Gillian Polack's Blog, page 22
August 28, 2015
Where Gillian shares a recipe
Tonight I used up things that needed using up and made a dish I was served just the once, over thirty years ago. A friend made us a quick snack one evening and I thought "I need to make this again." Finally, I have made it again. Good things are worth waiting for.
I thought it would make a rather nice (and desperately unhealthy) dinner. I used half a chicken breast, a clove of garlic, a bit of salt, much coriander (seed or root - both work), a dash of tabasco and an egg. I whizzed them in the blender, because I'm still avoiding knives when I can. I used a knife, in fact, solely to cut my last piece of bread into tiny squares. I loaded the mixture onto each square (and still had too much mixture - I needed to put less on each and to have another slice of bread) and I fried each square in not-too-much oil. I fried meat side first, then bread side, then the rest of the mixture as tiny patties. Then I squeezed half a lemon over the whole. The original had stronger flavours, so I underestimated quantities of various things, but it was still exceptionally nice. That and a bit of salad I had earlier made a good dinner on a bad night.
It would make a very good snack for multitudes, I think, made perhaps with a bit of coriander leaf in the chicken mix. I thought that thirty years ago, in fact, but never quite tested it out until now. It's Thai and is supposed to have fish sauce (hence the salt and tabasco) and it would work nicely with gluten free bread, too. All in all, I feel that a the migraine has been redeemed. It faded enough for a ten minute cooking binge, and tomorrow is market day.
The crunch of the bread made me decide I was over the grumps (though not the migraine entirely) and so the recipe had to be shared.
I thought it would make a rather nice (and desperately unhealthy) dinner. I used half a chicken breast, a clove of garlic, a bit of salt, much coriander (seed or root - both work), a dash of tabasco and an egg. I whizzed them in the blender, because I'm still avoiding knives when I can. I used a knife, in fact, solely to cut my last piece of bread into tiny squares. I loaded the mixture onto each square (and still had too much mixture - I needed to put less on each and to have another slice of bread) and I fried each square in not-too-much oil. I fried meat side first, then bread side, then the rest of the mixture as tiny patties. Then I squeezed half a lemon over the whole. The original had stronger flavours, so I underestimated quantities of various things, but it was still exceptionally nice. That and a bit of salad I had earlier made a good dinner on a bad night.
It would make a very good snack for multitudes, I think, made perhaps with a bit of coriander leaf in the chicken mix. I thought that thirty years ago, in fact, but never quite tested it out until now. It's Thai and is supposed to have fish sauce (hence the salt and tabasco) and it would work nicely with gluten free bread, too. All in all, I feel that a the migraine has been redeemed. It faded enough for a ten minute cooking binge, and tomorrow is market day.
The crunch of the bread made me decide I was over the grumps (though not the migraine entirely) and so the recipe had to be shared.
August 27, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-08-28T16:08:00
I want to complain about my weather migraine, but it's only a small one and my eyes are still big and staring from this morning.
This morning was the Big Decision. It got put off for two months. My eyes are taking a long time, but the uber-boss says they will heal by themselves. I have to be ready to ring up if things go significantly awry, and I have to come back in two months and it's all going to take time. The theory of last visit is looking more like a reality: that I'll get my full vision back without an operation... eventually. I'm still unsafe on the roads. I asked about the fatigue and it is indeed my brain processing massive amounts of data and no, it will not go away soon. So I will still accept lifts with alacrity. But that's the only downside. And the increasing likelihood of not needing an operation is a decided upside.
I didn't need an angiogram after all, which means I do not glow on evening buses. This is just as well, for the friend had planned to catch said buses with can't make it.
I was finished at the hospital in very reasonable time, and have spent the rest of the day fighting fatigue, weather and anger over recent politics shenanigans. Yesterday was a wipeout and today is too (low level virus on top of things does that), but at least I'll go into tomorrow knowing that one day, my vision will come (sung to the Disney tune, of course).
I'm using the rest of today to watch more of The Water Margin and, when the weather has settled and I can deal, some of the work I didn't do yesterday. I keep thinking "I want to write an outlaw story." I love them so much! Then I think "No, you don't: think about what those stories mean in terms of peoples' pain." What I love are the heroic outsiders winning through, and the reality of that is that people like me are dead on the wayside early on. Once one sees history from a certain angle, it's very hard to replace it with hero-tales.
