thence to the Farm Cafe for a Penguini lunch with Julie, Carla, Jackie, Pat and Bryony. We had a good chat and good munga and all congratulated Julie on her Queen's Birthday award. Home again for a nap. P. made spicy chicken and couscous for dinner, then I watched the Carlton Historical Society zoom presentations on the Inner Circle Railway and the Pram Factory building. Fascinating. Then the Archibald and back to the Tour.
It took a lot less time than I thought to get on with cancellations to Bourke this morning. The only one left hanging now is the flight to Cobar. I'm waiting on an email response. Now, on with proofing the biography. I've also taken the plunge: Shane the computer man was offering a new computer so I've bitten as this one was bought in 2014! It's still going strong but probably is due for replacement. P. has gone off to do shopping for supplies and sangos for lunch. Just as I have nearly finished the last Meanjin, Overland and the new Quarterly Essay arrived but I'll have a nap instead of reading them. P. made vera bolognese for dinner, then it was Four Corners on Australia Post (Paul Fletcher the big villain, wait for the ABC to be punished AGAIN), Media Watch and then the Tour again.
The Sunday crossword was pretty easy this week. The biog. authors sent a few more corrections and I congratulated Grandma on having such sharp eyes. She laughed a lot. We had tomato soup for lunch while watching the finish of last night's Tour with sadly a lot of crashes including one from a dopey spectator who hit a cyclist with a cardboard sign causing a massive pile-up. The win, by Julian Alaphilippe was well-deserved. After a nap, P. made lentil soup (very filling) for dinner, then Greek antiquities, Jack Irish then back to the Tour.
The Saturday papers were unremarkable. The biog. arrived back from the authors yesterday, so I went through it today incorporating their corrections and mine. It just needs a proof of the whole thing before sending it off to the publishers. I'll start on that tomorrow. We had vegie soup for lunch; now for a nap. Gold-plated Gladys' new restrictions mean that we have to pull out of going to Bourke. It is too risky in every way. I'll start the unravelling on Monday. According to Allie, in Bourke they are moving on any tourists passing through. P. has made vera bolognese for dinner which will be some consolation. It is also the start of the Tour de France which we will now be able to watch. Tonight starts in Brittany, not where we have been but still very nice. Every cloud...
P. and I picked up Rupert the Picanto and Frank the person, went to Victoria Gardens, did our shopping and Noel's and dropped his in to him a bit early because I had to make a podiatry appointment. Rebecca redid my dressing and Dr Joanne came and peered at the wounds and took photos. Home again for a bite and a nap. We had salmon patties and fish chowder for dinner, then gardening and Vera, plus news.
Sergei and Alex the Russian builders arrived this morning to put up a new fence between here and next door. Meanwhile, I got on with some tidying up while waiting for work to come back to me from authors. Also, we have the dilemma about what to do about next week with 'lockdowns' and travel 'bans', all of which Gold-plated Gladys is very vague about. I'll talk to Nick and Keren about it today. In the latest developments, due to Covid in NSW, the train to Moss Vale, which we are supposed to catch next Wednesday, has turned into a bus to Albury, then train onwards, leaving an hour earlier. Sigh! We had tomato soup for lunch, then I went to physio. class at the Health Centre and picked up enough pills for our holiday (if we have it). I'm glad I went as I nearly welshed out because of three days in a row at the Health Centre but it was good for me to stretch myself. Home again for a nap and to find that the fence is finished. P. made leftover beef curry for dinner, then it was HK trains (a bit out-of-date), then Q&A (intriguing), then chook lovers quickly replaced by late news.
I checked the biography references this morning, which took longer than I thought, while P. went off shopping. We had vegie soup for lunch, then I went to the Health Centre for Virginia, the nurse, to renew my dressing. Unfortunately, I arrived an hour early due to misreading my appointment card. However, I had reading matter. Home again for a short nap. P. reheated the lentil soup for dinner, followed by Durham cathedral, Micalef (getting tired) and a series of programs which should have been sent to the dustbin: Starstruck, Superwogs and Last Leg. Which audience do they think they are appealing to?
