Had some sage growing in a pot at the back, which led to the idea to make gnocchi with sage pan fried in butter. The idea further expanded with a octopus and chorizo sort of stew and combined, the dish above makes a compelling meal.

* * *

Has it been a month already? It’s just felt like so much has happened in so little time, but the memories and places all feel fragmented. I still think about mom, about home and other things. I used to call mom up once or twice a week to chat about things, and she sort of kept me in the loop of what was going on back home. Now I keep in contact with my siblings and relatives through other modes of communication.

* * *

Discovered a nursery along the Maribyrnong river that sells almost practically every plant I could want. There’s the japanese maple I like for decoration and some other plants for cooking, like the kaffir lime and meyer lemon trees. Would also like some potted plants for the centre courtyard just to give it a little more colour. I just need to be careful not to overclutter the place.

Forgot the time where I’d just do and not worry about perfection. Heh, I take for granted I can do most other things properly on whim, like when it comes to setting up computers and the like, but even those required the usual trial and error before I got really good at it. Things are now stuck at the idea/research stage, but until you plonk down some cold, hard cash, you are never sure if your ideas will take flight. So I’m just going to go ahead and grab the things I need for the house and start setting up. After that it will be an ongoing affair to spruce up the house.

* * *

I have much to do, but putting every little detail into a task schedule would feel too regimented. So I just list the things out, and slot them into a timetable for the evenings when I come back from work. Anything that doesn’t get done just gets bundled into the next day. At the moment it works, but I must keep disciplined as there are times I’d just pick up my Eee PC, start reading stuff and I disappear into a world of my own.

* * *

In Melbourne you will always notice the seasons change, whether suddenly or gradually. Autumn is here and the days do seem to be getting cooler. Just wondering what the days are like ahead.