This morning was the Big Decision. It got put off for two months. My eyes are taking a long time, but the uber-boss says they will heal by themselves. I have to be ready to ring up if things go significantly awry, and I have to come back in two months and it's all going to take time. The theory of last visit is looking more like a reality: that I'll get my full vision back without an operation... eventually. I'm still unsafe on the roads. I asked about the fatigue and it is indeed my brain processing massive amounts of data and no, it will not go away soon. So I will still accept lifts with alacrity. But that's the only downside. And the increasing likelihood of not needing an operation is a decided upside.
I didn't need an angiogram after all, which means I do not glow on evening buses. This is just as well, for the friend had planned to catch said buses with can't make it.
I was finished at the hospital in very reasonable time, and have spent the rest of the day fighting fatigue, weather and anger over recent politics shenanigans. Yesterday was a wipeout and today is too (low level virus on top of things does that), but at least I'll go into tomorrow knowing that one day, my vision will come (sung to the Disney tune, of course).
I'm using the rest of today to watch more of The Water Margin and, when the weather has settled and I can deal, some of the work I didn't do yesterday. I keep thinking "I want to write an outlaw story." I love them so much! Then I think "No, you don't: think about what those stories mean in terms of peoples' pain." What I love are the heroic outsiders winning through, and the reality of that is that people like me are dead on the wayside early on. Once one sees history from a certain angle, it's very hard to replace it with hero-tales.
August 26, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-08-27T11:40:00
I had to put some things on my little author shelf in the library today. I looked at the shelf and decided it was time to measure. Taking out the duplicates (for, where I can, I keep 2 copies of each publication, because a husband of a friend cracked the spine of the author copy of my first novel because he liked the sound of cracking spines and no, I will never forgive him - but it's only possible to have two copies of some of them) I now have thirty-two inches of my own work. This is not counting the e-publications or most of the articles. It does however, count the whole book where I have a chapter in a book and got an author copy (speaking of which, Helen Young's book is now out, with me talking about Raoul de Cambrai and Joe Abercrombie: I did want to warn him when he came to Canberra and to buy him a consolatory coffee, for we have friends in common, but my emails went unanswered and so he knows not what evil I have wrought).
The shelf with things I'm cited in or acknowledged in is also incomplete (I don't always know when I'm cited or acknowledged, and even when I know, I can't always get hold of copies of things) is exactly the same size. Sixty-four inches of Gillian. This means that my brag shelf has one inch more in length than I have in height.
This is your useful statistic of the day: I have outreached myself.
The citations and publications don't lead me into regular work, alas, in case you were wondering. I get interviewed, but not employed. This is largely because the job market is just amazingly competitive. I begin to suspect that many jobs are employing people in entry positions who, ten years ago, would have got more senior jobs.
And I still am recovering from the launch. It's the second biggest attendance at a book launch of mine, ever. And the fact that my name got most of these people into the bookshop means that Harry Hartog will do more events, which is lovely. Being down-to-earth, most booksellers still see me as not of interest (which is, given yesterday, just a bit odd) and I'm not being reviewed. This suggests that I could sell a lot more books, if only people knew they existed. But if the various people who make decisions on these things aren't willing to pay attention to me, I'm caught in a cleft stick. I'll continue to be a guest on blogs where people want me (I love Q&As, and so do my readers - we had 40+ minutes of them last night and the audience really didn't want to stop!), but the bottom line is I'm not someone trendy who gets the promotion.
My latest amusement is people complaining that there are so few interesting people who are not of standard ethnic background in SF novels. I sent a Torres Strait islander into the French Middle Ages and the only people who have commented on this to me (favourably, may I say, with relief) are people from that background. And Geoff isn't the only character of minority background in that novel! Mostly it amuses me that my work flies under the radar. Today, though, it frustrates me. Over a hundred people to the Cellophane launch and over eighty people to the Beast's. To the launch of The Art of Effective Dreaming I had more people than came to Abercrombie's signing the week before and a fraction more than came to Kate Forsyth's talk the week after, and they're both big authors (I outsold both of them, too: maybe it's just as well that Abercrombie didn't return my emails!). When I get out there and invited to events, people come.
The publishing world remains a mystery to me. And on that note, I have a book to finish. The last bits were delayed and will be slow from here on in because I decided that the introduction was, indeed, a complete mess and I'm doing a Much Better Version. Also the Conclusion. There are other things I ought to do on it, but I will meet my deadlines and the intro was full of ideas and lacked cogency and I was totally not going to let it go out into the world like that.
My DVDs for writing this week are from a single series: The Water Margin. One day I want to see a sub-titled version, for the dubbing is clever and very seventies but bugs me. Why did people need those fake accents? Stuff of my childhood and etc, but not one of the best features of international TV from the sixties and seventies. When we speak our native language, we speak it as a native language: I was very relieved when dubbing ceased to be done with fake Japanese accents. Although fake Japanese accents by British actors (some of note) is rather funny on top of very serious historical drama. And this is why I want to see a subtitled version one day. It's historical drama: I want to hear the soundtrack as the creators conceived it. Not this week, though. This week I need to write in English, which means not hearing Japanese and reading subtitles. I don't even know if here's a subtitled version, to be honest. I also need to see other things (if they're available) with Atsuo Nakamura. The friend who introduced me to this series is a very, very bad influence.
And I'm now finished waffling. (If I waffle here I won't waffle in my intro.) Heave a sigh of relief. Time for other things!
The shelf with things I'm cited in or acknowledged in is also incomplete (I don't always know when I'm cited or acknowledged, and even when I know, I can't always get hold of copies of things) is exactly the same size. Sixty-four inches of Gillian. This means that my brag shelf has one inch more in length than I have in height.
This is your useful statistic of the day: I have outreached myself.
The citations and publications don't lead me into regular work, alas, in case you were wondering. I get interviewed, but not employed. This is largely because the job market is just amazingly competitive. I begin to suspect that many jobs are employing people in entry positions who, ten years ago, would have got more senior jobs.
And I still am recovering from the launch. It's the second biggest attendance at a book launch of mine, ever. And the fact that my name got most of these people into the bookshop means that Harry Hartog will do more events, which is lovely. Being down-to-earth, most booksellers still see me as not of interest (which is, given yesterday, just a bit odd) and I'm not being reviewed. This suggests that I could sell a lot more books, if only people knew they existed. But if the various people who make decisions on these things aren't willing to pay attention to me, I'm caught in a cleft stick. I'll continue to be a guest on blogs where people want me (I love Q&As, and so do my readers - we had 40+ minutes of them last night and the audience really didn't want to stop!), but the bottom line is I'm not someone trendy who gets the promotion.
My latest amusement is people complaining that there are so few interesting people who are not of standard ethnic background in SF novels. I sent a Torres Strait islander into the French Middle Ages and the only people who have commented on this to me (favourably, may I say, with relief) are people from that background. And Geoff isn't the only character of minority background in that novel! Mostly it amuses me that my work flies under the radar. Today, though, it frustrates me. Over a hundred people to the Cellophane launch and over eighty people to the Beast's. To the launch of The Art of Effective Dreaming I had more people than came to Abercrombie's signing the week before and a fraction more than came to Kate Forsyth's talk the week after, and they're both big authors (I outsold both of them, too: maybe it's just as well that Abercrombie didn't return my emails!). When I get out there and invited to events, people come.
The publishing world remains a mystery to me. And on that note, I have a book to finish. The last bits were delayed and will be slow from here on in because I decided that the introduction was, indeed, a complete mess and I'm doing a Much Better Version. Also the Conclusion. There are other things I ought to do on it, but I will meet my deadlines and the intro was full of ideas and lacked cogency and I was totally not going to let it go out into the world like that.
My DVDs for writing this week are from a single series: The Water Margin. One day I want to see a sub-titled version, for the dubbing is clever and very seventies but bugs me. Why did people need those fake accents? Stuff of my childhood and etc, but not one of the best features of international TV from the sixties and seventies. When we speak our native language, we speak it as a native language: I was very relieved when dubbing ceased to be done with fake Japanese accents. Although fake Japanese accents by British actors (some of note) is rather funny on top of very serious historical drama. And this is why I want to see a subtitled version one day. It's historical drama: I want to hear the soundtrack as the creators conceived it. Not this week, though. This week I need to write in English, which means not hearing Japanese and reading subtitles. I don't even know if here's a subtitled version, to be honest. I also need to see other things (if they're available) with Atsuo Nakamura. The friend who introduced me to this series is a very, very bad influence.
And I'm now finished waffling. (If I waffle here I won't waffle in my intro.) Heave a sigh of relief. Time for other things!
The State of the Beast
There are no more copies of the Beast for sale in the whole of Australia. The distributor quite possibly didn't bring in quite enough from the UK and they all sold out tonight. Every last one of them. There were over 80 people at the launch and I assumed they were there for the food. Mostly, though, they were there to ask me questions. Enough were there to buy the book that the shop has taken orders and will get in more. Presumably the distributor has already ordered more, given that all the copies they ordered for the whole country have already sold.