We went off to Sunbury after breakfast to 'help' the Shaw sisters move around the corner to their new flat. I say 'help' because we didn't do much apart from transport Robin, Elaine and Maud the cat in Manon the Corolla, and go and get some Vietnamese food for lunch. The Men with a Van did most of the work and they did it very well. We came home for a nap and P. is making delicious beef curry for dinner. Then Denise Drysdale, Archibalds and China.
I put the last corrections into the biography and sent it off to the authors. I still have to check the references one more time. Then P. and I went to the Railway Hotel in Nicholson Street for lunch with Kent, Wendy, Margaret N. and Leigh C. We had their usual hearty food and a good mag. Home for a short nap. P. is making lentil-and-sweet-potato soup for dinner, very filling. Then it was Australian Talks, a kind of extended vox-pop (ho-hum). Then Murder 24/7. Solving murders is quicker on Vera!
This morning the crossword was finished promptly, then I got stuck into the proofing and have now finished the hardcopy phase. Now I just have to finish entering the corrections and checking the references and I can send it to the authors. We had P.'s homemade thai lentil soup for lunch. It is delicious, and just as well as there's a tonne of it. Naptime. P. is making leftover roast chook for dinner, then it's carryover of new Jack Irish. Seeing what is probably John Flaus' acting swansong is great, though sad. This was followed by the harrowing Irish saga, Hunger.
We went with Roger and Sally to Cam's cafe for brunch, coffee and a good mag. Frank joined us in a break from 3MBS. Then home again where Kent P. dropped in for coffee and a mag. Now it's naptime. I'm making ham-and-spinach souffle for dinner. We had trains in Kenya, then the bonnet program (still limping along) then a replay of Jack Irish to see John Flaus' great performance, then news, then bed.
Up late after a late night last night, I did various computer things then back to the biog. proofing. After lunch (minestrone), I went to the Health Centre where I got gold-plated service from Rebecca the podiatrist. Home again for a nap, then P. made roast chook for dinner. Gardening then Vera on the teev followed by a recap of Hadrian's Wall.
Sergei the builder came and removed the bit of back fence that was falling down. The brickwork underneath is fairly crappy so he recommended replacing the fence, so his carpenter is coming to measure up tomorrow. Keren L. sent some more info. about Bourke which I followed up on google then it was back to proofing the biog. We had tomato soup for lunch, then a nap. I reheated the rakott krumpli for dinner, then it was Q&A then John Lennon and after the news we were sucked in by Mike Leigh's movie, Another Year, so stayed up late but it was worth it.
Shopping proceeded precisely as normal (but without Frank). The usual routine, now for a nap. I made beer-battered fish for dinner, which wasn't bad, then we watched Salisbury Cathedral, Mad as Hell (getting a bit tired) then Bloodlands.
First thing, I went to the Health Centre where Helen the supernurse redid the dressing on my toe. Home again to see Danny (the architect) and Sergei (the builder) about the remaining bit of back fence. Sergei will return on Thursday to do the work. It will complete the renovations of twelve months ago. Back to the biog. proofing, though not as much done as I'd like. We had chicken soup for lunch, and now for a nap. I made rakott krumpli for dinner. There were half-hearted programs on Malcolm Turnbull (his heritage of crooks and dodgy politicians), the Archibald but good shows on Finland and China.
I perused the Honours List as I usually do and noted the paucity of writers though very pleased to see Julie Watts get an OAM. Surprised to see feminist Anne Curthoys get a gong and Patrice Newell, though for her garlic and olives, not her writing. I finished this pass of the biography as expected, printed it off and have started proofing it. Cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then a nap. After the nap, P. and I headed around the corner to Cam's cafe for Frank's birthday dinner. It was a great and tasty meal with very good company. I was flattered to be placed on the 'family' table rather than the gay table. We enjoyed a very convivial evening. Thanks Frank.
