Vale Bruce Sims 4/2/1948 - 22/4/2023

Flat as lizards

The reason for not posting for days is that I came down with the same thing (I think) as P. did on Monday. He seems to be gradually getting better and I'm improving slightly, enough to make anchovy pasta for dinner tonight. So, apart from going for a bit of shopping on Wednesday we've been confined to barracks. We've had to cancel various lunches and concerts and just rest up. It doesn't seem to be Covid, just debilitation. Ah well. P. managed to get up to the shops this arvo for some milk.

Essays finished

P. was still not well today (his birthday) so we deferred it to later. I went on with the essays, powered on, and finished and returned them to the author who seemed pleased. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, then a nap. (Well, P. was napping most of the day.) Then I went up to the shops for much needed supplies and stuff for dinner, then we had a quick meal and standard Wednesday night teev, in other words, unimpressive, unlike the docos of the previous night.

Essays still

P. is still not well. I went on with the essays which are a bit like my wound on my big toe: almost healed but not quite. One more day I think. P. stayed abed but I had miso soup with greens and tofu for lunch (from a packet, not bad). Now for a short nap.

Essays

I had a quick hurkle-durkle, not because I was up late but because it was such a chilly morning. Then I flew into the essays, hoping to get them finished tomorrow, though am only about a third of the way through on this re-run. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch. P. has a bad cold today and is abed most of the day. Now for my nap too. We had frozen vera bolognese for a sickie dinner, then watched George Michael (overblown), Q&A (boring and predictable), then news, then bed.

Crossword and play

I started the crossword off, then continued my hurkle durkle on a dark, grey morning. P. continued and it was soon finished lickety-split with no problems. I went on with the essays and we had Indian and chicken korma soup for lunch. Not bad. Now for a brief nap. We then went to La Mama HQ for a very good play, Where There's A Will, with a splendid cast. The play resonated over family will disputes, family conflicts and nursing homes. We then went across the road to Crinitis which is part of a chain of pseudo-Italian restaurants. It was a multicultural other world ('Is this the real world? Is this a fantasy?'). They served good quality (on the whole) huge serves in a very busy, nay frenetic, atmostphere. As a number of places were closed I thought best to avoid Brunetti's busyness. How wrong I was. We retreated home for Grand Designs Revisited and AIDS revisited.

Coffee and Noel

We picked up Ruperto and went up to Lygon Street to pick up Sara D. and go for a coffee at Faraday's Cage in Fitzroy. We had a good mag and a catch-up. After we dropped her home, we dropped into Noel T. at the Brotherhood with some Easter chocolates. He is okay but a bit phlegmy. Home again for minestrone and a nap. P. made backstrap herbed roast for dinner (yum!) then it was very indifferent teev: Louvre (good), royal photographs (awful) and Georgian sex workers (boring).

Essays and concert

On a wet and dark Good Friday, I have nearly finished the essays, after a small hurkle-durkle. We had quiches for lunch, then headed for the Recital Centre. We saw Bach's St John's Passion with very good soloists and the Bach chamber choir and orchestra. We then had a quick meal at Tiamo's then home for Gardening, Van Der Valk and news.

Shopping

We picked up Ruperto the Picanto and did the shopping at Victoria Gardens, then the hardware in Victoria Street, eschewing Bunnings. P. is still puzzling over putting the hose, fittings and holder together. We had salmon patties for lunch, and now for a nap. I made baked trout fillets for dinner, then we watched Fijian floodings, NZ Grand Designs then more Vigil (perhaps stretching on a bit much).

Podiatry plus

I went off to Jennie at Podiatry for a continuation of the saga: it's almost healed but not quite. P. went off to U3A First Nations studies. Now for a nap. We had reheated rakott for dinner, then Comedy (??) which didn't quite work. Then news.

Essays and Easter Concert

After a small hurkle-durkle, I got on with the essays. I have now only about twenty pages to go, which is just as well as a very big and complicated non-fiction book arrived yesterday, though it has a long deadline fortunately. We had fancy lentil soup for lunch which was spicy but nice and now for a nap. We went to Blondie at the Recital Centre for a very filling dinner, then into the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall for Pinchgut Opera's very impressive performance fo Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri. Home again for Scottish BNBs and news.

Mostly Mozart

We went into town to the Recital Centre for ANAM's Mostly Mozart. They've turned on the coffee, cakes and savouries again but we barely braved the voracious oldies who rival the Adelaide Festival audience where you daren't put your hand on the table for fear of it being eaten. The concert was very good: two string quintets by Brahms and Mozart, very well played by the young musicians guided by Zoe Black and Caroline Hebstret. We then went to the NGV for crustless sandwiches etc. Delicious. P. stayed on for Alexander McQueen and I came home for a nap. P. remade the Vera Bolognese for dinner, then we had Welsh beaches and the usual Monday night fare on ABC.

Visitors

We despatched the crossword which was a bit more difficult than usual. Then Corey I. dropped in to pick up Noel's key at his request and returned it after his errands. Then Sally S. and Roger D. dropped in to collect some boxes. P. remarked that we would never be able to live up to their standards of cleanliness and neatness. We had pies and cakes for lunch, which P. got from the Convent bakery, then had a nap. I made rakot for dinner then it was Death in Paradise and AIDS followed by P.'s homework for U3A First Nations.

Papers and end of month

The papers all arrived and contained nothing of note except reviews and an interview about Alexis Wright's new book. I started on the end of month accounts. P. spent a deal of time and effort chopping the necessary for Vera Bolognese. We had cheesy tomato soup for lunch, and now a nap. P. finished off the Bolognese for dinner which was yummy. We watched reruns of Gardening and Van der Valk, from last night, then rejoiced in the news of the Alston by-election which Mary Doyle won for Labor. Bye-bye Dutton, if the Libs have any sense, which they probably haven't.