22nd May 2010 (Saturday)

Hello all,


MANY thanks to the Pie for calling up today, much appreciated – felt very guilty keeping you on the phone for such a while when you’re under the weather but it was very nice to talk. For those not in the know, yes, they were/are ‘dead-in-a-ditch’ in the sense that they’ve all had / are having horrid colds – Nea’s just getting hers over the weekend, but despite that they seem pretty cheerful and there are astounding reports of Leo’s becoming wholeheartedly involved in cookery. As in, spending over two hours per day on cooking, and yesterday making his own choux pastry with mascarpone filling (god damn I can’t make choux to save my life, that kid’s already well in front of me). All sounds so sound and educational my socks were falling off as I listened in to it – especially considering the snotty circumstances.



Apropos only of cookery – miscellaneous titbit garnered this evening on perusing the ‘Moosewood Restaurant’ cookbook I borrowed from the library today. When the Native Americans tapped maple trees (in the autumn and winter), one of the ways they condensed the sweetness was by just letting it freeze and then discarding the mainly-water top layer that froze. They had some difficulty otherwise with the lack of metal cooking pots. A quite interesting morsel, I thought.



Jolly, jolly, jolly rainy here today. Littles looked out and said quite forcefully, perhaps we could stay in today. Well, mainly, we did. Just the usual library trip in the morning (which she never objects to). Picked up the pre-ordered Secret Scripture – but I’ve got another book to read before that so it’ll still have to wait. Hah – just finished ‘The Lazarus Project’ by someone who turned out to be a Bosnian writing in English – it’s fantastic, so innovatively written, so tightly woven it took until about half-way through the book to start to cotton onto what was being done but it was quite jaw-dropping. (Not a cheerful book in case anyone feels inclined to read it – not lacking in humour, but not cheerful at all). Well, I may or may not have mentioned but I had considered the option of submitting free book reviews to various places as part of an effort to build up a writer’s C.V., so in advance of writing one on this, looked up some that had been written. Boy oh boy. The vast majority of them hadn’t a clue as to what was being done – and I mean, not a clue. Three or four more scholarly ones were OK, but once again often picked on some peculiarity or quirk to help sell their article – one of them being the over-use of semicolons. Based the whole article on this point (and incidentally didn’t even garner the key element relayed by their use: the writing’s laid out like snapshots – used heavily in the narrative). Dear me. Well, I consider, if something so well constructed is in the main utterly misunderstood by the majority, what is the point of writing. Then looked up some interviews with the author – some elements of which were very telling. In one (interviewed in Bosnian) he’s asked whether he’s bothered by how his novels are received and understood – claims nonchalantly that no, he doesn’t worry about that, worries about football but not about that. Never seen a worse liar in my life. In another interview (in English) is asked how he would describe ‘The Lazarus Project’ – to which he answers ‘It’s a rollercoaster ride of sex and violence’ – greeted by an instantaneous burst of laughter from the audience as it’s anything but. Thing is, the nearer to that description you can get your book the more popular it seems it will become. Of course it all raises the question – why bother. I know, I know – there are plenty of examples to the contrary. But in the murky depths of unknown writers…. Hm. Sex and violence might seem like the only ticket out sometimes, I have to say. Such an unattractive prospect makes making a living packing shelves at Tesco’s seem pleasant.



Ah, boring boring. Gosh, we went to visit a house today. Had an open day and it was new and interesting sounding so we went. $570K for a Merewether Heights house, 3+bedrooms (‘rumpus room’ is a general term for a room that might be anything) and a pool, well sounds worth looking at anyway. Of all the houses that we’ve wandered round here and thought, what the hell, this was perhaps the most hellish. What is it with Australians and their house layouts??? Unbelievable shambles, one thing tacked onto another, totally without rhyme or reason, all set off very nicely by everything being tiled (living room, bedrooms, the lot)- obviously because whoever lived there evidently kept a lot of animals in the 4-car garage, which was utterly impregnated with the stench of unutterable, seeped-in, matured, mellowed, incarcerated, macerated, overwhelming animal excrement. Have no idea what they were, I can only assume dogs as it lacked that peculiar cat smell but I’d almost think of something feral, didn’t really smell of dog at all, more like… dunno, rats or racoons or…. Well I honestly don’t know. Luckily never been exposed to the matured smell of dog excrement so have no experience of how it might smell after several decades or marinating. Something carnivorous, that’s for sure. Needless to say, it’s not top of our list. But WHY oh why do they do such stupid things with their layouts???? The dogshit is as nothing compared to the idiocy of the floorplan. It’s hopeless.



