New Year's Eve

I did a big hurkle-durkle this morning. As no papers arrived, I did a bit of detective thinking. We have found that if deliverers use GPS to find our house (68), they are directed to 63, not even realising that that has to be the wrong side of the street or, as P. says, not knowing that is the way Australian street numbers work. Sure enough, the papers were outside no. 63, so we're sweet. I've notified The Age, but we'll see if it makes any difference with tomorrow's delivery. P. went to the convent and came back with a sausage roll and a pastie and two custardy cakies for lunch. Now for a nap. We had French onion soup for dinner (with a G&T) then went into town to meet Kit and Allie at the W hotel for a NY drink. We were joined by Lesley P. We had a good mag though Allie seemed really tired. Home again for NY then bed.

Rest day

Not much happening the day before New Year's Eve. P. went up to the pharmacy and shops. I did the dishes. Boring but peaceful. We had minestrone for lunch, and now for a nap. I made fish-and-pea curry for dinner, then we watched Christmas Death in Paradise (oddly compelling), then the incomparable Judi Dench in Philomena (equally compelling) then news then bed.

Brunch and dinner

P. and I went up to Gertrude Street to Gabriel, a very busy brunch place where we met up with Sara, her daughter Emily, Nick, Allie, Kit, Maggie and Lesley P. for a fine brunch. Nick gave us a lift home for a good rest. Then we went to Red Sparrow (in Smith Street, vegan pizza joint) for a good meal with the same cast (except Lesley) then home for Andalusia, Ireland, English archaeology and news then bed.

Shopping

P. and I picked up Rupert and went to Victoria Gardens. It was quieter than yesterday, oddly. We did our normal shop and a very tiny one for Noel, then dropped his in. He is not looking good, thin and weak but said there was nothing we could do. We had salmon patties and chicken mayonnaise for lunch; now for a nap. P. made marinated lamb cutlets for dinner, then it was British travelogues, Utopia rerun (very funny) then news, French politics then bed.

Boxing Day 'holiday'

We picked up Rupert and went shopping for this arvo's barbecue and now have a variety of shaslick's in tow, plus salmon patties for lunch. In the meantime, I had time for a beard- and hair-trim so I no longer look like the wild man from Borneo. Now for a nap. We then went to the Comfort Apartments hidden down a lane in Fitzroy near the corner of Gertrude and Nicholson where there was a surprise garden with swimming pool where we had a pleasant barbecue with Nick, Kit, Sara and her daughter Emily, Allie, Ben, Maggie and David. Home again for news and bed.

Another lazy day

After a very big hurkle-durkle, I just did routine tasks like the daily Luminosity. We did a bit of reading, had vegie soup for lunch and now for a nap. P. made a mango sauce to go with the cold chicken, then we gorged on the farewell to Doc Martin (good riddance), then Hefner, then Alcatraz, then bed.

A Very Modest Christmas

A very small hurkle-durkle this morning, then a quiet Christmas day with very little happening. The troops don't arrive until tomorrow. We polished off the French onion soup for lunch, then a nap. P. made summer chicken for dinner which was splendid, then we watched the message from King Tampon (off with his head), Dean Martin, a replay of Gardening Australia final for the year, then lots of news, then bed.

Another quiet day

The Christmas shutdown is in progress. No Saturday Paper until January and The Age and The Australian were very skimpy indeed, though we didn't miss out on GaGa Gerard having his weekly rant about the ABC. Then it was not much else until lunch which was cheesy tomato soup. Now for a nap. I heated the remains of the Rakott Krumpli for dinner, then it was the last episode of this series of Shetland (after we were promised the last of Doc Martin, promises, promises). Then it was the usual soporific Midsomer Murders, then news, then bed.

Not much

I was meant to go to a podiatry appointment this morning but the ordered taxi did not come. No wonder people are shifting over to Uber. I think I saw it enter the street then turn around, probably for a longer fare. I hate them. I did a phone appointment instead and P. kindly went to the Health Centre to get my pills before it closes for Christmas. He also made yummy guacamole for lunch. Now for a nap. I heated the French onion soup for dinner and we polished off P.'s guacomole. Then it was All Creatures (syrupy) then a Vera re-run.

Cooking day

After a small hurkle-durkle and a bit of computer stuff, I started in on cooking for a rakott and French onion soup (not together). That will keep us supplied until P. makes his famous summer chicken for Christmas. The contingent from the north start arriving soom as well, but they are (I think) staying separately. P. went into town to pay some bills, and I had leftover anchovy pasta for lunch. Now for a nap. We had the first instalment of the rakott for dinner then watched the First and Forever Concert at Hanging Rock. It was quite absorbing, then news then bed.

