Gillian Polack's Blog, page 20

The Time of the Ghosts

The edits are done and Satalyte have put up an announcement page for the book. This means that everyone can admire my beautiful new cover. My books are notoriously hard to do covers for, because I keep straying outside genre boundaries and literary norms, but Marieke Ormsby has done a fabulous job reflecting the novel in this one: http://satalyte.com.au/product/the-time-of-the-ghosts-by-gillian-polack/

I have recipes for this book. I have whole menus for this book. I began research on it just when the Conflux banquets were winding up, and I think I used it to wean myself off menu design. Now that it's a few years later, I really want to cook those meals. Life is funny.

gillpolack @ 2015-09-18T10:32:00

Today is not a good day for stupid people to ring me up. I'm editing. I need to finish this editing today (plus two other things, one of which is the article I wrote yesterday) for I have deadlines. I'll met them, but it means I'm not tolerant of time wasting. I can waste my own time very nicely, thank you, without help from telemarketers.

Anyhow, I had to say "Hello" five times before the telemarketer answered. Then he insisted on calling me Mrs Polack. He wasn't interested in the fact that he'd rung during work and was very insistent on leading me into his script. And he couldn't understand my accent so I had to repeat and repeat.

I'm afraid I got insistent then, myself. I decided that it was very important that I knew why he was asking me for opinions on banking. I didn't give him any of the opinions he needed to lead into the next sequence, for he didn't give me a single reason for wanting my bad banking stories. Almost any reason would have done, but he didn't want my stories, he wanted my friendly attention and he didn't apologise for getting my title wrong, interrupting my work, not answering me when I picked up the phone... so I didn't give him what he needed and we parted ways, both unhappy.

Why I'm not being gentle and sweet today despite the time of year (when I'm supposed to be extra-nice), is because these are the final edits for the next novel. It looks as if it will be out at Conflux, launched on time and that the cover is gorgeous and... the only delay at this point is me. I've only got two more hours work in it, though, for I worked most of the night (for it was a high pain night, and I took advantage of being unable to sleep) and I'm allowed a lavender bath when it's done, if I finish it early enough.

The next caller will get a step-by-step analysis of my decisions regarding the manuscript. Luckily (for certain degrees of the concept of luck) the recent caller rang during my rest break. I am now rested, fumed out and about to make a cup of tea to see me through a hundred pages.

I've been so lucky with this edit - it's very light! I don't normally finish a whole book so very quickly. I work faster than most, but 36 hour turn around is a wonderful thing and I shall treasure the memory for my next book, which will probably be recalcitrant to make up. I can't help thinking that my tendency to hang onto book-length mss and do many revisions before anyone sees them plays a part in this stage being less impossible.

I don't know. All I know is that I'll finish today, easily, and the only question is how early in the day and whether I get time out this evening or whether I'll be working on other deadlines then. That was what all the emails on Monday were about: I have a lot of deadlines, suddenly.

This year everyone took my explanations in good part and didn't demand things on the actual high holy days. This is a significant improvement. I have the equivalent of 28 December delivery, rather than the equivalent of Christmas Day. I will admit, though, I needed the whole week off I had planned (I got 2 days) but I've discovered that it's very, very difficult for single people in a society that revolves around those with children, and for Jewish people in a society that revolves around Christian festivals, and for women in a society that revolves around men. I'm lucky I got two days leave!

If I had my third day, I would've gone to see Floriade. I've worked out a route that takes a while but requires much less crossing-of-busy roads. Maybe I should work extra-extra hard and go to Floriade next week.

ETA: It took 2 1/2 hours more than I expected. Given it's fiddly work and my eye is my eye, this is still a good outcome. It does mean that I will be working into the evening, however.

gillpolack @ 2015-09-16T09:18:00

My MP really did listen to me. She's now meeting with as much of the local Jewish community as she can. I don't know if she realises that they won't tell her the things I told her, and I hope she doesn't talk about the things I said privately, but it's wonderful that she's taking the time and talking.

I have just the smallest of hopes between the events of this week and an MP who takes constituents seriously, that there might be change in the air.

Today I'm teaching for four hours straight, with nowhere to sit for most of it. My teaching tools, however, are some of the best portraits anywhere in the country, for we're going to the National Portrait Gallery. My students' vocabularies and techniques for writing about people are too small currently, you see, and we needed an excursion, and the NPG has both a gorgeous collection and decent tables at the cafe ie we can stop in the middle and do some writing.

