Since we don’t live by politics alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
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Are you serious? About the only non-political thing I managed was sleep. And I still dreamed about the election…
Dear everyone who has posted articles or made considered replies over the last five weeks;
Thanks for helping me understand what has been going on, pointing me to useful sources for solid discussions with others and in generally keeping me sane in this whole mess.
I look forward to some interesting discussions in the future that will help me understand what will be happening politically in our country. I think we could be in for some very strange times.
Thanks!
Got out and took the dog for a walk. She’s always right, when it comes to the right time for a walk.
First (unofficial) day of spring, sweet cool and sunny.
Yes, there is a world outside pollytics.
My sunday has been spent with a block of Haigh’s dark chocolate with glace ginger, whilst procrastinating about the site reports I was meant to be writing. Listening to the Entertainment! by the Gang of Four.
And now, I think I need to eat something savoury, peruse the wine rack and put on some Tom Waits.
au revoir.
Is it Sunday?
Raiders towelled up the Dragons and are still in the hunt for the finals. I’ve followed the Raiders for so long that I even appreciate the sponsorship of the CFMEU!
pw @ 3 ditto this pw here in WA. Walking Tacker along Freo’s early blossoming streets down to the beach for an earlier than usual beach stroll is restorative for both of us. Me for yesterday’s drama and disappointment, and him for my neglect of him for most of the day.
Though at four he did walk down with me to vote at the local school polling booth. Good thing we walked, too, because people there were up in arms about a parking inspector who had been issuing tickets to people held up inside by the long queues. Heated words were exchanged with her apparently, but not just at this one booth! A friend this morning volunteered, with no prompting from me by way of local goss, that a woman parking inspector had been raising her voice to people who were complaining about her leaving parking tickets on cars outside another polling booth! I checked to make sure we weren’t talking about the same booth and then ambled next door to where my neighbour, a state MP, was interested enough to promise whatever possible protest action he could take on Monday if the story had foundation. Could this be an urban myth to demonise (female) parking inspectors?
Yesterday, I handed out HTVs for the Greens at Bayswater Library (Perth) and last night recovered from the effort and watched the ABC coverage. Today catching up on results, twitter and email, doing the washing and other domestic jobs, but mostly reading LP and other sources to work out what the results mean.
Completely political tragic.
PAWA, meh, people have always hated parking inspectors, female or male.
For precisely the example you gave in your anecdote. Of course, people could always blame their local government, in this economic rationalist age, but its always the useful idiots that will cop it, not the button-pushing anonymous cowards sitting back in surveillance-raddled Council Chambers.
Slept in a bit (by cyclist standards), then took off down Beach Road for a Sunday morning recovery toddle.
Port Phillip Bay really is gorgeous on a fine winter’s morning. Clear blue water, beaches, and not too much of a headwind on the way back.
Are there any divers amongst the LP readership? Any news on whether the seagrass has recovered from the dredging?
my partner’s back from Vietnam, so we’re hangin’.
My Iranian, Japanese and American guests were very amused by the Australian electoral process last night as we enjoyed our election party. They were also highly amused by the Chaser.
Went to a Farmer’s Market at Sandy Grove. Bought some Dickins’ Delights macadamia nut toffee with dark chocolate anmd have scoffed half the box. Absolutely yum.
Also some delicious Beckonbee cherry blossom and coastal flora & gum honey, some Barossa Fine Foods Spanish salami & Louis IV mettwurst, kalamata olives and finally a case of Anita Goode’s delicious new Wangolina reisling, which will be sparingly doled out over the coming months as she only made a small amount.
Steak sandwich with onions for lunch and muntries sour cream slice with a cup of Mahalia’s mocha before heading home on a perfect end of winter day.
And very importantly, bought a feed of Coorong mullet which has been devoured by the gannets masquerading as humans in this household.
Saturday was also our wedding anniversary. After voting, we went to order our presents (new iPhones), then down to Wattamolla for a family picnic. For those unfortunate enough to live outside Sydney, it’s one of those astonishingly beautiful places that still looks like a picture-postcard although it’s been a favoured picnic spot for generations. Waterfall, lagoon, white sandy beach, water shading from aqua to deep blue under a cloudless sky, and all the bush in bloom…
Paul Walter@3: yep, got out with the dogs at that mellow golden time of the afternoon, cheered up somewhat after depressing Saturday/Sunday morning.