Colour me amused. Also tired and a bit overwhelmed.
Note: I made jokes about a saint's underwear. Honestly, I can't be relied upon for good taste. I also made jokes about mezuzot, decorous makeup and other things. About the only sign of good sense I showed was when i left the adults-only pilgrim ornament for people to investigate at their leisure, rather than showing it to everyone. I feel so terribly proper!
Colour me amused. Also tired and a bit overwhelmed.
Note: I made jokes about a saint's underwear. Honestly, I can't be relied upon for good taste. I also made jokes about mezuzot, decorous makeup and other things. About the only sign of good sense I showed was when i left the adults-only pilgrim ornament for people to investigate at their leisure, rather than showing it to everyone. I feel so terribly proper!
gillpolack @ 2015-08-26T17:09:00
I'm sitting down for just a few minutes. I still need to pack up the food and put on my glad rags and get my treasure chest for tonight. About a half hour's work. I have forty minutes. And I've burned my fingers (only the once, my eyesight is definitely improving). This means I can get a minute of quiet before the mayhem.
Everyone's stopped panicking about the numbers (80 people RSVPd) and the shortage of books (most people won't buy, so it really isn't critical that the distributor didn't allow many copies for a launch) and the amount of food (which, at this stage, will either be enough or it wont). Mostly, right now, it's down to me bringing the right things and looking spiffy. The latter is the hard bit.
I'd better get to and find clothes and makeup and etc. Although I suspect it would be sensible to prepare the food and treasure box for travelling first. The box contains some things it shouldn't and not all the things it should, so that's my biggest task.
Mostly, right now, I want to nap.
I'll report back when it's all over. My first UK book will be launched in Oz in precisely 2ish hours. See you on the other side.
Everyone's stopped panicking about the numbers (80 people RSVPd) and the shortage of books (most people won't buy, so it really isn't critical that the distributor didn't allow many copies for a launch) and the amount of food (which, at this stage, will either be enough or it wont). Mostly, right now, it's down to me bringing the right things and looking spiffy. The latter is the hard bit.
I'd better get to and find clothes and makeup and etc. Although I suspect it would be sensible to prepare the food and treasure box for travelling first. The box contains some things it shouldn't and not all the things it should, so that's my biggest task.
Mostly, right now, I want to nap.
I'll report back when it's all over. My first UK book will be launched in Oz in precisely 2ish hours. See you on the other side.
August 24, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-08-25T13:24:00
I decided to use my bad day to test how far I've come int he last few weeks. I had a suspicion, you see, that there was a bit more wrong with me than the eye, way back in early July.
So... when my eye was at its worst (when I was back from Sydney), I could hardly even lift my doona to get into bed. I crept under it ignominiously, and, most nights, I put off going to bed for as long as I could and just sat on the lounge chair, napping. Four weeks ago, I could lift it, but needed both hands. Three weeks ago I could pick it up, carry it to the loungeroom and air it, but once I put it over the airer, I had to stand still for a few minutes to let the pain subside. Two weeks ago I did all that with much less pain. Today I lifted one doona (which had just been washed and dried over the airer and is going away for the summer) and folded it, then stripped the not-yet-washed doona from the bed with one hand (next week will do for it, or maybe the week after - the temperature outside is still in single digits), carried it into the loungeroom and put it on the airer, then I stripped my bed and put the linen in the washing machine, then I checked my wet washing to see if it was dry, then I stopped, not because of pain, but because I had to think what else had to be done.
Whatever causes the eye blip is on its way out. Thank goodness!
Today still sucks, BTW, but at least the underlying Gillian is gearing up for life to improve. And, looking back, I'm exceptionally pressed that I did all my teaching and all my writing when I couldn't actually lift my bedclothes up. Although it's not so much something to be impressed at as a stern resolution that I would get enjoyment out of life regardless. I love teaching and research and writing, and they kept me going.