Last time we were there we worked on place and hsitory, so this is going to be quite different.

gillpolack @ 2015-09-15T12:05:00

My eye is playing up a bit today, but it's still much better than it was, so I've spent the morning cooking. I had leftover ingredients from my Rosh Hashanah feasts and now they're either in German almond biscuits (made with almond, honey and egg white) or in chicken soup. I tested a biscuit just before they were cooked, and they're lovely and soft and full of honey and almond. I should he beaten the egg whites much longer, but I ran out of oomph, so they're flat and crumbly and... entirely delicious. I may try not beating the egg whites fully again next time.

My chocolate and sweets were delivered for Conflux yesterday and I get my book edits very shortly (this week, but I need quick turnaround, so I'm hoping earlier rather than later), so October is happening. There will be honey cake for the booklaunch, I've decided, in honour of the silly season, but also in honour of a Jewish character.

All of this is brought to you by my cooking-fu, which has returned in its full glory. I am again a danger to everyone's waistlines.

And I must go, for I have an article to write before friends drop in.

Season's greetings

My honey cake recipe is on my other blog ( here: http://www.gillianpolack.com/honey-cake-for-rosh-hashanah/ )

My flat currently smells of tsimmes.

Have a good and sweet year, everyone!!

gillpolack @ 2015-09-12T14:13:00

Market this morning was full of treats, because I can't get to family for Rosh Hashanah and therefore I let myself spend half my travel money on treats. The rest of my travel money will go on Conflux membership (2 days thereof) early next month.

One of the treats was ordered by mail, and is wine. I don't drink much anymore, but I enjoy a glass with friends from time to time and this will enable that habit to resume. The rest of it was all market stuff. By which I mean that I bought daffodils and saffron, both straight from the farmers who grew and picked them. I also bought some cherry sauce for chicken/almond schnitzel from the cherry farmer and checked that the season is due to start the regular time. Except it isn't. All going well, there should be cherries in six weeks. And kom fruit for another month, I discovered, when I bought my weekly fruit.

I've been eyeing off the saffron for a while, because it's rare to get less-aged saffron in Australia. I bought some in Spain many years ago and since then have avoided buying it at all, because the difference was notable. In this case, I had a good chat with the grower and she says she enjoys picking it. She loves her work and we talked about cooking method and how to spot false saffron and dyed saffron and the small jar she gave me was filled by her, herself, that morning. If I become incomed, one day, saffron will be a regular part of my cooking arsenal again, for it is a wonderful thing.

I didn't buy much else: a parsnip, a lettuce, the kom fruit. I've identified my next-favourite yoghourt seller. They use too much sugar for me, but they make a lemon myrtle yoghourt. They also make a lower-sugar river mint one, and I don't mind river mint, but I totally adore lemon myrtle. I said that if he ever works out how to make a lemon myrtle yoghourt that's much lower in added sugar, to hoy me when he sees me and I'll come right over and buy it. For I will. For this is the yoghourt I've been waiting for.

Today is a bit personal and very political, and sometimes they mix

My mother is angry. it takes a lot to make her angry. She's one of the most pleasant people you will ever meet. She was going to write a letter to a newspaper. We talked about it, and she says she will write a series of letters to Federal politicians and party leaders. It's a very simple letter "Why are we letting refugees suffer until Christmas? Why aren't we taking them in now?" And it will probably contain an element of "Why are we taking so few?"

There is a history lesson in the Australian situation. We took a lot of refugees from the Cambodian and Vietnam wars, with complaints, but also with some grace. Those refugees became solid citizens and have enriched the country. No-one's disputing this. In fact, very few people are mentioning it.

This current policy goes back to Australia's treatment of Jews from 1938 until after World War II. Limited numbers, careful vetting. Australia had a maximum number of permitted Jewish refugees and seldom reached it. Before then, it had its White Australia policy, and Jews were honorary black.

Moslem refugees today are honorary Jews.

Last week the government was all "We can take Christian Syrians" rather than "We will take people because they need somewhere safe to live. We will welcome them because we're human beings and they are. Both our cultures will adapt and we'll all be the richer." The first sentence reflects the policies of the late thirties and early forties. The second reflects the seventies and eighties.

So we've gone back to the bad old days. Our leaders have their own personal time machine. I don't envy honorary Jews who are homeless and stateless: it's a very bad place to be. And that's not why my mother is writing the letters. We talked about this after she'd decided.

She's writing the letter because the thought of people in refugee camps, driven out of home, with nowhere to go, this hurts her very deeply. Her family is the refugee side of our family. If her father and grandparents hadn't somehow got around the White Australia policy, she wouldn't exist and I wouldn't exist. She's hurting for what they've been through, and hurting for them being in a camp for even a minute longer than they have to.

