Saturday, July 20, 2013

That time of year again TIME FOR THE FRENCH DINNER

Tonight we have our annual French meal, as part of the Tour de France obsession I share with my brother-in-law and now my daughter, and which is secondarily tolerated/shared by my sister and my husband, Clokes.

We have our French wines, our non-French cheeses (fuck that, they're too expensive and no one ever really loves them anyway. Let's face it, compared to a King Island Quintriple Brie or a good old Castello Bleu, you can't beat that?)

They are doing main, I am doing dessert and in about ten minutes (as soon as I've finished my Internet Ablutions) I'll decide whether it will be cherry clafoutis or tarte tartin.

This year I'm dressing in yellow. Need to pop to the op shop to try to find something that will complement my yellow cardigan. I told Clokes I am wearing 'as all yellow as possible' and he said: Great, I'll wear my red, white and blue striped top (that we got at 'Tomy [sic] Pony' in Hong Kong. Not Polo and not Tommy Hilfiger - a kind of blend, you know. He knows I hate him wearing those 'fucking polo tops' but he also knew I couldn't say anything because he'd mentioned the tri-couleurs. Smart.

It was quite the big week. I had four teaching gigs, including a new school (primary) and then secondary schools. Thursday was a big day, taught back to back 8.40am to 1.30pm with an hour off in the middle which was cannibalised by me driving home in between, grabbing some fruit, refilling my water bottle, going to the toilet, offloading some materials from first sessions and getting back in the car. I know you love these details; I'm here for you.

Then yesterday I spent ages online working out which Melbourne Writers Festival sessions to go to. The last few years nothing has interested me but this year, fuck. There are HEAPS so I have booked for a bunch of sessions and if I go to the Trivia Night and the Closing Party (unlikely) I'll attend 16 sessions over the ten days or whatever it is, mostly two weekends. Man.

I also might have some writerly news in the next couple of weeks. Not to do with the book, but something short storyish. I've been shortlisted in a local thing which is a big deal, with a wide-circulation. Publication is 'likely but not - as yet - definite' so I am excited, I have cracked a bottle of The Widow to celebrate the shortlisting, but I'm trying to keep it low-key until I have confirmation.

But likely to be published? They wouldn't say that unless it was, er, likely, would they?

Better go and look at the recipes. This was my week, how was yours? What are you reading? Are you happy? Are you wearing yellow? How is the weather? Any holidays on the horizon? What do you think of the POLITICS AT THE MOMENT? Or should we not go there. It is quite the exhausting subject and as I've demonstrated above, it's possible to live in the light and keep things happy.

16 comments:

sarah toa said...

It's coming up a full moon in Aquarius, which is always fruitful for us batties.
And-and-and I can't hold it in any longer-this particular battie is on the bill for the perth writers festival. Whoo!

M said...

oooo I love the Le Dauphin and D'Affinois cheeses. so squishily yummy.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Sarah, but, um, "batties"?

All this food talk is way out of my depth. They sound like the kinds of words my chef friends use, but I've no idea what any of it refers to.

I hate him wearing those 'fucking polo tops'

Just as a point of interest, how do you like your men(/man) dressed? Personally, I'm partial to a blue singlet and a pair of stubbies, with a hint of nutsack hanging out.

Also: Week has not been too bad. Reading technical manuals at the moment. Haven't been wearing much yellow, no. Weather is fickle. No holidays on the horizon, but my folks are here for a week, which is a bit like a holiday, kinda. Am I happy? Well, not jumping over the moon, but yes, I think so, reasonably. Which brings us to politics. I suppose I should be thrilled that Kruddy has pulled Labor's numbers out of the dunny and made an Abbott govt a little less likely; but I wonder if we should be bracing ourselves for a little starboard drift in order to woo the more centrist/populist/opportunist/undecided punters and/or conjure up revenue? Seems almost inevitable at this juncture, don't it?

Melba said...

Congratulations Sarah that's great news. Does 'batties' mean bat-people (cause you also mention fruit in your comment) (hehehe) OR does it mean someone who's a bit mad? And that's for next year, right? can you give us more info or not yet? I'd love to go for it... just so far and so spency. One day!

Magical - I don't know I've had a French cheese I liked better than Blue Castello, but would happily *try* either or both of the two you mention.

Alex - clafoutis is a cake thing with cherries in it and a tarte tartin is an upside-down apple cake. But anyway... to the more interesting comment.

NUT SACK? REALLY? You're shitting me! That's some short shorts. I just don't like the polos, I prefer him in a, you know, a real shirt rather than a t-shirt. Ultimately I don't really care, but he does go for polos with horizontal stripes and sometimes they are hideous. Oh well.

Your parents visit you a lot it seems, are they are from you?