So... when my eye was at its worst (when I was back from Sydney), I could hardly even lift my doona to get into bed. I crept under it ignominiously, and, most nights, I put off going to bed for as long as I could and just sat on the lounge chair, napping. Four weeks ago, I could lift it, but needed both hands. Three weeks ago I could pick it up, carry it to the loungeroom and air it, but once I put it over the airer, I had to stand still for a few minutes to let the pain subside. Two weeks ago I did all that with much less pain. Today I lifted one doona (which had just been washed and dried over the airer and is going away for the summer) and folded it, then stripped the not-yet-washed doona from the bed with one hand (next week will do for it, or maybe the week after - the temperature outside is still in single digits), carried it into the loungeroom and put it on the airer, then I stripped my bed and put the linen in the washing machine, then I checked my wet washing to see if it was dry, then I stopped, not because of pain, but because I had to think what else had to be done.
Whatever causes the eye blip is on its way out. Thank goodness!
Today still sucks, BTW, but at least the underlying Gillian is gearing up for life to improve. And, looking back, I'm exceptionally pressed that I did all my teaching and all my writing when I couldn't actually lift my bedclothes up. Although it's not so much something to be impressed at as a stern resolution that I would get enjoyment out of life regardless. I love teaching and research and writing, and they kept me going.
gillpolack @ 2015-08-25T11:30:00
Outside is lovely. Light rain and just enough freshness to the air. If today wasn't being as bad a day as yesterday (which it is), I would give myself a break and go for a walk. Today, however, is a complete ratbag of a day* and has already contained tears. I shall therefore make myself a coffee, and focus on finishing work. If I can at least finish things, the day will end up not wasted. And tomorrow is going to be better, because tomorrow has my favourite students and it has much cooking and it has a booklaunch.
*I am not using the words I would like. Think strong language here.
*I am not using the words I would like. Think strong language here.
gillpolack @ 2015-08-25T01:07:00
I'm very glad today's over. Too many things happened, including weather, and it just wasn't a good day.
The insult to injury bit was me forgetting that the deadline for my PR for a book was due. Very unlike me, this forgetting of forms, but I did get everything done in time despite myself and despite everyday life running gross interference. And the introduction has a cleanish draft.
That draft has a hiccup: it has to shed much size. Again, this is unlike me. Although not, let me admit, unlike my waistline.
Tomorrow (which is actually later today), I will work on the conclusion (which didn't happen at all, due to said gross interference) and I shall sort the introduction. And I shall weep and wail and gnash my teeth. No, seriously, I shall hope that a few hours sleep makes the world a tad less concerning.
This reminds me that I have other forms that need doing. And my tax has to happen sometime, too. And I need to chase a missing payment or two.
In the interim, I think I am owed some sleep.
The insult to injury bit was me forgetting that the deadline for my PR for a book was due. Very unlike me, this forgetting of forms, but I did get everything done in time despite myself and despite everyday life running gross interference. And the introduction has a cleanish draft.
That draft has a hiccup: it has to shed much size. Again, this is unlike me. Although not, let me admit, unlike my waistline.
Tomorrow (which is actually later today), I will work on the conclusion (which didn't happen at all, due to said gross interference) and I shall sort the introduction. And I shall weep and wail and gnash my teeth. No, seriously, I shall hope that a few hours sleep makes the world a tad less concerning.
This reminds me that I have other forms that need doing. And my tax has to happen sometime, too. And I need to chase a missing payment or two.
In the interim, I think I am owed some sleep.
August 23, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-08-24T12:06:00
I forgot to post for three days! I'm sorry about this. It's been a wildly exciting three days. Of course it has. I finally worked out what I wanted to do with the rewrite to the introduction of my book and have now got some writing and more notes. Likewise the conclusion, though that's more notes than writing. I hope to have a clean draft of both today. That's #1 Wildly Exciting Thing.
With my bibliography, I'm down to forty works to double-check and then the last skerrick of formatting. If I work a particularly long day today, I can finish that today, too, but this stage is quite finicky and very slow. It's the cumulation of errors and lost notes. These last references are the ones where I took notes eleven years ago and the piles of papers I saved for this moment didn't include them because they're mostly books from my library and I assumed I could just go to the shelf and pull them out. Except that these are mostly books-in-boxes right now. And this is why, children, you should always finish your work when you intend to and not get sidetracked by PhDs and life events and Beasts. That's #2 Wildly Exciting Thing.
#3 Wildly Exciting Thing was a lovely Saturday morning spent shopping with friends. It means I'm well-supplied for food for this week and might have to go on diet next week. Seriously, I have oranges and passionfruits and much salad veg as well as some food I possibly shouldn't have bought.