I haven't suggested she write to the Minister for Immigration. I think he has a hard heart. I haven't suggested she write to the Prime Minister. I think he has a heart only for six people in the world (maybe eight, on a warm and generous day) and once his heart is full there is no space for anyone else. She's writing to her local MP, to various Senators and to the State Liberal Party. This latter is the important one, for she lives in Victoria, the state that brought forth a conservative prime minister who nevertheless opened the doors to refugees. The Victorian Liberals may well also currently contain some of the biggest rightwing ratbags in the country. A letter may make a difference.

There are so many ways to fight this impossible Australia. Mum can't go on marches, she's not interested in joining a party or in converting her friends to a particular path of thought. She just wants her voice heard. If enough people shout, then we have possibilities in the next twelve months that we haven't had for twenty-four months.

Australia is in election year. This will decide who we are. Not the appalling last two years, but what we say and do from now until voting is done.

Terms are three years here. The election has to be completed by mid-June in 2017. In reality, that would normally mean a September-December vote next year. The earliest date for a normal election is in August next year.

Abbott has already said how recalcitrant we all are in not allowing all his budget measures through and in not accepting his policies with enthusiasm and suggested he might call a double dissolution. He can do that almost anytime. He has the triggers, I think, because of the Budget stuff. He could've claimed that he wasn't being permitted to govern for nearly 18 months now, I think. (All the destruction Australia's being undertaking and undergoing are nothing compared with what would have happened if Abbott didn't have a recalcitrant Senate and the checks and balances of the Westminster system. Abbott undermines them, but they fend off the worst nonetheless.) What this would mean would be a full Senate vote instead of a half Senate vote: it would be very risky. I wonder why he's threatening it. Unless he's doing it because we (the voters) are no longer responding to the fear-of-everyone tactics that served him in the lead up to his government?

Anyhow, if anyone wants Australia to move back towards humanity, now is the time for lobbying and public speech. We need to see practical paths and positive futures. We need the flaws in policy carefully exposed and the hurt policy creates laid bare. We need to return to the land of the fair go. We need letters from elderly women saying "Why can't we start letting refugees in now?"

Entering into reflection, Jewishly

I was in the middle of my end-of-year assessment and it struck me that despite so many good things happening, it's been an exceptionally tough year. No wonder I'm emotionally exhausted and physically frail and can't enjoy the good things as they should be enjoyed.

I've decided to take the symbolic approach to handling this. In fact, I've decided to take the Polack family's symbolic approach. It will increase my happiness (and already has) and it will increase the store of good in the lives of those friends of mine who also need this.

This year will have three honey cakes. one is made (and half of it is inside quite a few people already), the other is in the oven, and the third I shall make on Sunday. It says something good that, although I have so much hurt this week that sleep does not come easily or often, I have enough capacity to do these things. A lot of the fatigue and pain I'm carrying, then, is due to the eye and due to stress and anxiety. We're hoping the eye will continue to get better, and the fatigue and anxiety I can work on. It's good to remind myself that the underlying health is good and I am capable of much amazing stuff.

My first cake was for my class and all my friends who do not drink alcohol, mainly for religious reasons. I've kept a bit aside in case anyone who drops in on Monday or Tuesday also cannot take alcohol.

Cake 2 is the special one. It's baked joy. I used to do a great deal of cooking when I was stressed, but I need people to eat the cooking, so that's gone by the wayside. So many of my friends these days say "You're stressed, let me buy something on the way." And I've admitted to exhaustion, and been working 14 hours a day and seven days a week and said "Yes, what a good idea" and forgotten that cooking for others is something that makes me happy. Playing with recipes and inventing something new and wonderful also makes me happy. So there's an extra cake this year not for need, but purely because I can.

I've changed the recipe a bit. It has more honey and less sugar. It has eight free range organic pullet eggs, from the market on Sunday. It's full of ginger, cloudberry liqueur, fine chocolate, rich mocha harar and has halved glace cherries, just for fun. This is my personal reassurance that this year will be good and sweet and full of good ingredients.

If anyone's considering visiting, after 2-3 pm on Monday or Tuesday is open house, with honey cake: if I can't get to my family, then friends get much cake and coffee. Afternoon and evening, basically, afternoon because of family tradition, evening because it's a work day for the masses. If you've had a bad year, ask for the special cake. It will be in hiding, otherwise, for some of us need it more than others.

For those who want to play along but can't get to Canberra, I've been asked by so many people for the cake recipe that I'll post it on my author blog on Sunday. I'll let you know when it's up.

gillpolack @ 2015-09-08T19:13:00

Virus lessened a bit today. My first honeycake was made. Also shopping lists, rearranging meetings and other exciting things.

My students have an excursion next week.

I will hopefully have a novel announcement shortly.

So much stuff in the "watch this space" category.

It means, that, notwithstanding idiot virus, I've done a lot today.

gillpolack @ 2015-09-07T18:37:00

I like this virus even less than I did yesterday.