Shopping and little else

We went to Victoria Gardens with Rupert the Picanto, did our shopping and Noel's, delivered Noel's to him then came home for salmon patties. After a nap, P. made leftover pork roast for dinner which was yummy. Then it was Hard Quiz, Pickering's Year and news.

Usual stuff

After a small hurkle-durkle, I did my usual computer things while P. went off to Readings for more U3A books and brought back sangos for lunch. I've nearly finished arrangements for our January trip to Ballarat and now for a nap. P. made delicious roast pork for dinner, then we watched Denise Drysdale, Billy Connolly, the ABC multicultural special Cabaret, which was excellent, then news then bed.

Bookings for Midsumma

After a very short hurkle-durkle, I made some bookings for Midsumma. We now have four shows to go to, a record I think. The cleaners came and went till next year. I read and got back to the author on the next instalment of the ongoing biography. All's well with it, but it is very difficult with recent history interfering with it. P. went shopping for U3A books and came back and made curried egg sandwiches for lunch. Now for a nap. I made anchovy pasta for dinner. Then we watched a rerun of Shetland, then Playboy (yuk) then news, then bed.

Sunday, sweet Sunday with nothing to do

Not quite true. The Sunday Age arrived and the crossword was despatched with not much angst, except for 'ilk' which took a bit of finding. We had leftover fish curry for lunch, then a nap. P. made steaks for dinner, then we watched Death in Paradise (yawn) and a very slow-moving Jackie, then news then bed.

Papers and 'opera'

I had a big hurkle-durkle this morning, then I soaked up the papers which arrived AGAIN (the new normal). P. went to the market and came back with quiches for lunch. Now for a nap. We then went to St Kilda and had an excellent early dinner at Ciciolino's. The waitrine suggested a photo of P. in his pink shirt with a glass of rose in front of a ceramic flamingo, so we took one. Thence to the Palais for the Victorian Opera production of A Christmas Carol. The libretto by Anna Goldsworthy and the music by Graeme Koehne were fine if a bit bland, and the overall production was excellent as were the singing and orchestra. Given the amount of effort that must have gone into it, I couldn't help feeling it was a bit of a waste of resources and something more ambitious would have been better. Home again for news and bed.

Back to normal and a concert

After the tumult of yesterday, it was back to a normal routine with bookings for next year and so on. P. went to the shops to get sangos for lunch. Now for a nap. We then went to the Recital Centre for a concert by Quartz (plus a guest violist) quartet with a perfect combo of Mendelssohn and Bartok. We then dined at Blondie, very well, then home again for Vera and news.

Podiatry and emergency

This morning, after a big hurkle-durkle, I went off to podiatry. When Jennie and Dr Fran examined my foot they decided their antibiotics were not working and sent me off to Emergency, having tried to circumvent it unsuccessfully because I was not diabetic. I went home to tidy up a few things and pass tonight's concert over to P. and Frank, then off to Emergency. It was not too bad, four-and-a-half hours to have my dosage lifted from 250 to 500 grams, but at least I was seen by a specialist, and had the dosage checked with kidney transplants. Home again for belated dinner and a bit of teev, don't care much what. The other side benefit was that I finished Amanda Lohrey's The Labrynth while I waited for slow-moving emergency. It earns its Miles Franklin award.

Shopping

We picked up Rupert the Picanto and hit the shops. We did our shopping and I made an appointment with Specsavers for next week. Because Noel hadn't responded to calls for a shopping list, we went to his place anyway to check he was okay. He was abed when we got there and said that he didn't want anything. He is not well though someone else has been visiting. We'll see next week. Home again for the inevitable salmon patties and now for a nap. I made fish-and-pea curry for dinner and we watched putrid Wednesday night teev (nearly all UK boring quiz shows), then news then bed.

Eventful morning

I bussed off to the Health Centre for podiatry this morning. Eagle-eyed Jennie the podiatrist noticed that my big toe was looking strange, so probed it and poked it to find it has infected again. She got in Dr Fran who prescribed anti-biotics and took a swab. I have to go back on Thursday for a redress, check and blood test. Home again for lunch. P.'s telehealth revealed some protein build-up so he has to have a retest. Now for a well-earned nap after a marathon podiatry session, but thanks very much to Jennie and Fran for being thorough. P. made sausage and potato casserole for dinner. We watched Malcolm Turnbull, Navalny (half) and Fake or Fortune (which I call Trash or Treasure), news then bed.