The excursion probably wasn’t helped by the fact that it was pouring with rain. Does rather bring out the aroma of things, I guess – though the aroma there scarcely needed bringing out out, I can tell you. Well we spent most of the day indoors, we quite agreed with the Little’s assessment of the situation. By the time we got home I for one was ravenous, and after tucking into lunch with some vigour a haze of somnolence struck which really could only be remedied by a swift trip to bed. Some of us (well, just me actually) fell into such a state of tranquillity that very little of the ensuing hour can be remembered with any clarity. The other two were I think playing some game on the computer but the finer details escaped me. I followed them downstairs somewhat groggily about half an hour after they left.



Quite late in the afternoon, I got it into my head that it would be a good idea to look up what the nearest Asian foodstore was, and go and stock up on exotics in advance of the main food shop tomorrow. Well, I found one, even called them to make sure that they were open, looked up the place on google, we drove off in the car. It was lateish but the rain had stopped, a small excursion seemed quite sensible at the time.



We came to the crossroads Google had shown us, found a parking spot – and the heavens opened. I mean, almost simultaneously with our pulling into the spot. It was torrential. Power-shower, Niagara, monsoon, just fucking bucketing it down. So dense we couldn’t see a yard ahead. Luckily we were parked – just sat there waiting for it to clear a little, occasionally tittering insanely at the utterly implausibility and rubbishness of the situation. The windows rapidly misted up and after that we could see nothing, only sit there while the car rocked gently with under the aqua-assault. Considered just calling it all off but eventually it eased off and we braved it out. Wandered about the streets for a little, and found no foodstore. Asked a local noodle bar whether they knew where the shop was, and they told us it was way up the other side of the street – nearly 5 minute’s dirve, it turns out. Well, so much for google. We got back to the car, and made one last attempt to find it. Eagle-eyes McGrainge spots it (that’s the Mr in case it’s unclear) and we get there well past 5. What an oddesy. Wow but it was worth it. Fantastic. Finally manage to lay hands on tamarind paste, green curry paste, mustard seeds, furikake, miso, wakame, five spice powder, and all sorts we had failed to get in the supermarkets… inclusing preserved lemons. These at $2.50 per jar rather than the $10 per one (more or less) that we’d found at the gourmet shops and rejected with an ill-concealed retching noise. Ah, the joy. It’s a find. Anyway, home we went, laden with a cardboard boxful of goodies. The owner recognised eager customers when she saw them, and gave me the details of all the opening times and when the fresh fruit and veg come in in mind-bending speed and forcefulness.



New goodies aside, today it was Lentils day. I’d earlier got out some pork bones I’d put in the freezer and made some stock, and cooked up some pui lentils with a stir-in of red onion and bacon, and served it with just a side of shredded boiled cabbage in the de-glazed juices of the onion and bacon with some garlic and wine added. Damn. I don’t think the Littles was too keen (although she ate it, but you know) and the Mr said it was OK but well I think perhaps it’s not his ideal dish.. for me though by ‘eck and gor blimey I REALLY liked it. Deary me but I find those lentils just so damn tasty, they’re perfect in every way. Ah well, I guess I can serve it up occasionally and they shouldn’t complain too much. I’ll threaten them with peas and liver if they do.



Gosh, been going on for ages today. Best get going. Lots of love to all, V xxxxx