In other news: Planted a poor, potbound little tree – the name of which I keep forgetting, looks a little like a jacaranda but with berries similar to lillypillies – which had been languishing for over a year while I dithered about where to plant it.
I’ve been sulking, and reading a novel about self-indulgent American drug addicts — not sure which is worse. A glass of champagne while I do the Good Weekend five-grid sudoku will be the highlight of my day.
Pavlovs Cat, am proud of you- keep up the good work, remember, trembling upper lip and all that!
Helen, I have a number of such plants at my own outdoors, here at Castle RackRent.
They are much admired, as part of the “Bonsai Display” I attempt to fudge or answer away the situation with, in the extreme unlikelihood of an actual visit from some other form of humanity.
Yes, we musn’t let the bastards get us down.
On dog watch today. Faithful old Gyp (15 y.o) not himself (like us). Couldn’t be bothered racing around the house as usual when people drop in, generally making a nuisance of himself. He has wolfed his evening meal down so it’s probably just him getting old. So a visit to the vet may be on the cards in the morning.
Highlight of the day – learning how to turn off predictive text on my mobile.
Downside of the day – can’t energise myself sufficiently to plan tonight’s dinner, so it’s probably the old standby of pasta.
I have been watching season 3 episodes of NCIS with man-flu suffering son and wishing that Leroy Jethro Gibbs really existed and was over here to smack some people in the back of the head.
Helen: Perhaps a Cotoneaster?
Chookie; Happy Anniversary.
Jane: That sounds like a wonderful gourmet afternoon (envy)
Bmitw: And so say all of us.
Adelaide: Beautiful day, pup has a spring in his tail – lets hpoe that translates into Independent thinking.
oooh, who’s got tickets on her furry self???
(only a gentle dig, dear PCat)
mediatracker, I count that as a very significant triumph and it is the first thing I ask any mobile phone seller to show me. Good thing too because it’s the default setting on my phone. Grrr! Down with predictive text! It’s the work of the devil!
Don’t get me started mediatracker – the horrors of it on my recent Nokia! – although it’s bearable on my current iPhone.
Happy anniversary, Chookie and partner chookie.
Meant to do the laundry and whipper-snip the lawn, but that would be against the spirit of a Lazy Sunday.
Instead have spent the afternoon building a model of Porco Rosso’s flying-boat.
Conversations across language are fascinating. Told the beloved (whose English is slightly better than my poor Japanese) that I have noticed that there’s a mouse in my house, only to get the immortal reply:
“why do you think you’re a mouse? I could be a dog.”
Rob, my diving is limited to the occasional snorkel, and I’m not around Port Phillip Bay in any case, but I’ve visited and played around underwater there and I really hope so for the weedy sea dragons’ sake.
at last we,re getting past football politics,hanghungcha!independence day,hurray!
Revelled in the warmest nicest day we have had in high country for months. Even washed the cars as an excuse to indulge in some sunshine.Watched with wonder as newborns learnt to walk and cavort as a panacea to the shit of politics. Lambs are especially cute, but calves come a bloody close second.
I’m very glum today. Kerry O’Brien’s interviews with Tony Windsor, Bob Katter and Rob Oakschott cheered me up a bit.
Not much more on report really.
Lots of dog walking and sulking for me too. Saw ‘The Ghost Writer’ today. Polanski is still a master filmmaker. Not a shot wasted. No reliance on flashiness and gimmicks. A story the evokes the great political thrillers of the 70s, as well as Polanski’s own films like ‘Chinatown’ and ‘The Tenant’ and a score that sounds just like Bernard Herrmman. A pretty damn good film.
Not me, FR — I hardly ever get the five-grid sudoku out, even when they call it “easy”.
I’m turning my attention from Australian politics to the Roman Emperor Caligula – reading an academic biog to follow some I, Claudius rewatching fun recently!
And finishing off the election day cupcakes!
Not only did I take Friday off to clean my mother’s house before she comes out of hospital, I went back Saturday, and again today (does this not deserve a medal?), because there was an awful lot of cleaning to be done in that house. In the end I just washed everything from the ceiling down. I have scrubbed so long and so hard with products of such corrosive toxicity I no longer have fingerprints!
The good thing was that I’ve heard about 5 minutes of news on the radio, and that’s all. I’ve had 3 days more or less politics-free. Once you take that first hard single step, the long journey of house cleaning is quite therapeutic: improvement you can see.
