Peace

It's peaceful here on my perch. My desk overlooks City Road and I'm high enough up to watch over the building site down the way as the cranes transport who knows what to who knows where. Traffic rumbles along the Monash/Westgate link. It appears to be flowing well. I never thought I would relish being back here, bit it is  peaceful. No man with the leaf blower at 9 am on the dot. No having to listen to the couple across the way having a domestic. The sounds of my downstairs neighbours' daughter having her occasional three-year-old morning tantrum doesn't register because I don't hear it - with my obligatory eye roll and 'oh, dear' muttered under my breath.

I wonder how the cat is doing on his own.

The trip in was pleasant. The 8:14 from North Richmond is normally packed like a cattle truck. There was plenty of room, and everybody was masked up. Most people had four seats to themselves. There was nobody coughing or sniffing. I could get used to this new peak hour. It's a comfortable peak hour. Nobody was eyeing anybody with suspicion. Maybe there is some good to come out of this. 

I wonder how the cat is doing on his own. At home. Alone. 

Yes, we have to wear a mask while in the office. Yes, it's a pain. Regular coffee breaks, toilet stops and the odd fresh air breakhelp. Wearing a mask bracket under the mask helps - keeps the material off the nose and mouth, but it's fine. As as there was only four people in the office, it felt pretty safe. I'm not sure how I would feel if there really was 50% capacity in the office. But the city is still pretty quiet. And it feels okay to be there. 

And I start to wonder what the cat is up to at home, all alone. 

And now, as the day is over, I'm looking back on the day, and if I'm brutally honest, it's the most normal a day I've had in ten months. It felt great to be back at a desk, to be able to work without having a cat maul my leg at regular intervals. It was great to talk to people, other than my team - to see them, okay, with a mask on, but to actually be with people was great. Just seeing different people was wonderful - and I never thought I would say that. 

On arrival at home, I found a rather pissed of cat. It was the first day he's been on his own throughout the whole day. I was greeted with a purr. It seems he missed me, in his own, fully little way. 

And we'll do all of this again tomorrow. With a lunch and a coffee with a Sydney colleague thrown in for good measure. 

Today's Song:

The Bargain

I feel like a princess today - all because I found a pair of shoes online, which needed to be bought. So they got bought. Not that I need shoes. But they had my name on them. 

Going back to work tomorrow, it seemed a good time to buy a par of shoes - not that I need them, but I wanted them. And good work shoes are hard to find at the moment. 

These were listed on Facebook marketplace last night. Size 9 (well, that's me - I'm a standard size nine in all but runners), black and white brogues. Lace up. Hand made. Italian leather. Small heel. Wooden sole. R.F. Page brand. Retail, I think I'd be payng a couple of hundred dollars for them. 

Bought them off a nice lady in Toorak second hand for $33. She was selling a lot of stuff - but these spoke to me. 

Lunchtime saw me navigating the back streets of Toorak to collect these charmers, slowing for dodgy drivers (and there are a lot of them in Toorak) calling a number and changing $33 in cash for these beauties. 

I would have paid a bit more. 

They fit like a glove (now that I've wiped them out wtih dettol and sprayed a bit of anti-fungal stuff in them).

They're precious. And will go with all sorts of thigns. And they're really funky. 

And now I am sorted with work shoes.

I'll be selling a heap of near new boots and shoes at the Camberwell Market in a few week's time. 

But tonight I'll go to bed happy. 

Today's Song: 

It's about the headspace

Returning to work in the office on Thursday, there are things I need to think about which I haven't thought about in nearly eleven months. 

This is what's going through my mind at the moment. 

1) Who is going to say 'big yawn' and other missives to the cat during the day.

I adopted Lucifer on 21 March of last year. Other than the month when he went to stay with my Mum, we've not been apart. I'll be leaving him in the morning and coming home around dinner time. How are we going to manage? Who is going to say, 'Big yawn', 'Big stretch', and 'Get off the sodding keyboard, animal!'

2) What do I need to take with me?

I discovered I had a heap of stuff in my desk drawers when I went in on Friday, but there are still things you need to take with you. Things like:

• Office appropriate shoes - as Birkenstocks and runners are not for office wear - but they will be worn to and from the office.
• AA and AAA batteries, because heaven knows, the batteries in my office mouse and keyboard are probably well dead by now. easier to have them on hand than source them at work. 
• A new notebook - as the one I took home with me in March was filled months ago. Who knows what stationery is available.
• Extra masks - as we need to wear one in the office. And mask brackets. Mask brackets make wearing masks a lot easier. 
• My office headset - currently in a drawer around home. Haven't used it because I haven't needed to - used the computer mike and speakers instead.  
• Lunch - as we have to eat at our desks, may as well get back in the habit of bringing in lunch unless I'm meeting a friend. 

This all feels like the first day of school again. 

3) When to do I go to work?

Do I go early, walk to the train station and be in for eight, or do I go later - and what does rush hour look like now? I think this is part of what is freaking me out - crowded public transport does not appeal

4) Who's going to be in the office?

Like I haven't seen these people in the flesh for eleven months. Will they still like me? Will they be friendly.

5) Oh, god, I have to brush my hair and wear make up. 

After nearly a year of living in Birkenstocks, trackkie dacks, t-shirts, ugg boots and jeans, they want us to look office appropriate. Like argh! Also, I just found out in the last weeks that makeup allegedly has a lifespan. It appears there is this little symbol on your makeup which tells you how long the makeup should last. It looks like this. 

All of my makeup is very out of date. I think I'll just forget I know this fact. 

As for brushing my hair, well - I do brush it regularly, but my Stevie Nicks mop has to be transformed into something a little more office appropriate. It was cut and coloured on the weekend, but even so

This takes time and effort. 

Maybe I should just work from home for a few more weeks...

Today's Song: 

The best thing in the school tuck shop?

 Today's facebook question. What was the best thing in the school canteen?

This is back in the day where fifty cents could get you a sausage roll and a Sunnyboy or Razz (which for those not in the know, was a frozen block of orange or raspberry cordial, sucking on one would last you most of lunchtime). These were the days when you wrote your order on the bag, placed your money in said bag, the lunch monitor took the bags to the office, and at 12.30, lunch, by some miracle, arrived in your classroom. This happened at both primary and high school. 

But if there is one thing I still think about, the one thing from the school canteen I wish could be sourced again, it would be Mrs Reed's double cut salad rolls from the high school canteen.

Mrs Reed was a bit of a legend. She ran the school tuck shop and it's army of volunteers for decades. 

I think double cut rolls are an Adelaide thing. You take a very, very fresh white crusty roll. You cut it into three or four slices, it's buttered and filled with grated carrot, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, gherkins (another South Australian thing - or maybe it was my mum force feeding me them as a kid), a slice of cheese and maybe a little bit of mayo. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Everything in the roll was extra fresh. 

And I remember these as the best thing you could ever have for lunch.

I wonder if you can still get double cut rolls in Adelaide. They really were the bomb. 

Today's Song:

January Part 2

 It's my cheat blog day of the week, the day where I don't have to think about what to write. I'm still amazed that I'm keeping up with the daily blogging, but the practice is bearing fruit and I'm writing more easily. If only the novel would pour out of me with the same ease. Mind you, there is a lot of other stuff to do this weekend. This includes:

• Painting
• Going to the gym
• Writing and submitting this month's Furious Fiction entry
• The obligatory housework
• Talking to the cat
• Putting some clothes up on online marketplaces

So I best get on with this weekend's questions, provided, as always, but Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1 .Can you eat with chopsticks?

Of course. I was taught this while I was at university. Very, very handy skill to have, especially as there is so much Asian food here in Australia. I really like eating with chopsticks. 

2. Could you tell real money from counterfeit?

I like to think I can. Here in Australia we have plastic money with a lot of failsafe features, such as holographs which make it really hard to counterfeit. We also very colourful money. Saying that, who uses cash now anyway. Most of our transactions, especially with COVID, have gone to electronic methods like EFT or bank cards. I know to look for the spelling error on the $50 note. 

Australian bank notes

3. What do you think about school uniforms?

Having never worn a school uniform after the age of eight, I was a little miffed about not having one as a child. I think school uniforms take out the choice and the brinkmanship you find when you wear mufti every day. We had school colours - royal blue, white and gold. It was really open to interepretation. You don't have to think about it. Coming from a family that wasn't well off, you're not made to feel bad if you can't afford the latest fashions if you're in uniform. Saying that, most Austrlian school do have a uniform code. Some schools are stricter than others about enforcing these codes. 

4. What ancient civilization would you most like to visit?

I'd love to go to Ancient Rome - so many things to wonder at. 

5. What would make a great new Crayola color?

I have no idea. I've not written in crayon for a very long time, though my favourite insult is to ask people who are acting thick if they want me to spell it out in crayon for them. 

6.If an art project is created with the intent of getting rich and famous, does that cast doubt over its significance as a work of art?

Absolutely. Art should be made for art's sake. Anything after that is pure luck. Saying this, I'm off to the Triennial at the local Art Gallery next weekend. We are lucky to be able to do this. The art gallery has been closed for eight months - I can't wait to get back there. The Triennial three years ago was astounding. Nobody is famous outside art circles. Love our art gallery. 

7. What do you get in trouble for the most?

 Speaking out when I probably should keep my mouth shut. I'm a bit outspoken. 

8. Do you blow your nose in public?

Yes, but I do try to turn my back to others and do it quietly where I can. Anything is better than sniffing, which drives me up the wall. 

9. If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go?

The money goes to all the rich people and corporations, who fleece us little people. Why haven't people cottoned on to this? Something like 0.1 percent of the population are in control of 90% of its wealth. 

10. Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child?

Yes. Give me a cat to pat, food in my belly and a cuddle (and a place to swim or exercise) and I'm good. I've really been lucky in life. Easily pleased for the most part. 

11. Who knows more...you, or your parents?

Hmm - I'd say we know about the same. We know lots about different things. That's called being diplomatic. 

12.What instrument would you like to be famous for playing?

I'd love to be able to play the piano. I know it's not to late, but I've got other things to do with my spare time. 

13.Would you have sex with a stranger for one million dollars?

Depends on the stranger...

14.Are you completely in control of your body?

I like to think I am. Then again, I can't control the grey hairs that I need to keep covering up, but that is what being in your 50s will do to you. I look after my body, it appears to be looking after me. Long may that remain. 

15.What is the coolest web site you know of?

This one. 

Okay, when I'm not sending you to a site about refrigeration, I'll send you the The Pixies website - because there is nothing cooler than The Pixies. 

Today's Song:

Movie Review: Penguin Bloom

 Movie: Penguin Bloom

Stars: 3.75

Theatre: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Okay, a confession. I hate magpies. It stems back to primary school, where during nesting season we had to dodge swooping magpies as we made our way to the toilets at the back of the school. I hate the fuckers. I'm scared of them. 

So going to a film about a magpie probably wasn't the most sensible of things to do. 

But I did, and I'm glad I've seen it, even if it was about a shitty magpie. But it was about more than that, and this was it's the film's redemption. 

Based on a true story, it tells the tale of the Family Bloom in the period after a tragic accident strips the mother, Sam (Naomi Watts) of her ability to walk and most of her sense of humour. Her husband, Cam (played by Andrew Lincoln of This Life and The Walking Dead fame, doing a spot on Aussie accent), tries to hold the family together, a family containing three boistrous boys and a depressed and disabled wife. 

Early on a in the film, the eldest son, Noah (Griffin Murray-Johnson) finds an injured magpie fledgling. The bird is taken home, named Penguin, as a young boys will do and adopted by he family while it becomes stronger. Sam is not happy about the new addition to the family, but the bird in its inimitable style, helps to heal both Sam, and the family, with a sense of humour that only a magpie can provide, it seems. 

Elements of this film reminded me of my most hated book Cleo, the Cat that Healed a Family, by Helen Brown. But this was  much better than that. For a film about trauma and grief, it is quite uplifting in the end. 

