A progress report from home
After a bit of a hurkle-durkle, I spent the morning tidying up various computer things and bookings. P. assembled another chair and we had leftover chook for lunch. Now for a short nap. We went to town for dinner at Nomad in the Adelphi. It was excellent if a bit pricey.We then went almost next door to the Chapter House of St Paul's, now a clothing boutique, for a concert, part of the 3MBS Music, She Wrote series.
We picked up Ruperto the Picanto and went shopping, then came home for lunch (salmon patties) then popped over to see Noel. He was resting so we didn't stay too long as we had to get our Baroque Venice Concert presented by ANAM brass and organ at the Convent Chapel. It was great and we met up again with Peter Rowe (who was at the Gesualdo Six concert as well). Home again for a brief nap. We had oysters and fish soup for dinner followed by Foreign Correspondent, then Vigil, still suspenseful, then news.
I went on with the essays today and am almost two-thirds of the way through. P. went off to his U3A First Nations session which went well, then into town to fix up Noel's mouse. After a nap, he cooked the leftover chicken with trimmings, then it was news, normal Wednesday night plus Comedy Festival Gala which wasn't very funny.
The new dining chairs arrived today and P. has assembled two of them. They seem to work well. I went on with the essays and am now about halfway. We had vegie soup for lunch. Now for a short nap. We went into the Recital Centre, had a good meal at Miss Pearl, then went to the Gesualdo Six for a very varied vocal concert in which I might have detected some conflict between the counter-tenor and the bass (the leader) but it was a splendid concert nonetheless. Home for news.
I went up to the Health Centre this morning to get pills for P. and myself. I picked up Manon the Carolla, who lives at the Health Centre and went to the Post Office and successfully lodged my passport application, though they said it would take 4-6 weeks to process. I'm not holding my breath. Then I picked up P. and we went to Jane N.'s place thence to Sydney Road for a good Lebanese lunch. Home again for a nap, and P. made yummy roast chook for dinner. Then it was normal Monday night teev including too many pollies on Q&A.
We despatched the crossword easily, then headed for Carlton where, at the instigation of Sally S., bought new dining chairs which will be delivered on Tuesday. We then had brunch at the Dog's cafe in Rathdowne Street, then came home for a nap with a sense of achievement. I 'made' chicken kiyivs for dinner, then we watched the AIDS drama, then i-vooed Vigil.
The papers arrived in full AGAIN. Sal dropped in for the parking permit to go to a workshop at the Convent. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then a short nap. Then off to Superhiro to join Frank for a quick meal and thence to the Arts Centre for the Victorian Opera in a remade version of Schotakovich's Cherumurshka. It was a surprisingly young audience and the music was superb. The production less so, but a brave try. Home again to delight in the result of the NSW election.
We were going to Noel's house with him (and staff of the Brotherhood of St L.) to pick up some of his stuff but this morning there was a thunderstorm and I called it off as too dangerous to navigate his wheelchair in the wet. Instead it was deferred till tomorrow and we did the shopping instead. Home again for the inevitable salmon patties and a snooze. We then headed for town where we had a good meal at Superhiro and walked down to the Town Hall where we had an MSO concert of Mozart and Beethoven. A good blast from the orchestra, then home again for Vigil (it must be finishing soon) and news then bed.
It was back to work on the essays this morning, interspersed with a visit from Sally S. We had leftover fish-and-pea curry for lunch; now for a nap. We went to the Recital Centre for a Songmakers session with solos from Merlyn Quaife (Berg songs), Christina Wilson (Wagner's Weisendocmck Leider) and Andrea Katz on piano, who also played Berg's Sonata Op.1. We then went off to Carlton where we had a quick but good meal at Johnny Watson's then home for Simone Young, then news, then bed.
I spent some of the morning sorting out tickets consequent on the Genesis Baroque concert yesterday, with minor irritations about emailed codes etc. We then picked up Ruperto the Picanto and went to Reservoir where we had lunch with Barry D., then visited Jane M. at Mayflower Aged Care. She didn't seem to recognise me nor Barry any more than last time but seemed a bit happier and looked healthy. Home again for a nap. P. made sausage and potato casserole for dinner. Then it was standard Monday night teev.
The crossword was despatched without drama except for one across which was hard to find. I then got on with the essays at last. We had vegie soup for lunch; now for a nap. We then headed for the Good Shepherd Chapel (around the corner) for a Genesis Baroque concert which included Leeanne Sullivan and Joel Brennan on baroque trumpet, a fiendishly difficult instrument. It was a splendid concert. We are so lucky. Even more so, we walked over to Cam's Cafe for a good quick meal. Home again for Death in Paradise, and two gut-wrenching AIDS programs.
This morning all the papers arrived. (This is becoming a habit). We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then went with Ruperto to Noel T. It was a brief visit as he was a bit drowsy with painkillers but we delivered the toothpicks (!) which were used with gusto. Home again for a nap. I made chicken cordon bleu (from the butcher) for dinner. We watched Canadian Rockies, then P.'s homework for First Nations, two videos of First Australians.
We had a quiet morning with a deal of organising for next week, then special minestrone for lunch, then a short nap. We were off to the Darling Gardens Community Room where there was a commemoration of the life of Anne Fraser. It was very moving with not a dry eye in the house. Then home where P. made roast lamb. Then it was Gardening and the last of Endeavour, very enigmatic.
We went off to the shopping, this time back with Ruperto who appears to have been fixed. Then we headed to Bellfield to see George P. whom we hadn't seen for a while because of Covid (partly and, as he said, laziness). His MS is progressing but slowly and he seemed to enjoy us reading the parts of the Sasha biography which mentioned him. One of his carers said that his attention span is about fifteen minutes but we took up a lot more than that. I think part of his communication difficulties might be exacerbated by not having many visitors so we'll have to be more diligent. He seems reconciled, if not happy, to be dying in there as the staff are caring and look after him well. Home again for salmon patties and a nap. I made fish-and-pea curry for dinner, then we watched a horror-show Foreign Correspondent on scammers in Cambodia (I was pleased to have my first viewing of much-credited, seldom-seen Mary-Ann Jolley). Then it was Grand Designs, then Vigil (submarines are obviously the subject de jour). Then news, then bed.
I went on with the essays while P. went off to First Nations U3A (v. appropriate after last night's concert). After a nap, then a visit from Euan Tovey, we had leftover rakott for dinner, followed by usual Wednesday night teev and a new series Mayflies (only two episodes).
First up, I went to the Health Centre where the wonderful Jennie dressed my big toe, still not healed. She's trying a new dressing. I also stocked up on pills. Home again to get into working on the essays. P. went to the shops and got sangos for lunch and the paper with the food pamphlet. I had a nap while P. waited for the locksmith who came and fixed the front door, then we were off to the Recital Centre where we saw Gina Williams (voluble vocals) and Guy Ghouse (guitar) with Russel Holmes (piano and arrangements) and the String Contingent (quartet) present familiar and unfamiliar songs in Noongar and English. It was a great and warm concert followed by a quick meal at Superhiro and home again for the last episode of Queerhistory, then P. caught up on his video homework for U3A tomorrow, a video on First Nations people in Victoria, then news, then bed.
As P. predicted yesterday, a new job popped into the in-tray this morning: a collection of essays. Onwards and upwards. The cleaners came lickety-split on a public holiday and P. went up to the shops bringing back sangos and sushi for lunch. Now for a nap. I made rakott for dinner, then it was fairly normal Monday night teev with a detour to Blackpool and Morecambe (home of P.'s fathers, or really his mother's fathers).
After a short hurkle-durkle, we completed the crossword, then had vegie soup for lunch. Then we were off to the Recital Centre for the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra for their first concert with director Sophie Rowell. It was a very varied concert (from Bach to the present) and most enjoyable. She was off to a good start and the band obviously loved her. Home again for a scratch dinner out of the fridge, then Death in Paradise and new Vera. We then reran the Queerhistory part II, then news.
At home most of the day (yesterday, Friday), with deferred salmon patties for lunch. We joined Frank in the early evening at the Recital Centre for a filling meal at Blondie, then it was into the Murdoch Hall for a semi-staged, excellent performance of La Cerentola by Rossini, conducted by Richard Mills. It was fun, if a bit lengthy (three hours). A quick trip home unlike the last one for news, then bed. Today, another quiet day with the papers. We had quiches for lunch, then a nap. In the evening, P. made chicklets (poussins) for dinner, then we had a tour of the Lake District (some of which we'd visited before), then reruns of Gardening and new Endeavour (very good), then news, then bed.
We did our normal shopping today with the Mirage, then drove to Reservoir where we had lunch at a local coffee shop with Barry D. Who should be there but Peter R. whom we hadn't seen for ages. After a satisfying lunch, we went off to visit Jane M. but found that she was in lockdown because of a gastro outbreak. Home again for a nap, then I made cheese and ham arrancini for dinner with leftovers, then it was Foreign Correspondent on PNG (very good), new show, Vigil then news then cooking.
I had a quiet day while P. went off to Sunbury to visit the Shaws. His foray to outer suburbia was very successful. He came home in the late arvo. We emptied out the fridge of leftovers for dinner, then it was normal Wednesday night teev with the finale of Bloodlands.
Another day with little happening. P. is going to town to pay his Telstra bill and I'm doing a bit of reading and fiddling on the computer. After a nap, we went to the Recital Centre for a splendid concert by the all-women quartet, Quartz with works by Haydn and Ravel. Then we dined at King and Godfree in Carlton with the most scatter-brained waitrine in history. Home again for Queer history, then Brazen Hussies, excellent on rerun.
Another at-home day, punctuated only by a wine delivery. We had the last hot cross buns plus pea-and-ham soup for lunch. Now for a nap. I'm nearly finished Bron Nicholls' new novel which is very good. After a nap, P. made roast pork with the trimmings (apple sauce, gravy) for dinner, then it was standard Monday night teev.
After polishing off the crossword (with a couple of difficult clues), we headed to Carlton where we had a good lunch and a mag with Sally S. and Fran B. at DOC Express. Home again for a nap on a hot day. I made anchovy pasta for dinner, then it was Death in Paradise (our yawn from the UK), then new Vera, then news then bed.
Today, the papers arrived all right. GaGa Henderson is still banging on about the ABC. The Murdochs have put their subscription up for the Saturday Aust. bringing them perilously close to cancellation. Really all we are getting for free by subscribing is the delivery. However, their reviews section just, just keeps them in the game. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch and now for a nap. I made sausage rolls for dinner then we used i-voo to recap missed shows this week: the Queer History part 1 and the National Front program final then news.
After a busy day, today was quiet at home. P. went off to U3A American Lit. I puttered away on computer tasks. After a nap, P. reheated the tandoori chicken with rice for dinner. Then it was Gardening, new Endeavour, then news.
P. and I did the shopping the morning in Deepkeran the Mirage (Rupert is sick) then visited Noel who didn't seem at all well. We stayed a while and learned very little new, except that he doesn't trust Greta. Home again for a short rest before going out. We dined very well at Miss Pearl then went to the Brandenburg Orchestra at the Recital Centre, with cellist Elinor Frey, playing mostly Boccherini with various gimmicks including a flamenco dancer and a broken gut string on the period cello. A very long trip home with long waits for tram and bus, then news, then bed.
P. went off to U3A First Nations session this morning while I puddled around at home waiting for deliveries. In the meantime, I did the end-of-month finances. Then I headed off to the Royal Melbourne to a long-delayed visit to Geoff the cobbler-elf for new noses for both of my new pairs of glasses. He said it was the quickest he had ever done because his predecessor, Greg, had left three new noses in store. Home again for a nap. P. made steaks for dinner. Then it was usual Wednesday night teev plus the never-ending Bloodlands, still going. Then news, then cooking then bed.
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.
