anyresemblance

Saturday

I have been working flat out for what seems weeks and all the planned excursions have been cancelled but with a bit of a hiatus, I booked Monday as leave and am looking forward to a 3 day weekend.

I've been doing some leadership training which has been mediocre and required me to be on line for 4 hours for the past 3 days and I am done with sitting at my desk.

After I logged off at 5.30 last night, I set my out of office and took Charlie for a walk in the rain through the neighbourhood streets.  It was good to be out on a wild and windy night and stretch everything out.  I ate grilled chicken, salad and crinkle cut chips for dinner and watched the remaining episodes of Virgin River.  Virgin River, if you have not seen it, is the most ridiculously soapy Netflix series full of all the tropes of soap operas - hidden pregnancies, people in comas, secret illnesses, framed bad boys, tree changes.  I love it in all its stupidity.

This morning I got up early to do a zoom call with a recruiter who was doing a reference for a former employee.  This person is terrific and I was happy to give my unalloyed enthusiastic endorsement though a bit envious the recruiter was talking to me from her home in Texas wearing a sun dress while I was layered in wool.  Charlie and I then went for another rainy walk and then went and had breakfast with my daughter.  We were the only people sitting outside albeit in a zipped up verandah with outdoor heating.  Charlie stretched himself out to get all the radiant heat possible.

I've joined the gym in my complex for use of the pool which is glass roofed and quite beautiful.  The other evening I was swimming while it was dark outside and I could see both my reflection from above and the stars and it was quite magical.  The only draw back is having to wash my hair a lot but I bought a new swim cap which seems to keep it mostly dry.  I am planning a swim this afternoon before going to dinner with my old friends tonight.

Senior dogs

Charlie has been going to a dog walking group since he was a puppy, coming up on 10 years.  Yesterday, I got another reminder that he is now an old dog.  His favourite walker told me that he is getting very cranky with the other dogs when they get in his space and that he is probably getting too old for the full day experience.  He'll still go out with them on Friday mornings but it was tough news to hear.

For now, it is fine.  I am working at home and he gets lots of company but I dreading the return to the office and him being left all day.  It's hard now to remember a time when I was not a dog owner.  He gives such structure to my days and is a comfort to have around at night.  I hope this is just a transition into another phase.

Sunday stocktake: long awaited

 

1. Philosophical that so many travel plans are awry due to the new lockdown.  I was supposed to be in Perth this weekend but that was going to require a 14 day quarantine and the trip to Kangaroo Valley was too risky too.  I have good hopes for August.  Hope but no expectation.
2. Relieved to hear that pandas are no longer endangered but vulnerable is still not great.
3. Enjoying a vegetarian fine dining experience for a friend's birthday.  The Billiecart Salmon went down a treat as well.  
4. Eating a lot of broccoli and perfecting a delicious miso dressing.
5. Watching the Mysterious Benedict Society which has a beautiful Wes Anderson feel to it.  The premise is charming.  No super powers other than kindness, empathy, and lateral thinking.
6. Prepping stuff for lunches this week.  I've been working at home but think I'll need to be in the office this week and want to avoid the rubbish cafe lunches.
7. Listening to the Pandora Sykes podcast on Britney Spears which I enjoyed a lot.  
8. Reading more and really enjoyed the debut novel from Jacqueline Bubitz "Before you knew my name"
9. Brainstorming business ideas with my friend.  I am determined to find something else to fund my retirement.
10. Delighted with the Jon Kuldeka print, Whale Dreaming, which arrived this week.

 

Sunday stocktake: deadline edition

I've been working all weekend but I am lucky, I have no one to juggle except myself and the dog.  I am feeling bad for my team in Melbourne enduring yet another lockdown.  It's the cumulative effect that is just so wearing for them all whereas I worked out I had been back in the office for nearly 12 months and life is so ... normal ... here.  Just lucky.  

1. Eating: Molly Baz pumpkin ragu with Italian sausage.  Since my old boss gave me his spicy Italian sausage recipe, I make a giant batch and freeze it and haul it out for these kinds of dinners.  If only I could find broccoli rabe in Australia then my life would be complete but somehow that spicy bitter thing does not seem to feature here at all.
2. Making: aforesaid Italian spicy sausage since I am lucky enough to have a grinder attachment for my food processor
3. Watching: Mare of Easttown.  I loved it so much not as a thriller but for lots of weary middle aged women and their beautiful complex relationships.  So so good. Also, starting watching Halson which is good for the clothes and New York street scenes and 70s nostalgia.
4. Listening: to Emma Stone and Craig Gillespie on Soundtracking on the Cruella soundtrack.  I have become au fait with the terms "cue" and "needle drop" listening to this podcast.  Sophie and I went to see Cruella on Bank Holiday Monday and I very much enjoyed the fashion and the soundtrack (even though like most movies, it could have been shorter).  Also, sat in a real cinema eating a choc top.
5. Enjoying: my very effective central heating which is making everything cosy.  The apartment is incredibly well insulated so I have yet to put it on in the morning.
6. Marvelling: that it is already June.  WTAF? wasn't it just Christmas. 
7. Returning: a marvellous pair of navy suede knee high boots that were excruciatingly narrow.  The quest continues.
8. Paying: my tax bill:(
9. Enjoying: the cute little Aussie shepherd pup who has moved into my complex and who LOVES Charlie's ears.
10. Wearing: long sleeved thin merino tops I bought last year in Zara which are super warm.