And politics, yes, I'm happy that Abbott seems to be faltering now and if there's any chance he loses election/Turnbull or anyone else ANYONE takes over even before election, then it's better for the ALP. Also the reformy things Rudd mentioned to try and create stability, kind of like that on the face of it. The other stuff, I don't really want to think about too much. Head in sand I suppose.

Melba said...

That should read 'are they far from you?' above. Re the parentals.

Melba said...

And Alex you might go for my cousin, he doesn't have the balls hanging out thank God but he's a really nice guy, a mechanic and wears shorts and t-shirt (not blue singlet) and boots all the time, even in winter from memory. But he has a gf.

Melba said...

Oh I forgot to mention I think too that I went to get the thing cut out of my back on Thursday and it was gone. Not there. Disappeared.

Vit D and the immune system - kicking arse.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That's powerful stuff. Kicking arse indeed. You have a mutant healing factor now, it seems.

You're shitting me!

Well yes, that was intended fairly tongue-in-cheek. However, completely legless shorts were a popular item among blokes when I was younger; especially shearers, truckies, laborers, etc. And yes, occasionally you would see some nutsack hanging out.

And truthfully, I do tend to be more into the "practical" than the "flashy", so yeah, your cuz does sound pretty a'right to mine ears -- provided the t-shirts don't have obnoxiously lewd or sexist shit on them, that is.

Also ...

My folks live hundreds of miles away, but they're retired and there's not much out home for them anymore (especially since the floods), so they spend most of their time tripping 'round in a caravan, seeing country they haven't seen in decades, catching up with the 'lations, and spending time with the kids* and grandkids.

*of which I am one, obvs.

Melba said...

I do have a mutant healing factor, and I am extremely proud of myself. I told my dad to up his tabs from 1 a morning to 5 or 6 for a couple of months. He had his levels done and he was 6. SIX.

I remember the nurse telling me I was 111, and she said the upper range of normal was 250 but that seems high (I'm doing a bit of googling around, most pages say 80 is the upper range of normal) but there was another woman who said she had been very low and got every cold and virus around; her doc put her on 5k a day and since 2010 she has not been sick. Her levels were 110.

I'm glad you don't *prefer* the testicles hanging out of the shorts.

sarah toa said...

Hi Melba and Alex, by battie I mean batty. Any other Aquarians out there? I guess it is a segue from the mystic medusa language.

Anyhoo ... if you make it west in February Melba, you could come to Albany on the south coast, spend some time with us and then head up to the writers festival in the big smoke. Straight after Perth, we will be having our own writers gig down south.
Keep it in mind yes? Free accommodation. Cows, paddocks, karri trees, fishermen, writers.

Melba said...

Oh fuck me Sarah that would be so amazing. Let me think about it, wow. WOW. That is really really exciting, thank you. You know I'm the kind of person to do it, don't you?

And I'm Saggitarian, do Aquarians go funny w the moon or something?

Going off to jump around now I think!

sarah toa said...

Aquarians are just strange anyway or so I am told...
That would be wicked if you could come over! I think the pwf is feb 17th-ish.

suze2000 said...

Missed this post before and all the discussion. Not much to add except I like hubby in polos as most of his tees are geeky, which is fine in context, but now we're over 40, they require an appropriate audience, I think. He wears them a lot to work too, in preference to his work shirts. No ironing, you see, but collar in tact. :)

Excited about your prospects, not much going on here except house-hunting in earnest. Do you know much about Thornbury as a suburb? I'm trying to work out if it's too dodgy to move to (I think not, but a little unsure about parts, the high street appears to be a bit dodgy near the house we are looking at, is all, but the rest of it looks good).

Totally missed that bike race this year, which is a pity, it's always so pretty. But I was working days and it's hard to stay up late and go to work early in the morning, so slept in preference to watching. I don't really understand it anyway.

Happy? Busy! Perhaps it amounts to the same thing. We are planning a trip to Vanuatu (I just paid off all the accomodation) and as I said, may be moving house, which is exciting in itself.

Melba said...

I'll be thinking about it Sarah for sure. Would be an incredible opportunity I reckon, not just to meet you but to see your world.

Suze, hey! Yes my husband wears them to work on casual Fridays but has to wear a proper shirt other days. Thornbury is a GOOD SUBURB and not dodgy, quite gentrified now... High St near wherever you are looking, it will only be a few years before it will all be trendy probably. We have friends who've bought in Preston and it's starting to funk up there as well, and there's a bit of an influx of young people buying there. They couldn't afford Thornbury so I'd say go for it!

Vanuatu, never been there I'm sure it's tropical and nice, probably a bit luau'ish? Good luck with the house moving, always hell but 'this too shall pass' is my mantra and you can have it.

Melba said...

I've just realised M above isn't m_m. You popped out from my past M. Am trying to work out where I know you from, blog-wise. We were both on We Do Chew Our Food?

Still hunting.

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