Gillian Polack's Blog, page 42
February 11, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-12T11:40:00
My today hasn't decided which direction it's going to go. If I can successfully postpone a non-urgent meeting (I've tried, but the person I'm meeting with isn't currently contactable, and we didn't actually have a meeting place settled) then I can do between three and four hours work at my desk before I go to have my other afternoon meeting and then teach, and I'll be well up on things and not quite as bushed by my 9 pm meeting. Neither the 4 pm nor the 9 pm meeting can be postponed and nor (obviously) can my teaching.
If I can postpone my lunchtime meeting I also won't have to lug my teaching materials round campus, for all other events are in one single building. This would be most excellent, for: a) there are a lot of them and b) I managed to damage some neck muscles with yesterday's megashop followed by the storms (sore muscles and storms can equal strained muscles - I need to write a book on stupid things not to do). Yesterday's shop was essential, though, for it got me all the things I ran out due to the virus. And the virus is struggling feebly, but is basically gone. I still feel grotty, but that's largely the weather, overwork, and not taking recovery time. A moral to all you young things out there is to actually take time off when you're ill. Just because this is my fortnight of deadlines doesn't mean anyone should do what I do. Except eat chocolate, of course. If I eat chocolate then everyone else is entirely permitted to.
I'm waiting patiently for the single email that will tell me I can tell you why I'm a bit pressured. Let's just say that it's on top of the cursed novel, which is coming out in just over 2 weeks, and it's on top of 2 scholarly articles which have suddenly come to life and which need revising by Monday. And, of course, it being February, it's on top of my Women's History Month blogfest, which is in the throes of being organised and on top of teaching and sorting things out for Aurealis 9which is done and dusted from my end) and mentoring HEA folk and... This is why it would be a good idea if I could postpone the meeting.
PS My meeting has been postponed! I can now blitz much other stuff!
If I can postpone my lunchtime meeting I also won't have to lug my teaching materials round campus, for all other events are in one single building. This would be most excellent, for: a) there are a lot of them and b) I managed to damage some neck muscles with yesterday's megashop followed by the storms (sore muscles and storms can equal strained muscles - I need to write a book on stupid things not to do). Yesterday's shop was essential, though, for it got me all the things I ran out due to the virus. And the virus is struggling feebly, but is basically gone. I still feel grotty, but that's largely the weather, overwork, and not taking recovery time. A moral to all you young things out there is to actually take time off when you're ill. Just because this is my fortnight of deadlines doesn't mean anyone should do what I do. Except eat chocolate, of course. If I eat chocolate then everyone else is entirely permitted to.
I'm waiting patiently for the single email that will tell me I can tell you why I'm a bit pressured. Let's just say that it's on top of the cursed novel, which is coming out in just over 2 weeks, and it's on top of 2 scholarly articles which have suddenly come to life and which need revising by Monday. And, of course, it being February, it's on top of my Women's History Month blogfest, which is in the throes of being organised and on top of teaching and sorting things out for Aurealis 9which is done and dusted from my end) and mentoring HEA folk and... This is why it would be a good idea if I could postpone the meeting.
PS My meeting has been postponed! I can now blitz much other stuff!
February 10, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-11T13:34:00
In many ways, my GUFF trip was a fantasy one. I got to meet so many of the best minds and creators of the SF world. Mihaela (the previous GUFF winter) has just done an interview of someone who fits into both categories. Staying with Milena Benini and her family was all joy, for I got to talk about things I care about, all the time, with others who shared my great loves. There'd be a bottle of red, cheese and other nibbles and we'd forget the time and talked late, late. My mornings in Zagreb were mostly spent sleeping, but my late nights were dreamy and perfect and I'm still digesting much of what I learned. Now you get to meet Milena for yourself. I suggest you read the interview, get her novel, and then open that bottle of wine: http://rantalica.com/1375/interview-milena-benini/
February 9, 2015
order of writing/order of publication
I was talking to a friend and realised that my novels aren't just appearing out of writing order, they're sometimes appearing over ten years out of writing order.
For my own amusement, therefore, the writing order of those first four (including the to-be-released-very-soon one) is:
Illuminations
The Art of Effective Dreaming
Ms Cellophane/Life through Cellophane
Langue[dot]doc 1305
The other five signed by Satalyte were written in between Ms Cellophane and Langue[dot]doc 1305. Partly this is because I do like to hang onto my work and revise it properly (I totally hate letting it go!!). Partly this is because several publishers hung onto various works for between three and eight years, and instead of waiting for them to make their decisions, I wrote new novels. The writing is inside me and insists on coming out, no matter the vagaries of the industry.
The publication order of the same four books is:
Illuminations
Ms Cellophane/Life through Cellophane
Langue[dot]doc 1305
The Art of Effective Dreaming
The big shift for Effective Dreaming was, of course, the result of the curse.
For the perennial question of how many novels I trunked as unpublishable, the answer is just one, which I wrote when I was around 19. I took a close look at the world building a few years ago and discovered some rather exciting elements. I've extended those elements into a complete world.
In fact, they comprise the initial world building and one plot strand for After Empire, which is my later-this-year novel. I take an evil look at post-colonialism and what really happens when empires suddenly withdraw. One day I want to take this post-Empire stuff a step further, because the post-colonial experience of Singapore and Malaysia are heavily influenced by what happened during WWII, and I think that'd make a wonderful (albeit difficult) novel in the same universe as After Empire. Not quite yet, though, for the seventeenth century is still dominating my fictional life. The seventeenth century and a particular fantastical Australia.
For my own amusement, therefore, the writing order of those first four (including the to-be-released-very-soon one) is:
Illuminations
The Art of Effective Dreaming
Ms Cellophane/Life through Cellophane
Langue[dot]doc 1305
The other five signed by Satalyte were written in between Ms Cellophane and Langue[dot]doc 1305. Partly this is because I do like to hang onto my work and revise it properly (I totally hate letting it go!!). Partly this is because several publishers hung onto various works for between three and eight years, and instead of waiting for them to make their decisions, I wrote new novels. The writing is inside me and insists on coming out, no matter the vagaries of the industry.
The publication order of the same four books is:
Illuminations
Ms Cellophane/Life through Cellophane
Langue[dot]doc 1305
The Art of Effective Dreaming
The big shift for Effective Dreaming was, of course, the result of the curse.
For the perennial question of how many novels I trunked as unpublishable, the answer is just one, which I wrote when I was around 19. I took a close look at the world building a few years ago and discovered some rather exciting elements. I've extended those elements into a complete world.
In fact, they comprise the initial world building and one plot strand for After Empire, which is my later-this-year novel. I take an evil look at post-colonialism and what really happens when empires suddenly withdraw. One day I want to take this post-Empire stuff a step further, because the post-colonial experience of Singapore and Malaysia are heavily influenced by what happened during WWII, and I think that'd make a wonderful (albeit difficult) novel in the same universe as After Empire. Not quite yet, though, for the seventeenth century is still dominating my fictional life. The seventeenth century and a particular fantastical Australia.
February 8, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-09T14:11:00
It's not my imagination that this is a nasty virus. I rang the eye clinic to ask if I could possibly postpone my visit tomorrow because of it and they laughed. I'm the umpteenth person today. Also, the ones who didn't take care when they reached my current stage rang to postpone with secondary infections that ranged from bronchitis to pneumonia.
I have duly cancelled anything outside the home for both today and tomorrow, and am taking all the right medicine. I'm working (because things are so busy) but I'm resting more than working and I'm complaining at anyone who will listen.
My lifestuff that must happen, despite my body complaining at me: teaching prep (for the current round of courses, but also for the various special functions in March, of which more another day), admin for we are near release of one book and near ms submission of another, editing and related stuff for everything, mentoring for the HEA and then there are little extras like Aurealis and Women's History Month. As you can see, my life is very slow with this particular virus. It's quite debilitating and annoyingly full of symptoms, but there *are* 24 hours ina day and I intend to use them.
I have duly cancelled anything outside the home for both today and tomorrow, and am taking all the right medicine. I'm working (because things are so busy) but I'm resting more than working and I'm complaining at anyone who will listen.
My lifestuff that must happen, despite my body complaining at me: teaching prep (for the current round of courses, but also for the various special functions in March, of which more another day), admin for we are near release of one book and near ms submission of another, editing and related stuff for everything, mentoring for the HEA and then there are little extras like Aurealis and Women's History Month. As you can see, my life is very slow with this particular virus. It's quite debilitating and annoyingly full of symptoms, but there *are* 24 hours ina day and I intend to use them.
February 7, 2015
February's recipes
Finally, your recipes for this month. We're starting a bit earlier than my novel's setting, with recipes from The Compleat Cook and A Queen's Delight (two of three books generally known as The Queens Closet Opened), published in 1655. I'm working from the Prospect edition, 1984. There will be a few more recipes from this source next month, then I shall move on.
Make the ones that interest you. Comment on them in the comments below. If you run into any problems, use the comments - between us we'll probably find you a solution (why I love group testing of historical recipes!).
I have modernised nothing. I have changed nothing except where my typing has lapsed, due to my ever-changing eyesight this week. I have, however, numbered the recipes to make them easier to discuss.
If any of you come up with modern recipes based on this (with changes or without) and would be happy to share, I'll do a second post in four weeks, giving both old and new.
Happy cooking!!
1. To Fricase Champigneons
Make ready your Champigneons as you do for stewing, and when you have poured away the black liquor that comes from them, put your Champigneons into a Frying pan with a piece of Sweet Butter, a little Parsley, Tyme, Sweet Marjoram, a piece of Onyon shred very smal, a little salt and fine beaten Pepper,, so fry them till they be enough so have ready the lear abovesaid, & put it into the Champigneons whilest they are in the Pan, toss them two or three times, put them forth and serve them.
2. To make Buttered Loaves
Take the yolks of twelve eggs, and six whites, and a quarter of a pint of yeast, when you have beaten the Eggs well, strain them with the yeast into a dish, then put to it a little salt, and two rases of Ginger beaten very small, then put flour to it till it come to high paste that will not cleave, then you must roul it upon you hands, and afterwards put it into a warm cloth, and let it lye there a quarter of an hour. then make it up in little Loaves, bake it against it is baked, prepare a pound and a half of Butter, a quarter of a pint of white Win, and half a pound of Sugar; this being melted and beaten together with it, set them into the Oven a quarter of an hour.
3. To make a Devonshire White pot.
Take a point of Cream and strain four Eggs into it, and put a little salt and a little sliced Nutmeg, and season it with sugar somewhat sweet, then take almost a penny Loaf of fine bread sliced very thin, and put it in a Dish that will hold it, the Cream and the Eggs being put to it, then take a handfull of Raisins of the Sun being boiled, and a little sweet Butter, so bake it.
4. To make Cheese Cakes
Take three Eggs and beat them very well, & as you beat them, put to them as much fine flower as will make thick, then put to them three or four Eggs more, and beat them altogether; then take one quart of Cream, and put into it a quarter of a pound of sweet Butter, and set them over the fire, and when it begins to boyl, put to it your Eggs and flower, stir it very well, and let it boyl till it be thick, then season it with salt, Cinnamon, Sugar and Currans and bake it.
5. To make a green Pudding
Take a penny loaf of stale Bread, grate it, put to half a pound of sugar, grated Nutmeg, as much salt as will season it, three quarters of a pound of Beet-suet shred very small: then take sweet Herbs, the most of them Marygolds, eight Spinages: shred the Herbs very small, mix all well together then take two Eggs and work them together with your hand, and make them into round Balls, and when the water boiles put them in, serve them with Rose-water, sugar and Butter for sauce.
Make the ones that interest you. Comment on them in the comments below. If you run into any problems, use the comments - between us we'll probably find you a solution (why I love group testing of historical recipes!).
I have modernised nothing. I have changed nothing except where my typing has lapsed, due to my ever-changing eyesight this week. I have, however, numbered the recipes to make them easier to discuss.
If any of you come up with modern recipes based on this (with changes or without) and would be happy to share, I'll do a second post in four weeks, giving both old and new.
Happy cooking!!
1. To Fricase Champigneons
Make ready your Champigneons as you do for stewing, and when you have poured away the black liquor that comes from them, put your Champigneons into a Frying pan with a piece of Sweet Butter, a little Parsley, Tyme, Sweet Marjoram, a piece of Onyon shred very smal, a little salt and fine beaten Pepper,, so fry them till they be enough so have ready the lear abovesaid, & put it into the Champigneons whilest they are in the Pan, toss them two or three times, put them forth and serve them.
2. To make Buttered Loaves
Take the yolks of twelve eggs, and six whites, and a quarter of a pint of yeast, when you have beaten the Eggs well, strain them with the yeast into a dish, then put to it a little salt, and two rases of Ginger beaten very small, then put flour to it till it come to high paste that will not cleave, then you must roul it upon you hands, and afterwards put it into a warm cloth, and let it lye there a quarter of an hour. then make it up in little Loaves, bake it against it is baked, prepare a pound and a half of Butter, a quarter of a pint of white Win, and half a pound of Sugar; this being melted and beaten together with it, set them into the Oven a quarter of an hour.
3. To make a Devonshire White pot.
Take a point of Cream and strain four Eggs into it, and put a little salt and a little sliced Nutmeg, and season it with sugar somewhat sweet, then take almost a penny Loaf of fine bread sliced very thin, and put it in a Dish that will hold it, the Cream and the Eggs being put to it, then take a handfull of Raisins of the Sun being boiled, and a little sweet Butter, so bake it.
4. To make Cheese Cakes
Take three Eggs and beat them very well, & as you beat them, put to them as much fine flower as will make thick, then put to them three or four Eggs more, and beat them altogether; then take one quart of Cream, and put into it a quarter of a pound of sweet Butter, and set them over the fire, and when it begins to boyl, put to it your Eggs and flower, stir it very well, and let it boyl till it be thick, then season it with salt, Cinnamon, Sugar and Currans and bake it.
5. To make a green Pudding
Take a penny loaf of stale Bread, grate it, put to half a pound of sugar, grated Nutmeg, as much salt as will season it, three quarters of a pound of Beet-suet shred very small: then take sweet Herbs, the most of them Marygolds, eight Spinages: shred the Herbs very small, mix all well together then take two Eggs and work them together with your hand, and make them into round Balls, and when the water boiles put them in, serve them with Rose-water, sugar and Butter for sauce.
gillpolack @ 2015-02-07T19:34:00
Recipes are now tomorrow. This is because I have a delightful (and high) fever. I'm doing what must be done in between resting and I'm hoping that it will burn out soon. It turns out that there's a virus going round the uni and it's a two week one and it starts off as a cold, so this may well be the exhausting stage. I've got until Tuesday to get over it, because from Tuesday to Friday there are bunches of un-cancellable tasks to do outside the home.
I haven't done everything I had to this last week or so, but I've finished my close edit of the beast, and done the same for the next novel, and taught twice (one of which is a new group and thus needed more prep), and handled the eyesight issue and just about finished my end of the Aurealis judging and emailed a few people about this year's Women's History Month (I stopped emailing after the first set of queries this year, because within 24 hours I had enough guests for the whole month - there are many wonderful writers I would have loved to have heard from, but March is of limited length and so I was unable to invite them - if this is you, I'm happy to share a link to any post you make on the subject with everyone else) and done a bunch of paperwork. I'm behind, but not impossibly so and if I keep pottering away at things when I'm not resting, I'll be fine.
And this is why I went silent. I had and have fascinating fever dreams, you'll be pleased to know and have spent chunks of my downtime analysing them.
My big discovery of the last few weeks is just how little tolerance I have for idiots. I will be polite to them and they will not know that I think they need to use their brains, accept that other peoples' life experience are real, and especially to stop mansplaining.I am not talking either of my students nor of my close friends, just some acquaintances who have probably been too protected for their own good.
PS My fever at the moment is mild. Intermittent nasty fevers are apparently the mark of the last few days of this charming and unusual virus. Also it doesn't appear to be that infectious - one area of the university has it, not the whole campus. This is a big relief!! Also, no market this week, but I can go to the supermarket next, so it's all OK.
I haven't done everything I had to this last week or so, but I've finished my close edit of the beast, and done the same for the next novel, and taught twice (one of which is a new group and thus needed more prep), and handled the eyesight issue and just about finished my end of the Aurealis judging and emailed a few people about this year's Women's History Month (I stopped emailing after the first set of queries this year, because within 24 hours I had enough guests for the whole month - there are many wonderful writers I would have loved to have heard from, but March is of limited length and so I was unable to invite them - if this is you, I'm happy to share a link to any post you make on the subject with everyone else) and done a bunch of paperwork. I'm behind, but not impossibly so and if I keep pottering away at things when I'm not resting, I'll be fine.
And this is why I went silent. I had and have fascinating fever dreams, you'll be pleased to know and have spent chunks of my downtime analysing them.
My big discovery of the last few weeks is just how little tolerance I have for idiots. I will be polite to them and they will not know that I think they need to use their brains, accept that other peoples' life experience are real, and especially to stop mansplaining.I am not talking either of my students nor of my close friends, just some acquaintances who have probably been too protected for their own good.
PS My fever at the moment is mild. Intermittent nasty fevers are apparently the mark of the last few days of this charming and unusual virus. Also it doesn't appear to be that infectious - one area of the university has it, not the whole campus. This is a big relief!! Also, no market this week, but I can go to the supermarket next, so it's all OK.
February 4, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-05T14:46:00
Yesterday was a little exciting.
Teaching started in the morning, and due to circumstances in the classroom, I had to switch from my prepared class to one unrelated subjects. We talked about annals and chronicles and how sometimes we have our own memories and sometimes we remember what popular culture has superimposed. We talked about translating all of this into story and we did some translational exercises.
Yesterday afternoon I did a bunch of essential tasks and reach 7 pm thinking "Time to edit." Alas for me, my eyes intervened. I got ten pages of Effective Dreaming done before blood spurts began in the right eye. They were nasty and persistent and so I went to hospital. I was there less than two hours (thankfully) though I have to go back next week. It looks as if it's not serious, but a problem relating to the damage that was supposed to be all gone because of the laser treatment.
it's a pain to work, but I've done most of my teaching prep for the new course tonight, and I'm nearly halfway through my editing. I have an hour before i have to leave for my pre-teaching meeting and my ritual photocopying of course notes, and I might need that hour for the computer has decided to shift the pages by a line or two and the course handout suddenly looks strange.
Anyhow, it's been a big 36 hours and it will, in total, be a bigger 48 hours. At least I won't get bored!
Teaching started in the morning, and due to circumstances in the classroom, I had to switch from my prepared class to one unrelated subjects. We talked about annals and chronicles and how sometimes we have our own memories and sometimes we remember what popular culture has superimposed. We talked about translating all of this into story and we did some translational exercises.
Yesterday afternoon I did a bunch of essential tasks and reach 7 pm thinking "Time to edit." Alas for me, my eyes intervened. I got ten pages of Effective Dreaming done before blood spurts began in the right eye. They were nasty and persistent and so I went to hospital. I was there less than two hours (thankfully) though I have to go back next week. It looks as if it's not serious, but a problem relating to the damage that was supposed to be all gone because of the laser treatment.
it's a pain to work, but I've done most of my teaching prep for the new course tonight, and I'm nearly halfway through my editing. I have an hour before i have to leave for my pre-teaching meeting and my ritual photocopying of course notes, and I might need that hour for the computer has decided to shift the pages by a line or two and the course handout suddenly looks strange.
Anyhow, it's been a big 36 hours and it will, in total, be a bigger 48 hours. At least I won't get bored!
February 3, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-04T00:02:00
I'm having a quiet in-between moment. The next few days will be rather busy, and the last few days have been rather busy: I took the night off. I should have done housework, but I took the night off from that too.
Teaching starts first thing tomorrow, and I needed my mind clear of which publisher uses which house style. This term my Wednesday students are going to approach stories and then turning stories into books. Our last session for the term is already booked. A staff member at the National Gallery is going to teach them how to illustrate their chapbooks. Which means said chapbooks will have to be created in the next 9 weeks. Tomorrow I'll talk about chapbooks and what they've been, historically, and we'll start thinking about what kind we want to do.
Because it's a creative writing class, not an art class, we won't be doing fancy binding. I'll teach them a couple of fairly simple formats as we go, but they'll all use material that my students can find around the house. Next time I chat with the BCS art people, though, I'll mention what I'm doing, just in case they want to create the physical object as art, alongside the story object.
The first week is going to be partly book history, for this class likes having some depth to their understanding. It's wonderful to have a class that totally gets that creation happens better with cultural contexts. And my summer has given me just a bit more of those cultural contexts, for I understand the seventeenth century end of books a lot more than I did.
And it all starts tomorrow morning.
Teaching starts first thing tomorrow, and I needed my mind clear of which publisher uses which house style. This term my Wednesday students are going to approach stories and then turning stories into books. Our last session for the term is already booked. A staff member at the National Gallery is going to teach them how to illustrate their chapbooks. Which means said chapbooks will have to be created in the next 9 weeks. Tomorrow I'll talk about chapbooks and what they've been, historically, and we'll start thinking about what kind we want to do.
Because it's a creative writing class, not an art class, we won't be doing fancy binding. I'll teach them a couple of fairly simple formats as we go, but they'll all use material that my students can find around the house. Next time I chat with the BCS art people, though, I'll mention what I'm doing, just in case they want to create the physical object as art, alongside the story object.
The first week is going to be partly book history, for this class likes having some depth to their understanding. It's wonderful to have a class that totally gets that creation happens better with cultural contexts. And my summer has given me just a bit more of those cultural contexts, for I understand the seventeenth century end of books a lot more than I did.
And it all starts tomorrow morning.
February 1, 2015
gillpolack @ 2015-02-02T12:25:00
My monthly History Girls post is up ( http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/crumbs-in-wilderness-gillian-polack.html ) and I'm on the long downward slope of a very complex proofread. Three more hours and it will be done. I want it done soon enough so that I don't get the next big job before I'm finished this one and I want them all to happen in time for teaching this week. I think that the last is wishful thinking, but at least I will get a few days break from the Beast from today and can sneak in course setting up and so forth.
There's quite a bit of 'so forth' - I keep not looking at my list for today nor the piles of paper that must be finished by various deadlines because it's a bit daunting.
And one day you'll get real posts, not just progress reports. Right now a lot of my life seems to be waiting on permissions from others.
Although my Food History course starts this week. You'll get foodie goodness soon!
There's quite a bit of 'so forth' - I keep not looking at my list for today nor the piles of paper that must be finished by various deadlines because it's a bit daunting.
And one day you'll get real posts, not just progress reports. Right now a lot of my life seems to be waiting on permissions from others.
Although my Food History course starts this week. You'll get foodie goodness soon!
gillpolack @ 2015-02-01T19:14:00
My cold was exacerbated by a weather migraine today (did I tell you I have cleverly garnered a heavy winter cold in mid-summer? I might have forgotten). To add insult to injury, the rain hit as we were leaving the market and had to be walked through.
And that was the sum of bad things in my day. In other words, if one pretends my cold doesn't exist, life is good. I only have 40 pages of proofreading to finish and I've spent time with friends the last few days and I have much goodness from the market. Very clean goodness, given the show.
If anyone drops in over the next week or so they get stollen, for one of the market stalls had stollen at an impossibly tempting price. For me, I have much mixed stone fruit, leafy greens and cucumber. The apricots are the comestible that carries its own story. They were being sold off at $1 a kilo, and we were all grabbing the bags almost before the stallholder could put them out. One guy (Moslem and religious by his clothes) looked at his apricots and turned to me and asked "I can just eat these, can I?" I said yes, or make jam. I told him how to make jam, but I doubt he will. The poor guy was very bewildered by the apricots. (I just had two of mine and they're perfect, so he did the right thing in getting a bag, even if they're new to him.)
We've had days of lovely cool weather, but I've bought some jars of stuff in case it fails. It's a February tradition of mine, to have a liquidish lunch made of a couple of spoons of anything from red bean to jack fruit and a lot of chilled water. What I actually end up eating depends on what jars are round with what stuff in. I started this when I was in Toronto and was missing my Korean friends and so went to a Korean restaurant with Canadian friends, for a cuppa. Long tall glasses full of chilled wonder. In Sydney my drink is iced macha with red beans, and I get it as my meal before the bus home to Canberra.
This year's jars are from the Philippines, so I'll remember different friends when I drink my long cold drink. That has to wait for the hot weather. It may be February, but it's not hot. It's perfect weather (even allowing for occasional storm headaches and for drenching) but this is Australia and we ought to have a heat wave sometime.
And that was the sum of bad things in my day. In other words, if one pretends my cold doesn't exist, life is good. I only have 40 pages of proofreading to finish and I've spent time with friends the last few days and I have much goodness from the market. Very clean goodness, given the show.
If anyone drops in over the next week or so they get stollen, for one of the market stalls had stollen at an impossibly tempting price. For me, I have much mixed stone fruit, leafy greens and cucumber. The apricots are the comestible that carries its own story. They were being sold off at $1 a kilo, and we were all grabbing the bags almost before the stallholder could put them out. One guy (Moslem and religious by his clothes) looked at his apricots and turned to me and asked "I can just eat these, can I?" I said yes, or make jam. I told him how to make jam, but I doubt he will. The poor guy was very bewildered by the apricots. (I just had two of mine and they're perfect, so he did the right thing in getting a bag, even if they're new to him.)
We've had days of lovely cool weather, but I've bought some jars of stuff in case it fails. It's a February tradition of mine, to have a liquidish lunch made of a couple of spoons of anything from red bean to jack fruit and a lot of chilled water. What I actually end up eating depends on what jars are round with what stuff in. I started this when I was in Toronto and was missing my Korean friends and so went to a Korean restaurant with Canadian friends, for a cuppa. Long tall glasses full of chilled wonder. In Sydney my drink is iced macha with red beans, and I get it as my meal before the bus home to Canberra.
This year's jars are from the Philippines, so I'll remember different friends when I drink my long cold drink. That has to wait for the hot weather. It may be February, but it's not hot. It's perfect weather (even allowing for occasional storm headaches and for drenching) but this is Australia and we ought to have a heat wave sometime.