 

 

 

Sunday stocktake: vaccine edition

1. Rejoicing at having the first vaccine.  Someone at work asked me what I was getting, as if it were a flipping restaurant menu.   Despite the torture in booking an appointment, the actual check in and getting it process was fine.  My arm is sore at the vaccine site but other than that I've been fine.
2. Eating: delicious Ottolenghi chicken with dates.  I went to dinner at someone's house and they had cooked an ottolenghi feast.  The aforesaid chicken, a beautiful rice pilaff with roasted cherry tomatoes, roast carrots with harissa and Brussel sprouts with tahini.  I even overcame my dislike of Brussel sprouts to eat a couple.  I was even inspired to buy another copy of Simple today as the original belonged to the daughter who moved out.  Delightfully, these friends live ten minutes walk away so it was pleasant to walk home after delicious food.
3. Replacing: my glasses.  One pair lost in a taxi, one pair sat on, one pair the arm sheared off as I was sitting on the sofa watching telly.  Then the frames I liked where no longer in stock so I ended up with my less preferred. So flipping annoying when it was all brought on by my carelessness
4. Baking: eclairs.  They were less than perfectly shaped as I had the wrong tip for the piping bag but the pastry turned out good.  I went chocolate mousse for the filling even though coffee is more my vibe but the kid loves chocolate ...
5. Reading: Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka.  It is made for a claustrophic movie thriller and I am racing through it.
6. Watching: Mare of Easttown.  I can not wait for the finale tomorrow.  I have my current theory on the culprit and it's a gut bunch.
7. Listening: new to me podcasts: Winds of Change, Soft Voice, Every Outfit
8. Considering; Having another go at Line of Duty.  I watched about 4 episodes a few years ago but never got into it but everyone raving on it in the UK, and listening to Adrian Dunbar on How to Fail has made me wonder if I need to rethink it
9. Enjoying: Masterchef especially the representation of Asian cuisines
10. Hoping: to score some left over plants from my upstairs neighbour who has decided to re do his balcony plants.

*don't know why this did not post last night

 

Daily bread

No one wants to hear whingeing about work volumes and, frankly, it's no different than it's been for 15 years so why even talk about it?

I've got a new boss who used to be an old colleague but has been somewhere else and risen to stratospheric heights but had a teeny fall from grace and is now back here.  She is actually very straightforward and helpful and will make a difference even though I think she will be tough it will not be unreasonable.

Another person left in a hurry which has us all speculating on that fall from grace.  WhatsApp was humming with rumours.

I worked from home yesterday as it was just too cold to want to get dressed for work and I ended up making wheaten bread in my lunch break.  I used ganching's original recipe from 2010 which I think I prefer to her more recent one.  I did not have pin head oatmeal but just whizzed up some porridge in the food processor which seemed to work just as well.  I also used yoghurt as I didn't have buttermilk and that seemed fine as well.

I also made Marcella Hazan tomato sauce so there was something in the fridge to have with pasta.  Last night I went to my daughter's for dinner and took her half a loaf, the sauce, some frozen bolognaise, a chunk of parmesan, some salad and a frozen chicken breast so she does more than look sadly into her empty fridge.  Despite that we ordered very good pizza and I helped her write a submission for an award.  I was home and in bed by 9 o'clock.

 

 

Sunday Stocktake: Mother's Day Edition

It's Mother's Day here in Australia.