The bad thing is wondering at how I just didn’t notice the poor old thing was living in such a neglected house. I do some stuff in the garden each Sunday afternoon, after we eat the huge lunch she cooks, but, I didn’t (want to?) see the imperceptible, gradual slide of the rest of the house into cobwebby, dusty neglect.
Anyway, closed the door today on a shining, clean, polished house – well, the part of it she lives in. Pulled out masses of weeds too, so next weekend will be planting. Petunias? Maybe I’ll wait ’till vinca seedlings reappear – such hardy, cheery little things.
Took the lady friend out for dinner last night (curry – she’s been in France for a fortnight, and when I offered dinner out said “Anything but French.”) When we got back from dinner, we dozed through the election coverage for a bit, then went to bed.
I’ve spent most of today dithering.
Yes you do, Russell: Valour in the Face of Cobwebs and Dust. I hope she likes her new house.
Lazy??? Sunday…. bike ride, spreading compost, removing weeds, mowing lawn, enjoying sunshine, afternoon tea with friends. Delicious dinner, assisted by the gentle humour of the 3 independent MHRs on ABC TV.
Still have a hangover. The computer screen hurts my eyes.
Ambigulous @35, I accidentally tuned in to ABC1 and Red Kezza quizzing the 3 Independents. It was time for the David Attenborough series, Life.
I thought they were all very down to earth and had a clear vision for the country. Very refreshing.
Good on you for taking it on, Russell. I have an 83-year-old father living alone, and my sisters and I keep a surreptitious eye on the state of his house. A thought (I’ve come across this kind of thing before): if she is reasonably fit generally, some of this may be an eyesight issue. How long is it since she had new glasses?
Otherwise it might be worth springing for a cleaner. I believe there are various subsidised cleaning services available for the elderly, though I don’t know whether this varies from state to state — you should check it out.
PC – she’ll be 90 soon and her balance is gone, so there are falls. We did arrange for a cleaner subsidised by the local council. This has turned out to be a succession of lazy middle-aged women who run a mop over the floor and then enjoy an hour or so of morning tea, i.e. my mother serving them cups of tea and excellent cakes.
Mum thinks it’s a huge failing to have anybody do ‘her’ housework, so she’s happy to entertain the cleaner, rather than actually get the woman to clean. I think we’ll try the Veteran’s Affairs cleaners next. But, more than likely, it’ll be me doing it and I shouldn’t play the martyr because I do actually like getting something done so quickly – makes a change from the hours at work mucking about on a computer.
Yes, I think it’s Vets’ Affairs who clean for my dad once a week. And he is not half bad himself at housework, for a man of his age or indeed for any man at all. But it’s hard for a woman of your ma’s generation to yield the cleaning to anyone else, I think. If you’re going to do it yourself, have you got Spotless and Speed Cleaning, both by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming, both published by ABC Books? I was taught to clean by an expert, but I couldn’t do without these books.
Russell,
try and get on to Homecare. Not sure what state you are in, but in NSW its $8 an hour for pensioners. I have them in once a fortnight and they do the washing, vacuuming, mop the floors, make the bed really well so I don’t have to make it for a fortnight (I don’t have the breath)and do the washing up, clean the stove-top (I rarely use the oven), kitchen benches and do whatever washing up I have that day. Then, if they have time they do a little but of general tidying up.
They also assist in bathing oneself etc, if necessary.
First one or two visits they send in some-one who is more or less a forensic cleaner, then you get your regular cleaner. They’ve not allowed to gorgew themselves on cakes, etc or accept gifts, (though I usually give them a cup of coffee and chocolate biscuits if I have any)
You have to have a vacuum cleaner, mop and bucket, and washing machine on hand and provide the necessary cleaning fluids etc.
Now, onto the weekend. Voted early, so I didn’t have to go and vote. Morning on LP. Afternoon taking notes from Scheer and Rankin’s Rebels and Revolutionaries, reading through the Montresor Journals, which are mosrtly to do with the Seven Year’s War.
6 p.m. settled down with black coffee, chocolate montes and creme caramel to watch the election. Delighted with the Greens result, sickened by the various Lib apparatchniks as the hung parliament result became clear. After the election coverage, late at night went on LP.
Up early, etc. Watched Insiders. On LP discussing the election. Spent most of the day reading and taking notes from Allen French’s The Siege of Boston. Not much in it I don’t already have. About 4 put on DVD of The Godfather, then Godfather II. (My favourite is Godfather III which I might watch today or tomorrow.
