Laid waste

A strange thing has happened and I find myself wearying of the chatter on twitter.  I had a little app updating me on the top of my computer screen but I turned it off and it was like the restful silence after listening to news radio for hours on end.  I am not giving up but I am culling my lists and giving myself a break from the noise.

I was also thinking I miss the listing of my daily life and I had such a gloriously  busy but productive weekend, I need to share the details (more inane chatter but you came this way, didn't you?)

The eldest was off down doing horsy things with horses on the farm so the youngest and I were on our own.  On Friday night we ate pizza and watched Down with Love which had some excellent tailoring.

On Saturday morning I was out by 6.30 doing another session of my running course (loving it shauny).  The dog is a good companion and truth be told probably helps me keep more of a pace up than if I were doing it on my own.  After I showered and changed and blasted my hair with the hairdryer (alas, no artful big hair this morning) we went to the farmers' market.  I hadn't been in eons and much of it was familiar but I bought an armful of pussy willow, some decent olive oil, gozleme, rhubarb, broad beans, some early but flavoursome strawberries, fennel, a bag of avocadoes for $5, pork belly, olives, potatoes and stuff to gladden our hearts at the fullness of our fridge.  Then the furry one and I went to the dog park where he happily chewed the ear of an obliging labradoodle and galloped around in the sun.

 

After some breakfast we went to the other market where I bought some wine.  I am loving viognier at the moment but they did not have the one I liked so I bought some from another vineyard that was labelled as Rhe.  The guy behind the counter said this was because people didn't buy viognier.  Wtf? can't they pronounce it? Is this like calling offal variety meats to make it less confronting.  Whatever, I did not like it as much as the Tallagandra Hills, in fact, it was kind of thin but I am trying to expand my horizons so it was good to try it.

Anyway, then the car wouldn't start which was a pain in the arse as I had cheeses and milk in the boot (not to mention the puppy) and it was kind of hot.  So I got the dog out of the car and walked over to the shade and pondered my situation.  I am very much of the school of turn it off and leave it and maybe it will start.  But it didn't, so then I called the NRMA who were super helpful but were going to be an hour so I had another go and it started.  Now it had broken down when I was in Singapore the other week and my daughter, who was driving it, called me several thousands of miles away instead of her father who was 5 miles away.  She was in a panic and left it in a car park but when I went to collect it on my return it started fine so I filed it in the intermittent but not critical issues box.  So for the rest of the day I parked in cool, shady places as there were still things to do and places to go (don't worry, I have not even started with everything we did that day...)

So, I got the car home, parked the puppy in the garden with a bone, his bed in the shade and a cauldron of water and the daughter and I headed to the telstra shop about the cracked screen on her iphone.  Mercifully there was a) no queue b) the phone was under warranty c) they gave us a loaner and d) we were out of there in ten minutes.  A miracle.  I guess everyone is holding out for their iphone 5 and not bothering to buy a phone.  Since we were in the city, we stopped by Mecca to buy some Philosophy shower gel (at twice the price  it retails for in the US) but was saddened to disover they no longer stock it.  Not that they no longer stock it at Mecca, only in Canberra, since we are a backwater where no one wants nice things? Oh, you can buy it online, she said. What, and pay extortionate shipping?  I think not.  I swear it would be cheaper to buy an airline ticket to LA and go cosmetics shopping and get covered for a year than the money stuff costs here.

But wait, we are not done yet, there was still Costco and giant bags of frozen raspberries and a tray of tinned tomatoes and butter (I tried the american style whipped butter last time and it was not to our taste, at all, too white and frothy) and a dash into Woolworths to buy some Method bathroom cleaner everyone is raving about.  The sit in traffic for ten minutes to get out of the parking lot.  We made a pit stop via our friends to collect some duck eggs and admire the new ducklings.  Totally adorable.

The puppy was fine when we got home and then I made the Claudia Roden orange and almond cake and microwaved the oranges which was a fecking revelation to me and made a labour of love into a super quick cake.  I'd give you a photo but we ate a quarter and I gave another half to my gluten free pal.

More dog walking, ball playing and an evening of roasted belly pork deliciousness and roasted fennel and a glass of the aforesaid viognier and Dr Who, Sinbad and Hustle.  All in all, a very productive Saturday.

But wait, there's more!  Sunday was more dog walking, then I swapped the audi for my friend's ute and cleared the garage of assorted junk and took it to the tip.  My daughter swept out the garage and I cleaned out the shed and it is a miracle of tidiness.  I tried to off load stuff at the recycling centre but the staff were surly and unhelpful (is it true they are prison work gangs? if so, this explains their refusal to take my 50 wooden coat hangers which I then had to tip).  Whatever, I love driving the ute as you are high up and the dog puts his head on your knee.

I came home and cut the grass and after all that industry deserved a shower and clean clothes.  The other daughter came home around 3 and showed us pictures of foals and little shetland ponies and was horse smitten all over again.  After dinner  we played cluedo and uno and cards.  It was a peaceful and productive weekend.

I still didn't do my fecking tax return.

this post is for carolbaby who reminded me what I like

Comments

[carolbaby]

This is utterly perfect!

Precisely what I was going on about.

===

Have seen lots of Viognier, but never "Rhe" (perhaps a regional thing?). I am all about the Riesling at present (way, way too much about the Riesling in fact - so much for reducing the boozing).

Happy to see if I can source the Philosophy for you.

[ganching]

I am exhausted just reading this. I do like posts like this. Makes me feel more part of your life (obviously not in a horrible stalkery way!).

[Reemski]

the microwaving oranges thing is awesome isn't it?

[Stacy Williams]

I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well.Thanks for sharing this information.And I'll love to read your next post too.

[lala]

I love that bathroom cleaner so much. I have a shopping post in the back of my mind. I still love Twitter, but am tired of tweeting all my blog posts so that they are dispatched to the ether so tiny, instead of rattling in my head growing big & documentarian xox

[Luna]

Vee-on-yeah?
Purrlease, you can't get nice things in Canberra??
Lovely that you're back-to-blog xx.