1. Baking: Nigella's rhubarb meringue cake which was a lot less effort that the stupid Black Forest cake and a lot more delicious.  I still managed to over bake the rhubarb but it was delicious just the same.  
2. Enjoying: the continuing mild weather.  I still have not had to put my heating on and am sitting on my balcony writing this at 6pm with only a long sleeved t shirt on.
3. Watching: Masterchef Australia.  I am doing them all on catch up as I disconnect the aerial as it was ruining my aesthetic and I don't have live to air tv in the sitting room anymore.  I don't have a favourite yet.
4. Organising: piano movers... I bought a cane chair a few weeks ago from a guy who turns out to specialise in restoring old pianos so I messaged him yesterday after I bought the piano to ask about moving it.  He offered to do it yesterday afternoon but then turned out to be terrible at communication and it was sooo frustrating but in the end he came through and it arrived this morning.  I met him on the street and my upstairs neighbours were there saying goodbye to their kids.  They looked horrified at the news that a piano had arrived.
5. Listening: to Girl in Red.  I heard her on Song Exploder and loved the episode so much I have her album on heavy repeat.
6. Celebrating: Mother's Day with the gift of some Aesop smelly stuff and a roast chicken lunch.  
7. Thinking: about how I need something to look forward to since my life feels so circumscribed.  
8. Frustrated: at my inability to make a vaccine appointment.  It is infuriatingly opaque in my city.  To book on line required downloading the local health app which will not recognise my medicare number.  Now I am going just join the queue of people on the telephone.
9. Finding: a laptop on the ground on Friday night.  I almost tripped over it walking Charlie down the street.  I put it on the neighbourhood Facebook group and within 2 minutes its owner contacted me.  She had driven out of the car park with it on her roof! Hopefully it is still working.
10. Missing: my family.

 

Piano

I bought a piano.  

I'd been talking to my work friend whose mother used to work in our local piano shop and, in fact, sold my then husband a baby grand that was greater than the budget we had agreed.  I digress as the topic of this conversation was how her piano tuner had told her that the price of second hand pianos had sky rocketed during the pandemic.  Anyway, then I saw this one on marketplace and it looked pleasing and not too expensive.

I messaged both W and my ex-husband for advice.

W: mum says to check the serial number and ask if it has been in storage.

Ex: why don't you get an electronic keyboard and some headphones and spare your neighbours.

Me: do you even understand my aesthetic?

Anyway, the seller didn't contact me for a few days and then she did and I took W to see it this morning who played it and pronounced it a good buy and I paid cash and now I own it.

Except, I have to transport it and man, it is not cheap to move a piano.  Also, I do not play the piano but it is going to look very nice in my house.

 

Bucketing

The weather has done a shift with a band of heavy rain, the first we've had in about 2 months so I think our balmy autumn is gone. I have had a very trying day at work with a lot of loose ends and a late night call tonight and my days at home seem very long gone.  At least, the dog is still perfect.

 

 

Sunday stocktake: penance edition

I've been behind

1. Experiencing: my first flight in a year with a trip to Melbourne staying in a hotel and everything.  I felt like I had forgotten how to pack but it was so great to see some of my team in person for the first time in a year and we had a very productive week. 
2. Enjoying:  a few days off work.  For a hot moment I thought I would have to work through it due to a work deadline but that deadline got extended out a week so I just took the time and did ... not much at all though I put up nearly all my art work, went to the framers to get more stuff fixed, took the dog to the groomers, and walked a lot.
3. Baking: Beatrix Bake's Black Forest Cake.  It was a labour that is for sure.  Day 1 was macerating cherries and making a cherry jelly.  Day 2 was making a creme fraiche chocolate mousse (delicious) and the sponges (a palaver and honestly they did not taste as good as a straight up Victoria sponge) assembling and weighting.  Day 3 was the chocolate glaze by which time I was bored and could not face making the chocolate bark as well.  Day 4 was eating and it was ... nothing special and kind of too chocolatey for me.  Even my chocolate loving daughter declined to take some home with her so think I will take into the office tomorrow and see if I can foist it off on my co workers. Disclaimer: I did not drive two hours to buy sour cherries as they are not even in season and instead bought some expensive Polish jarred ones.
4. Eating: Japanese Peruvian food in a fancy pants new restaurant in my town.  It was very good but the service was on the amateur  side "we have a wine on special... I think it's red ... I don't really like red wine so can't tell you anything about it but I didn't hate it"
5. Reading: Don Winslow's The Force. Phew, it is full on but so, so good.
6. Lending: Sara Paretsky's latest to a woman whose daughter was doing an assignment on crime fiction.  She admired my library and left with the first one (published in 1984) as well.
7. Cooking: chicken tikka masala, rice, carrot salad and onion pakora for dinner.  Lots of leftovers sent home with the kid (see above for cake failure)
8. Selling: an old chest of drawers and rug on marketplace.  With the proceeds I bought a rush woven bench which pleases me greatly.
9. Sipping: Lark Hill Pet Nat, so good 
10. Glorying: in the perfect weather. It is unseasonably mild given this is when I would normally bite the bullet and put my heating on but it has been in the low 20s during the day and only dropping to 7 overnight.  The skies are clear, the moon was amazing and I have loved walking Charlie several times a day.  I have easily averaged 15,000 steps on these days.