February 17, 2010
Ash Wednesday
No pancake party this year. At least, not yet. There's a vague chance of some kind of postponed thing after my return, whenever that may be. (Next Friday is the currently scheduled date.) We shall see.
In any case, there's something ironic about spending this Shrove Tuesday uncelebrated in Sydney, given that the original impetus behind my pancake tradition was as consolation for missing this city's Mardi Gras -- an event in which I now have virtually no interest at all. And for all that I still sort of love the place, I suspect the business at hand may come close to exhausting my desire to spend time here.
Not that things are all bad. Peter likes, when not crippled by pain or addled by things meant to block it, to fill the time up with hollow trash entertainments, some of which have even been rather entertaining. Opera, music, films, walks, ferry rides, food and drink. He himself can barely eat, but encourages the rest of us to enjoy such things. He has some fine wines that need attention, set aside long ago for special occasions. What could be more special than this?
And then there's the fun of word puzzles to keep his mind ticking over and distracted from agony, worked through in (zeugma is your friend) a hot bath and a narcotic haze. The Herald's celebrated DA is no Araucaria, but worth a look even so. I do, however, fear it may be some while after all this is over before I can bear to look at another fucking cryptic crossword.
Posted by matt at February 17, 2010 1:57 PM