The chocolate montes and creme caramel may have played a part there. You really don’t want to eat too much of stuff like that before looking at Tony Abbot en famille and Nick Minchin on the screen.
“have you got Spotless and Speed Cleaning”
No, I have hospital grade Domestos and all its evil cousins. Tried baking powder etc years ago and just don’t have the patience. (Except for white vinegar for the kitchen floor tiles – miraculous)
If something won’t come out in the wash, the things become gardening clothes or cleaning rags.
PC is right about women of her age and their personal duty to maintain the home. While she still has that, Mum also has the idea that she’ll soon be dead (which she wants to be) and ‘the house will just be bulldozed anyway’ so until then she should just put up with it. Women of her generation are very practiced at putting up with things.
“Women of her generation are very practiced at putting up with things.”
Tell me about it. My gran’s been stone deaf for 30 years, and now at 95 she’s starting to think it’s time to leave the family home she and pa built in the 40s. Still cooks and cleans entirely for herself. She apologises for the poor state of the roses FFS, and they’re spectacular.
Helen @ 42,
Na. I eat them all the time. Woulld have normally had a nice glass or two of dry white to wash them down, but I’m on antibiotics for my chest at the moment, so I can’t drink. (And I would’ve had to catch a cab into town to buy it.)
Roses! My medal should be on a spectacular ribbon because I also pruned the roses (sans gloves, what a fool) and treated them to bags of cow manure, as per instructions.
Here in the Midnight Kitchen we’ve somehow developed a sort of temporary mania for stuffing things — grape leaves, stuffed peppers, stuffed tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms half a dozen ways. Still haven’t done clams, partly b/c we haven’t thought up anything sufficiently original on that score yet.
Anybody got any interesting outside-the-box recipes for “stuffed X”? Doesn’t have to be clams. We’re looking for the interesting and mildly exotic, but I think maybe roast boar’s head stuffed with chilled monkey brains could be a stuffing too far.
jpz, the rôti sans pareil could be interesting, if fiddly. There’s an English equivalent, if my memory serves me correctly, where the outermost bird is a swan.
My current favourite – and much simpler than the above – is large cup or field mushrooms stuffed with cheese (preferably blue) and cooked under a very hot griller.
Fiona, I’ve been making those a lot recently (the mushrooms, not the turducken – my goodness).
Stuff with the lightly fried chopped mushroom stalks and spring onions (‘green’ in the US?), and the cheese. Blue is great, but some parmesan (not too much) grated on top is a good alternative if your fridge is a bit empty.
The best trick though is to line the inside of the cups with pesto before filling them…the oil, pesto and mushroomm juice all combine in the oven for lots of rich flavour!
Mmmmm, Nick: spring onions, check, parmesan, check, pesto, check.
Time for lunch…
Mmm, that stuff sounds good. I especially like the idea of the pesto, will have to try that.
This one just came to me in a dream, but I haven’t tried it yet… tomatoes stuffed with farfalle, diced onions and parsley, and chopped salmon fillets. Then, when they come out of the oven, you drizzle a garlic-lemon butter sauce into the insides. The pasta-dish part works OK all on its own I reckon, but I wonder if it would react well with the tomato, or would that be too much. Would work fine for stuffed mushrooms but then you’d have to use a tinier pasta than farfalle I bet.
Risoni are my stuffing-pasta of choice japerz.
Anyway, stuffed beancurd is a doddle, and pretty damn fine, especially for those who find tofu tasteless. Just buy a pack of the fried tofu cubes, cut each in half, make a slit in the open side, shove in a teaspoon or so of fish paste, fry briefly again and either put them in a stirfry/braise or serve with a dipping sauce.
Fish paste is just processed white fish fillets – thus varies in taste/consistency depending on the fish. But I did my own once with 50/50 pureed yellow-eye mullet and prawn meat, which was well worth the trouble.
My solution of the tofu-tastelessness problem is not to eat it. Life is short.
PC, life is short, and life sans miso soup is a life not fully lived.
To avoid tastelessness, saute tofu slabs in a frying pan, then marinate in a blend of apple, ginger and lemon juice mixed with soy sauce and sugar for a couple of hours (red wine with soy sauce and sugar will do at a pinch).
Next, bake at 200 C for about 20 minutes; serve with vegies, salads. See Kurma Dasa’s first book for details.