The crossword was done lickety-split, though this week after several clear weeks had one error 'cacao'. Then I piled into the biog. and made very good progress. I should finish this stage tomorrow, then I'll print and proof it. We had leftover okonomiyaki for lunch. Now it's naptime, even though we should be going for a walk. Tomorrow. We have leftover pea-and-fish curry for dinner, then Spicks and Specks (yawn) and much-awaited Jack Irish new series which seems promising, if a little slow, and the final of Smother, too clever by half.
The papers were more interesting this week though The Australian is still ABC bashing as hard as it can. The Age had a fairly vitriolic attack on Bruce Pascoe which could have been subtitled: 'Get off our patch,' say academics. His uncombative reply was a model of reserve. I then did a bit, though not much or enough, on the current biography. We had vegie soup (canned) for lunch and now it's naptime fo me, though P. is going up to Smurf Street for some shopping. After the nap, I redeemed myself with more biog. P. is making okonomiyaki for dinner which is why he went shopping at the Japanese shop. Not much on the teev tonight except railways and the so-so bonnet program. Rewatched the finale of Wakefield to look out for plotholes but there weren't any except the real story of the brother's death was obfuscated by the interpolated tap dancing and the flooded bathroom.
No Frank this week and fairly usual shopping day including Noel's pharmacy. It was good to see him seeming a bit cheerier. Normal salmon patties for lunch and now a nap. I made fish and pea curry for dinner, then it was Gardening, Vera and then news. A good night if a bit 'normal'.
Last night was cold and windy with bits of the plane tree battering P.'s upstairs window. We're waiting, without much hope, for the gardener today, who is probably sheltering somewhere warm if he's got any sense. However, he's just phoned to say he'll be here in half an hour. Miracles will never cease. We might even get the garden cleared before building works happen next week. He works on doggedly in the backyard and while I wait for texts to return from authors, I can get on with some tidying and admin. But more miracles, the authors rang with answers to my questions so as soon as I get an email from them I can proceed. The garden job is done and paid. I believe in miracles. Now for cheesy tomato soup for lunch and a nap. My nap was interrupted by a wine delivery so I overslept. We're having leftover frittata for dinner, followed by Hadrian's Wall (again) and Q&A.
I went early this morning to Rebecca the podiatrist who changed my dressing. Home again from the Health Centre to do an exercise session with the Health Centre (in the form of Mohamed and Carlo) via video link, which felt kind of silly. Lots of rearrangements happened. Frank's birthday bash has transferred to Monday, the gardening is supposed to be on tomorrow (Thursday) weather willing and the fence fixing has moved to Tuesday (because of Betty's birthday). Sigh! We had minestrone for lunch, now it's naptime. P. is making Chinese pork belly for dinner which was yummy. We watched cathedrals in Britain (Canterbury), Chinese on You Can't Ask That, then more Bloodlands which becomes more and more mysterious.
I spent a bit of time this morning trying to organise a tidy-up of our garden preparatory to the fence demolition next Monday. We'll see how it goes. Some quoters have responded. We will have two through today to look and quote. P. had a phone consultation with a nutritionist. We finished off the beef burgundy on toast for lunch and Justin from Jim's mowing came for the first quote. I started making the frittata for dinner with the onions and rosemary. The second quote was a no-show so I think we'll just accept the first. Tonight's teev was fairly lacklustre though the courage of Myanmar and Hong Kong's youth is breathtaking.
I finished reading the update of biography no. 2 and sent a short response to the author who has responded graciously and gratefully. Our back fence demolition is scheduled for Friday so I've had to move the shopping to Saturday and now it's moved on to Monday so Friday shop can be reinstated. Sigh! We had French onion soup for lunch and now it's naptime. P. has made chinese pork belly for dinner, a two-day operation. It was delicious and there's one more meal out of it. Then, thank God for the ABC because we should can't thank Scummo, for shows on remote nurses, Afghanistan and Media Watch, followed by an i-voo doco on Turner, then news then bed.