Quiet Monday

Nothing much is happening on a rather overcast day in Abbotsford: a bit of computing and not much else. We had vegie soup for lunch; now for a nap.

Crossword plus concert

Our run of success with the papers continues and we despatched the crossword with a couple of dubious entries. Now for lunch before heading to the Recital Centre. We went to a packed-out arvo concert with the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. The headliners were pianist Hoang Pham playing Rhapsody in Blue and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, but much more interesting was an overture by Russian Kabalevsky (a regime-approved composer) and an Australian-premiere of a piece by American Daughterty steam-train inspired. The Gershwin was perhaps a little tightly played, but discipline is probably the watchword for an amateur orchestra. We topped off with dinner at DOC in Carlton, then home for the ending of Post, news and bed.

Papers again

All of the Saturday papers arrived today. This is becoming routine. We perused them but even the right-wingers were a bit boring this week. P. went off shopping and got sangos for lunch which we will have with leftover anchovy pasta, then a nap. P. made the leftover lamb into shepherd's pie (yum) then it was Palin, Shetland and soporific Midsomer Murders.

Another quiet day

A very quiet day with not much new happening, apart from disturbing developments in the Lehrmann case. It seems very much a good example of 'we look after our own'. After a novelty lunch of cocktail snags, it's time for a nap. I made rakott for dinner, followed by Gardening and a repeat of Vera, always welcome.

Shopping and not much else

We did the shopping this morning and dropped Noel's off. He is not in a good way but the aged services people are coming on Monday and we hope he'll accept a deal for more in-home services. We went home for salmon patties as usual, then a nap. P. is making roast lamb for dinner, then trains, Aboriginal embassy and news.

Tahbilk and Shepparton

On Monday, we picked up Rupert early and headed for Tahbilk, with a stop for morning tea in Nagambie. We met Liz T. at the Wetlands Cafe for an excellent lunch and a mag, then headed for Shepparton where we dined and stayed at the Parklake Motel opposite the lake (obviously). Our room had a nice view of the lake and its changing light effects. Next morning (Tuesday) we went to the Art Gallery, which didn't have a lot on, but some very nice ceramics, including by Leigh Hobbs, the same Flinders Street teapot which Frank has, and a good ceramic exhibition by a local artist, Scylla and Charibdis. We then went to Tatura to view the wetlands, where not a lot was happening either, thence to Mooroopna for lunch. Back 'home' for a nap, then dinner. Next morning, we had breakfast in town at the same place as last time, then drove back to Melbourne via Kilmore. After a short nap, we went to the Recital Centre for the Asha trio, doing some Aus. pieces based on a piece by Bartok. It was challenging but very enjoyable. Back to Superhiro for a good meal and home again after a relaxing few days, not very eventful, but nice.

Crossword then lunch

The Sunday paper arrived AGAIN so we've had a perfect record on the papers for weeks now. Can it last? We despatched the crossword quick smart, then P. got on with the thankless and onerous task of peeling the cooked broad beans before mashing them. He is making a spring vegie fritatta for lunch. Soon, Michael H., David G. and Frank arrived for lunch and we had a good mag over the fritatta, potato salad and icecream and raspberries. Now for a good nap. I made anchovy and lemon pasta for dinner, then we watched Cyprus (memories of Maria) then Judy while I packed, showered and got ready to go away.

Papers again then Buster Crabbe

All the papers arrived today but we couldn't linger. P. went to the market to get more broad beans for tomorrow's lunch and brought back sausage rolls and cakes for lunch. Then we hiked off to South Melbourne for the Friends of the Film and Sound Archive gala screening of Flash Gordon, the movie from the thirties. It was a lot of fun and followed by nibblies and wine. We then had a salumi and cheese platter at nearby Bellota, for old times sake and thanked the waitrine who delivered to us in lockdown. Then it was home again to cook up a storm for tomorrow. While doing that we watched Shetland (good), Midsomer Murders (soporific), then news then bed.

Busy, busy

Yesterday (Thursday) we went shopping for us and for Noel. Home again for patties and a nap, then we met Frank and went on a long journey to Chapel Off Chapel for a very good gay play, a four-hander Cavem*n. We had dinner beforehand at a new joint in Chapel Street, Isakaya. This morning (Friday) I went off to podiatry where Jennie put on a new dressing, while P. went to U3A American Lit. We had leftovers from Tuesday for dinner, then a repeat of an old Vera, news then bed.