#4 Wildly Exciting Thing is planning for the Wednesday launch of the Beast. There were 58 "I'm coming" last week, and Canberra is notorious for only a few people saying they'll come, so we're upping the ante with food. I'm making 3 dishes (2 dishes, but one in double quantities), Sarah's making two dishes, and the bookshop is buying various things. We're fine, but the functions manager is in a bit of a tizzy because apparently the number of "We're comings" is about triple the normal. Maybe more. This is why I have to finish the various last bits of the book today and tomorrow, though, because Wednesday's going to be a bit busy, between teaching and cooking and book-launching.
#5 I forget. I need tea!
With my bibliography, I'm down to forty works to double-check and then the last skerrick of formatting. If I work a particularly long day today, I can finish that today, too, but this stage is quite finicky and very slow. It's the cumulation of errors and lost notes. These last references are the ones where I took notes eleven years ago and the piles of papers I saved for this moment didn't include them because they're mostly books from my library and I assumed I could just go to the shelf and pull them out. Except that these are mostly books-in-boxes right now. And this is why, children, you should always finish your work when you intend to and not get sidetracked by PhDs and life events and Beasts. That's #2 Wildly Exciting Thing.
#3 Wildly Exciting Thing was a lovely Saturday morning spent shopping with friends. It means I'm well-supplied for food for this week and might have to go on diet next week. Seriously, I have oranges and passionfruits and much salad veg as well as some food I possibly shouldn't have bought.
#4 Wildly Exciting Thing is planning for the Wednesday launch of the Beast. There were 58 "I'm coming" last week, and Canberra is notorious for only a few people saying they'll come, so we're upping the ante with food. I'm making 3 dishes (2 dishes, but one in double quantities), Sarah's making two dishes, and the bookshop is buying various things. We're fine, but the functions manager is in a bit of a tizzy because apparently the number of "We're comings" is about triple the normal. Maybe more. This is why I have to finish the various last bits of the book today and tomorrow, though, because Wednesday's going to be a bit busy, between teaching and cooking and book-launching.
#5 I forget. I need tea!
August 20, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-08-21T14:54:00
I got my seven chapters off early this morning rather than late last night. Things kept happening to the book. It has its own strange narrative.
Almost everything is organised for the book launch on Wednesday. I just have to hear about shopping tomorrow and I can rest happy until Wednesday, when I and my friend Sarah will be cooking up a storm. All the food for the launch will be vegetarian and one dish will be gluten free. I couldn't do dairy free as well, I'm afraid, given the cuisine, but one dish is very low in dairy.
I'll talk about tonight when it's over, for it's that kind of thing. It's the reason why I'm making sure I have a couple of hours just catching up on this and that. I don't want today to be impossible! This doesn't, however, mean I'll wash dishes. I'm doing my laundry and changing my bedlinen and otherwise generally taking my late afternoon break in the early afternoon. Right now, Im working my way through the biggest cup of tea I could manage. Really, it's a giant soup cup, but I needed my tea just now and I looked at it and thought "That will be emotionally satisfying." And it is.
The weekly update on the eye is that I can see more than I could last week. The last couple of days have been tough on it, because of all that editing. It has got through it, though, with no added problems, which means that, overall, it's stable and even improving. I am gloating a bit, for a few weeks ago it looked as if I'd lose sight in this eye and right now, it looks as if I might get all of my vision back. Such a difference a few weeks make!
Almost everything is organised for the book launch on Wednesday. I just have to hear about shopping tomorrow and I can rest happy until Wednesday, when I and my friend Sarah will be cooking up a storm. All the food for the launch will be vegetarian and one dish will be gluten free. I couldn't do dairy free as well, I'm afraid, given the cuisine, but one dish is very low in dairy.
I'll talk about tonight when it's over, for it's that kind of thing. It's the reason why I'm making sure I have a couple of hours just catching up on this and that. I don't want today to be impossible! This doesn't, however, mean I'll wash dishes. I'm doing my laundry and changing my bedlinen and otherwise generally taking my late afternoon break in the early afternoon. Right now, Im working my way through the biggest cup of tea I could manage. Really, it's a giant soup cup, but I needed my tea just now and I looked at it and thought "That will be emotionally satisfying." And it is.
The weekly update on the eye is that I can see more than I could last week. The last couple of days have been tough on it, because of all that editing. It has got through it, though, with no added problems, which means that, overall, it's stable and even improving. I am gloating a bit, for a few weeks ago it looked as if I'd lose sight in this eye and right now, it looks as if I might get all of my vision back. Such a difference a few weeks make!