We did the crossword quite easily, then I went on with reading a second biography which has been with me (and the author) for quite a time. It's still in progress but going quite well. We had a nice Leo's chicken pie for lunch then watched a film archive discussion on Kid Stakes, the splendid silent film, which included the inestimable John Flaus. Now a short nap before dinner. We had leftover rakott krumpli for dinner, then Spics & Specks, the finale of Wakefield (disappointing and predictable), Smother (hotting up) then the final of the Dauphine with Richie Porte the winner (very good scenery) and Mark Padun, the Ukrainian stage winner.
The Saturday papers were staggeringly unrewarding and very predictable, all of them. I'm getting very tired of Covid and the federal government's lies, though Christian Porter is the gift that keeps on giving. After my talk with the authors yesterday, I've prepared some references and the stylesheet for them for approval before I can move on to the next stage which shouldn't take long if all goes well. P. has gone out in the cold to do some shopping. We had French onion soup for lunch in honour of the Dauphine (two stages to go). After a nap, we watched Kid Stakes, preparatory to a film archive discussion about it tomorrow. It was released in 1927 and apart from anything else gives scenes from Wolloomooloo and Potts Point in the twenties (19 that is). I made rakott krumpli for dinner, then we relived our Transalpine train journey in NZ, then crooked bonnets, then the Dauphine right through the stage, won by Mark Padun, a young Ukrainian with Richie Porte, a Tasmanian now in the yellow jersey. The commentators went wild with three Australians in the top ten. One more stage to go.
I went off to the Health Centre early where I got the red carpet treatment: nurse Virginia, doctor Joanne and podiatrist Rebecca. I've now got a new dressing on my toe and instructions for repairs. Meanwhile, P. had a lockdown zoom U3A meeting for American literature. Now we're having leftovers for lunch. After a quick nap, I had a good chat with the biog. authors. Now to continue the nap. P. is making leftover beef burgundy for dinner and it will be a usual Friday, Gardening, Vera with the addition of the Dauphine which we watched till the end because it was early. The stage was won by Valverde (aged 41!) and Lutsenko now holds the yellow jersey.
This morning, I had a phone consultation with Dr Joanne who made a date for me with the nurse and her for tomorrow (Friday), then P. and I picked up Rupert the Picanto, and went to the bank which has shut permanently (what is the ANZ definition of service?) and the coffee shop, which was closed for stocktake. Both things essential for life but unavailable. We then picked up Frank and went to Victoria Gardens in lockdown mode and on to Noel's with his shopping. Home again, dropping Frank, with the inevitable salmon patties for lunch. Naptime, then I made fish chowder for dinner. Then Robson Green on Hadrian's Wall, Stan Grant on Q&A, Tupac then Dauphine which I watched to the end. Stage won by Geraint Thomas, leader remains the same, Postlberger.
This morning I finished this pass of the biography and read part of its companion book. As the lockdown is extended by a week, I had to cancel our trip to Lorne. They wouldn't rebook on the same package (silly, eh) so they are sending a refund. P. is changing his Friday U3A course to a zoom meeting rather than Bargoonga Nganjin (Fitzroy Library). We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch and now naptime. I'm making anchovy pasta for dinner to be followed by normal Wednesday night teev, followed by the Dauphine but only a bit as it's a time trial, so we should get some more sleep tonight.
I got up late this morning as I watched the Dauphine to the end last night as the stage had a thrilling finish. I might be getting hooked on the Dauphine, partly because of the glorious scenery around Issoire. Even so, I managed to complete the end-of-month accounts before lunchtime. We had vegie soup for lunch and now it's naptime. P. made leftover beef burgundy for dinner with zucchini cakes, then we watched Lisa Wilkinson, autistic hookups, Portuguese drug laws, Stan Grant on China then the Criterium du Dauphine to the end of this stage. No change to the leader, yet. Around the world raher quickly. It is disturbing that Peru has the highest per capita Covid deaths. Not surprising seeing the poverty and shanty towns we saw when we were there.
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.
