Plus ça change...

All's pretty quiet at the moment but I'm still living high off the hog; there's still ham left and the pickings of the chook. I finished off the summer pudding last night and put the remaining punnets of berries (one each of black- and rasp-) into a bowl with the two mangoes P brought round on Monday night. They won't last long.

Working again tonight (of course, it's Wednesday) but off tomorrow, my Xmas day in lieu.

PS Despite RoboBear's claims, my puss has not been kidnapped - she is well (if a little grumpy) and sunning herself on the back porch.

Boxing day

After Mum and Tat left yesterday I spent the rest of the day lazing around watching telly (The Panel was a bright spot among the dregs) and occasionally stuffing my face with food I didn't really need, but which I ate nonetheless. Then to bed by 10.30.

I managed to get up early enough this morning to get to work by 8am. This is always tricky on public holidays as the trains run less frequently and today was no different - I thought I'd left the house with plenty of time, but as I was crossing the road heard a train toot at Victoria Park. An elegant trot (!) through the park got me there just in time.

It's very quiet at work today, except for the insistent, inane chatter from one of my colleagues. I'm not sure which is worse: their good moods or their bad. Still, with luck I'll be able to bundle them all out the doors a bit early today so they can hit the sales.

I've had a request for more cat photos which I will remedy as soon as I can persuade Pushka to sit quietly and elegantly for me.

All over ...

Now I only have to eat all the leftovers.

After shopping early with P&B yesterday I came home and cooked the chook and made the potato salad and the summer pudding (leaving myself with some berries left over - Yum). As well, I went through the house with the vacuum, the first time it's been done for a while. Then it was down to Elwood for dinner at DG's - the first meal from his new kitchen. Very beautiful it is, too.

Then this morning I got up and ironed the table-cloth and serviettes before setting the table. Mum and Tat arrived around midday; we opened the bubbles and tucked in to a nice spread. The summer pudding was delicious (there's still some left for anyone who wants to help me finish it).



Tat gave me this beautiful little native american pot (Hopi, I think she said) and I gave her the complete Flanders & Swann.


Oh, well, back to work tomorrow. Roll on 2006.

Mmmm, berries

Up early this morning and off to the market in search of berries for Sunday's summer pudding. Not nearly as busy as I expected, but I guess it's better than it will be later. Or tomorrow. Had to look around but found some reasonably priced raspberries and blackberries; with the frozen redcurrants I got from Toscano's last week we should have a very tasty pudding.

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Solstice

Went to B's for dinner last night - P was at a work Xmas do so missed out on the delicious soto ayam followed by yummy passionfruit icecream. We watched The Bill (our soap of choice) followed by the amusing Creature comforts.

This morning I made my last visit to the surgeon about my finger (yes, it's still numb) where we decided that as it's not actually more than just a nuisance we'll just leave it alone.

Back home I set to and cleaned the kitchen benches, did a load in the dishwasher and another in the washing machine; generally starting the process of getting the house reasonably clean and tidy for Mum's visit on Sunday. All this energy left me a sticky mess, so I wiped it up and set off for work.

Back to work tomorrow ...

... but tonight I sat in front of the telly and watched the G&S double-bill. I thought the HMS Pinafore was pretty ordinary, (who on earth thought Collette Mann could do Little Buttercup?) but the Trial by Jury was great fun, mainly because of Anthony Warlow's dotty old judge.

But why do they think they need to amplify these performances? All the singers (even the chorus members) were wearing little mikes on their heads. These are all performers who've sung opera (except Ms Mann) where they aren't amplified, so why for this?

Another week of holidays

Holidays are good for me, but not so good for the blog.

This last week has been another blissful, work-free time. Highlights include a couple of nice long walks, work Xmas lunch and quite a bit of lounging around and general laziness.

Yesterday coincided with an RDO for P, so he and B and I went into Fed Square to visit the Kubrick exhibition at ACMI. It was fascinating with space devoted to each of the films (and some to films which never eventuated). The man was an amazing collector and, it seems, a meticulous researcher. We spent about an hour and a half, and even then I missed the section on music in the films. It's made me determined to acquire a few more of his films, most particularly Dr Strangelove.

After lunch at a Japanese place in Flinders Lane P and I wandered through town finishing up at Melbourne Central where we saw Terry Gilliam's latest film The Brothers Grimm. It's not nearly as bad as the reviews have said - I thought it was a wonderfully dark, silly story using snippets of many different Grimm stories. Certainly not his best, but by no means as awful as many seem to think.

An early shop this morning as B&P have a lunch engagement. This evening is the Gombert concert which, if you can't attend you can hear on live broadcast on ABC FM at 8pm. If you happen to be in Europe you should be able to hear the broadcast via the European Broadcasting Union sometime tomorrow (December 18) as part of the Euroradio Christmas Music series.

Foody Sunday

Saturday's concert in Woodend had its moments, but wasn't bad. I went to ST's place in Kingsville to get a lift up there. We picked up TvN and set off getting to Woodend with plenty of time to spare. We went to a rather nice cafe where we had a snack and coffee (I seem to be back on it after not having had one for about six weeks).

As we were leaving the cafe I spotted some very interesting loaves of bread on the counter and, as I was paying for one, I asked if they were baked on the premises. I had a vision of a little country backhouse out the back with a little country baker covered in flour busily kneading dough and shaping little country loaves.

It turns out that the bread comes from a boutique bakery in Chapel St, Prahran. It is delicious anyway.

Sunday morning I woke early (as described below) and went to P&B's for lunch with LE and G&L, whom I hadn't seen for ages. There was a delicious array of things on the table - cheeses, breads, dips - and we all stuffed ourselves silly not realising that there was more to come. P had made beef rendang and gado gado, yummy! And to top it all off there were mixed berries served with B's tasty lemongrass and ginger ice-cream.

I waddled home after four to discover a delightful card that LE had left under my door. A thoroughly enjoyable day to start my week of holidays.

Life by the park

Melbourne is a beautiful city; there are parks dotted throughout. And people use these parks, especially at this time of the year. The park I live by is typical: children play on the adventure playground visible in the picture, friends and families have picnics. At times groups of youths will kick around a football, calling out to each other at the tops of their voices.

All of this is good and proper use of an inner-city park.

BUT NOT AT 6.30 ON A SUNDAY MORNING!

A nice day

Had a lovely morning today - got up late, had a leisurely breakfast, did a load of washing then walked into town. Stopped off at Thomas' to see AR, and buy a little something, then ambled through town to work.

Lovely!

And the good news is that I've got next week off. Yes, more holidays.

Berry nice weekend

On Saturday we shopped as normal followed by lunch at the Collingwood children's farm cafe. After lunch B went home and P and I went for a walk along the Yarra path and through the parkland. In the evening I went and had P's delicious vera bolognese followed by pancakes with blueberries and B's yummy blackberry icecream.

Then on Sunday they came to my place for a couple of curries; a pork rogan josh made with commercial paste and veggie one which I just made up. The veggie curry was a bit sour, but was more than passable. Finished with rasberries and yoghurt.

Last night, after the annual 25-year club at work (horrors! it's not even my first year) Tat, P and I went to see the new Harry Potter film at Vic Gardens. It's very long (too long) and quite dark, and I enjoyed it; some amazing visuals. A different hand on the music adds to the darker mood. Plus there were all sorts of people in it including Eric Sykes (who Tat thought was dead). Perhaps three and a half stars out of five.