Leni
@heradescends
Recently divorced from my idealism, ex public servant facing the absurdity but still willing to serve; on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung & Bunurong Boon Wurrung country. ‘The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men’ Plato (allegedly)🇦🇺🇬🇷✊🏽⚖️
Attempting to make sense of the news seems like an exercise in futility, so I visited my elderly folks and noticed that their door stop in the laundry is a bejewelled corduroy frog I made in home economics circa year 7 many, many moons ago and my wonderful dad said watch the frog he holds that door
I’ve been dog sitting my cousin’s little dog Molly this weekend, she’s so sweet and gentle, enduring me most kindly as a former cat owner with no dog experience, she has more empathy, patience and kindness than some of our fellow humans, I’ll just return to hanging out with her than consuming news
Have gone old school this Greek Easter Holy Week as taught by my grandmother when I was a girl, parsley leaves and pantyhose for red eggs with some nature inspired design flair
Visiting my folks today found my 84 yr old dad expertly using an antique Singer to construct some sort of tarp for his homemade greenhouse sourced entirely from materials salvaged over 40 years of shed colony living under constant threat from a fierce Spartan wife’s house kingdom reign
John Pesutto somewhere in Hawthorn presently, how do you like them preselections…
Not a huge coffee or alcohol drinker, have also cut out most sugar (a real health plus for me), but without fully realising I’ve regularly been micro spiking my daily coffee with Xmas Amaretto left on the kitchen bench by the coffee machine and hello 2026… must return it to the liquor cabinet
Trump pontificating about Iran and the form of regime change and all I can think of is this, after rolling my eyes hard enough that I need to sit down from the vertigo:
Check out these glossy beauties my octogenarian uncle (one of my favourite humans) just dropped off after picking them from his pride and joy suburban cherry tree, he’s been waiting years for this tree to fully mature and yield these perfect orbs of tart sweetness, they’re still warm from the sun
Well there’s failures to communicate and lapses in judgement but we are experiencing a rather catastrophic failure of leadership across the so called developed world, a lacuna if you will, rivalling the size of a certain ballroom or several icebergs melting as I type…
Unproductive work day but my procrastination baked this cake I’m enjoying with espresso, I’m one of those annoying humans who changes recipes (originally pumpkin muffins), this tendency worked out today, tasty but crumbly, maybe as it cools it will become more structurally sound from plate to fork
Woah this takes me back, apart from scary life sized toy baby still in my Dad’s garage, Barbie Peaches ‘n Cream was apparently only other doll I asked for as a weird kid who mostly asked for hot chips. Yet to find pic of 4 poster toy bed that went with Barbie… now I’ve revealed too much about myself
Bluesky gardeners/botanists, based on my limited social media experience this seems like an acceptable use of the medium (quite apart from the funny & cathartic interactions as we scream into the void), received this potted flower gift today, no plant marker/info, can someone help me ID it?
View from my home office window (creatively captured so I don’t expose my neighbours large open windows!) One of my favourite budding fruit trees starting to blossom even as the last gales of winter blow here in beautiful Melbourne where I feel very privileged to live. Can’t wait for the plums
Cooking for some charming elders today namely my folks and my aunt & uncle (my second set of parents). They eat much earlier than I am accustomed to but here is my Greek beef onion stew (στιφάδο) simmering away, smell the cinnamon & nutmeg! To be served with crusty bread and a bottle of Sordo Barolo
Posted below in response to the wonderful Texan poet lamenting his power bill, now I am indeed consumed by this here piece of paper arrived today like a death notice cloaked innocuously in brown paper. I can no longer wantonly surrender to the flame of Origin, for my modest riches are now aflame
Constant barrage of news real and not so real given the unreality as I’ve come to call it, however, being Sunday I’m visiting my elderly folks and I tell you one of the great simple pleasures of my life presently is eating juicy fresh mandarins from this majestic tree, their garden is an oasis
All these authoritarians even the cute blonde ones just making Faustian deals with warlords and war criminals, releasing and pardoning violent criminals to pursue anti immigrant ‘policies,’ steal land and resources…what am I saying, it’s not just the fascists but so called democratic leaders as well
I’m on a tea odyssey and currently am addicted to Russian caravan tea by afternoon with a touch of milk and a drizzle of my elderly uncle’s pure honey from his suburban apiary; and Iron Goddess of Mercy tea in the evenings, it’s all somewhat politically awkward but life is short to fight my own tea
Drove all over Melbourne at great risk for much of the Easter weekend, some miniature marauding egg hunters were a little scary otherwise the only threat was my large family wanting to debate politics, mostly this was my countenance, subtract the love it then also applies to that bloody idiot Dutton
We exchange traditional foods and sweets (and the occasional bottle of wine) through out the year with our Chinese and Afghan neighbours and it is one of my favourite multicultural ‘traditions’
In preparation for Sunday, and I apologise to American blue skiers, eggs are still very expensive down under but not yet rare as hen’s teeth… Happy Easter or long weekend
Found this 1970 publication in my move and it had to be included in the new home office library ‘A Glossary of Clear Thinking, Terms of thought’ by Howard F Dossor $2.50, check out this rather haughty but fair introduction, I’m quite partial to the 70s mostly due to it being the decade of my birth
Mostly with affection my family calls me godless heathen, this year mostly to mess with them am fasting & assisting in baking κουραμπιέδες (sugared almond shortbread) & κουλουράκια (biscuits perfect for coffee dunking); no church, even I have limits, vexed faith yes, man-made institution, yeah nah
Look I never thought I would ever pull out this retro cultural gem from my homeland but FFS dems you can’t party like it’s 1999 anymore
Unlike Republicans who are all cos playing on trumps reality govt tv, the Dems have clearly not seen Madam Secretary, frankly they could do with some Elizabeth McCord if they’ve forgotten their predecessors, community advocates might need to help them out, let images of manhandled senators go live
South African billionaire villain Conrad Knox who gets his hands on a nuclear weapon in outrageously fun action show Strike Back aka King Lannister