This morning's big news was from my friend Pat Manser. Her project of last five years has come to fruition. Pat worked on the original research team established by Arthur Delbridge to scope and plan an Australian dictionary. She has been passionate about the need to tell the story. It will be released in eBook format next Tuesday and after that in hardback. I've ordered my Kindle copy to be delivered next Tuesday.
It's a story worth telling, and important in the history of Australian culture - the way we see and think about ourselves. All credit to Pat for persisting in bringing it to publication.
I'm looking forward to reading it next week.
Most of my day was spent preparing for tonight's birthday dinner. I made a trip to Rheinland Bakery on Port Rd. I'd been planning to order a Dobosch cake last week, but realised Niamh and Veronica would not be able to eat it with the bands on their teeth. When I discussed it with them on the weekend, they were adamant that they could remove the toffee triangles and eat the cake. By then the shop was closed for the weekend. I rang them at 8am this morning but they did not have one in stock today. I went to the shop later in the morning and bought a chocolate mouse cake with chocolate shards around the outside. On the suggestion of the shop assistant I added some strawberries.
I'm not good at taking photos when on a mission, as I was today. The pastitsio me phyllo (or pasta pie to the kids) worked well. I also cooked some chicken Marylands for Fionn, whose athletic diet doesn't allow for large serves of pasta, pastry and cheeses.
At the moment blowing out candles over a cake that is going to be shared is not a safe or recommended thing to do. I came up with a sacrificial hot cross bun and stuck two candles , a 1 and an 8 in them for the blowing out. I then discarded the bun and candles. Improvisation. Another new normal?
Brigid's birthday is not until Wednesday, but Niamh and Veronica have to go on a school camp that day, and Brigid has to help supervise an orienteering excursion.
We gave her her presents after dinner. I reckon she had a good time. I certainly did!
I'm also conscious of those who would love to have seen this day - Jim, who was acutely aware he would not be likely to see it, my father, who lived to meet Brigid and my mother who didn't but would be so full of joy and admiration. I'm not sad about this today - more alert to their ongoing contribution.
I'm getting quicker at photographing some of the birds coming home to roost at sunset.
I managed a little bit of the Owl Service. I reckon there's about another 3 hours of stitching to finish it. Then comes the lettering - perhaps the hardest bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment