Tuesday, September 18, 2007

simple pleasures

it's definitely winter. i'm wearing stockings and two cotton layers under my overalls plus a woolly jumper and a thermal blanker over my shoulders. i wish i knew how to work the heater! i had so many good and diligent plans for tonight, but then two phryne fisher novels and a mia dyson cd magically appeared (thankyou grot and bbb!) so i have spent the last three hours curled up on the couch having a very pleasant time instead of reading dryden and having a nasty time. likewise, i had fabulous plans for dinner, but ziggy gave me a toasted cheese sandwich, a carrot and a bag of marshmallows as big as my head and now i don't feel like cooking. i've had a recent surge of cooking. see my pizza!

all in all a satisfactory night, even though it's miserable weather all of a sudden and my knee has gone bung again. i taught a decent class today, which was partly designed to prod my students into doing their reading, and they didn't hate me for it. huzzah! i'm doing very well on their names, which is heartening, cos i never thought i could learn 75 names in one hit, especially when fully half of one tutorial has names that begin with "Kr".

today i also managed to get one of the letters i need to make my visa application. it's been a long and complicated process. one down, three to go! i'm having recurring nightmares about being chased, and i suspect the bears/cops/zombies represent visa officials. swimming tomorrow. swimming is soothing.

also enjoying my bicycle, with the seat raised very high to nurture the knee. i got a new gel seat with a cut away, and i love it to bits. take heed, fellow cyclists! here's a view looking west to the city. it's more beautiful in real life - all sparkly and blue.

this was riding back from meeting grot's friend downtown. we had such a nice time chatting. everyone should come visit me!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

pizza! looks spesh. pizza has been a leitmotif in my life this week. probably because i have been eating a lot of it.
the end. love itchy.

gumtreefid farmer said...

glad you have been eating lots of pizza even though it is not from i carusi anymore. hey, can you help me make a copy of their delicious carmelised onion and potato one? what else was there? onion? rosemary?

love epponnee-rae

Anonymous said...

mozzarella, lots of rosemary, olive oil, caramelised onion, potato

fin

Anonymous said...

speaking of pizza, last night the swan and i had this amazing one with mushrooms, spinach and white truffle oil.
i want to have its babies!

Anonymous said...

white truffle oil! I had forgotten it - must still have that little bottle left from Italy soemwhere

I think often of the gnocchi and truffles I had in Siena - it was only food, but it was so ...

that, and the grinning head of St Catherine ...

Anonymous said...

What type of cheese are you using?
And try roasting the capsicum, and
I wonder if they use a special type of potato, and
Re visa - see email.

gumtreefid farmer said...

ooo, delicious! thanks, itchy.


i often think of italy, folgrot, especially the art and the coffee. i do hope france is as much fun.


bbb - ricotta and a bit of mozarella. there's a nice italian grocers nearby so i get good ingredients. caps duely roasted, papa dear. i have learnt well. also made the proper mato paste. still working on the dough. i think it was just normal potato. . . itchy? what do you think?

itchy fingers said...

waxy potatoes would be best, methinks. but there didn't seem to be anything special about the potatoes used at icarusi.

Anonymous said...

I'm hungry!!! Haven't had a decent pizza since the last oven-baked ones in April. Best make a trip to the Dale!!!!
France is just as good as Italy - I had the best profiteroles ever in Paris - filled with ice-cream. And OOOhhhh - the hot chocolate!!!!
I want to know about the gel bike seat. A certain Irishman went on a bike ride from here to Yack (about 70 km) and was hobbling about, complaining about his derriere!! A gel seat might make a good Xmas present!!

Anonymous said...

You betcha boots I Carusi would use particular spuds.

How does the ricotta go?