As the movie progresses, the magpie heals, as does the mother, partly as she has somebody else to focus on, and partly because Sam rediscovers her love of the water thanks to Gaye (Rachel House of The Hunt for the Wilderpeople fame - allegedly my doppelganger), a  kayaking coach. Oh, and Jackie Weaver is wonderful and Sam's Mum. We all know one just like her. 

The kids steal the show as Noah, Olly and Reuben, the three boys coming to terms with their Mum's predicament.

And then there is the magpie, who is cute annoying, funny, smart and all other things to all people. And it shits everywhere. And they cuddle it. They cuddle the magpie. It's a fucking magpie, people! It will take out your eye if you give it a chance!.

There's lots to like about the film. It's rated PG, so you can take your Mum and your kids. It shows the Northern beaches of Sydney in a lovely light, free from the wankers and idiots associated with the region. 

Also, thankfully, Naomi Watts gets to act her age. Nothing better than a film where a woman is allowed to have lines on her face. 

And for a movie about magpies, I ended up crying buckets at the end, which was sort of surprising as I really don't like magpies. 

I've had to mark this film down a bit because of the magpie factor, but it is a charming, slighlty schmaltzy, sort of formulaic film about people, and animals, overcoming adversity. Also, I'm making a concerted effort to support the Australian film industry, so this had to be seen. And I do recommend it as it is a great diversion for its full 95 minutes. Even better, when in the end credits, you work out they filmed the movie at the Bloom's home and you see how far the family have come. 

It's just a pity the film is partly about a shitty magpie. 

Today's song:

Going back

It was surreal. Going back to the office after eleven months was akin to opening a time capsule.

I started at my current company on 17 February last year. I've just signed a contract for a second year. The last day I was in the office was, on my calculations, 11 March. I know I popped into the other building in April for ten minutes to get my annual flu shot. That was back before mandatory masks, excessing hand washing, no hugging, no sharing food and all the stuff we took for granted.

This was back when I was going to Sydney once a month, just as I was about to start at Faber, back before this COVID thing was classed as a pandemic. 

On leaving the office, I remember talking to my workmate. We thought we'd be back in a few months. 

Yeah, right.

So we're making tentative moves to go back to the office. Two days a week from next week. Currently, if we go in we're going to have to wear masks , but that's a small price to pay for a change of scenery.

I went in to town, having an appoint first, collecting the mail, treating myself to a bubble tea, before walking over Coathanger bridge to the office. Oh, there might have been a stop at Mary Martins' book shop too. The woman in the store caught be looking at the pretty books. I told her I hoped to have my book on there best sellers shelves one day. She said Jane Harper used to do the same thing. Seems I'm in good company. 

Stopping in at our book group bistro, I went and said hi the guys. Lunch has been booked for next week with a friend who I haven't seen in over a year. 

Amazingly, my pass worked. I swiped into the lift, then onto the floor. 

There was only one reason to be there. Pack up my desk. Pack up my workmate's desk. Put stickers on things for the office move happening on Monday. Then go home. 

The view hasn't changed. 

It took a few minutes to find the things we needed. Boxes. Stickers. Marker pens. The desk and the drawers. Seems things have moved a little. 

I had no idea what I'd left behind. Eleven months is a long time. 

I was a bit shocked by the crap in my desk drawers. In the next one down there was a glass keep cup. Remember them. I wonder when they will let us start using those again. 

Once there were stickers over my stuff - screens, labtop hub, chair, drawers - once I'd retrieved a perfectly wonderful phone charger, I started on my work mates' desk, doing the same thing. 

Then the last of the stuff was boxed up, so after paying a visit to nature, I went home, walking through the streets to the tram stop via Degraves Street (hoping to run into my favourite gay Nepalese waiter) and down Centre Way, where my favourite noodle bar is still trading. 

And being so steamy, I got home, only to throw myself under the shower to cool down. 

I' just a little excited to see actual human beings at work a couple of days a week. 

Today's Song: