Like tears in the rain

Bladerunner is my all-time favourite movie so I’m both excited and dubious about the forthcoming Bladerunner 2049 with Ryan Gosling that’s about to hit the screens, tickets which can now be booked at IMAX Melbourne if you’re interested in seeing it on the biggest screen of all.

Image via Palace Cinemas

The Italian Film Festival at Palace Cinemas started last week and is currently on if you’re wanting to see something more international.

Image via The Thornbury Theatre

Tickets also go on sale this Thursday for the inaugural Australian Americana Honours Night at the Thornbury Theatre on 2 October with musicians like Bernard Fanning and Kasey Chambers in the mix.

Image via Banyule City Council

Closer to home, there will be a three day Performing Arts Festival at Hatch Community Space in Ivanhoe kicking off on Wednesdsay.  If you’re into music, theatre, dance, spoken word, cabaret or comedy, then this is the one for you.  I hope you’re enjoying the warmth in the air and the sunshine – it’s nice to know Spring has sprung at last.

 

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Local Profile – Dennis & Dani Ahimastos

It’s not often you meet a chiropractor turned cafe owner and in the case of Dennis and Dani – it’s both of them!  It’s also lovely to have some more people from multicultural backgrounds here in Rosanna (he’s Greek and she’s Italian-Australian and how cute is their family below?).  They are the new owners of Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna (previously Byzantine Restaurant under different owners), which has been open for a while now in a great location near the Rosanna Library.  Despite the station level crossing work, they are still very much open for business and if you’re walking or cycling distance – even better!  Read on for more…

Name: Dennis and Dani Ahimastos

Occupation: Cafe Owners/ Operators – Hunter Lane Cafe

Lives/works: Live in Doncaster/Work in Rosanna

How long have you worked here? 9 months

Describe yourself/what you do: Dennis and I met at university where we were both studying to become Chiropractors. We worked in private practice for a while before Dennis decided to follow his passion and joined his father in the hospitality industry. I followed a corporate pathway before deciding that the hours weren’t conducive to raising a family and opted in to help Dennis run the family business. Hunter Lane opened in November last year when our second child was 6 months old so it has been a busy and sometimes crazy time for us! Hunter Lane is our second venture together and our first in the North Eastern suburbs. We have created a bright, open space, serving delicious meals with gluten-free and vegan friendly options. Dennis runs the show from an operations perspective and I handle all the peripheral activities – social media, graphic design, public relations. Whilst we both have different strengths and weaknesses, what unites us is our shared passion for customer service excellence and beautiful food. We think we make a pretty great team.

Best thing(s) about working in Melbourne’s north-east: The strong sense of community was immediately evident when we opened up in Rosanna. Many customers have become friends, popping in daily for a coffee and a chat. Young families, the elderly, Gen Ys, we get them all and we love the diversity. The daily commute to the café is a short one (when done off-peak!).

For more information:

Website: www.hunterlane.com.au

Facebook: Hunter Lane Rosanna

Instagram: hunterlanerosanna

Email: hello@hunterlane.com.au

Address: 76 Turnham Ave Rosanna 3084

Phone: 8529 8142

Tiptoe-ing through…

Tulips?  I love them and the photo of me on this blog was taken at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival a couple of years ago amidst all the glory.  The Festival opens this Thursday and be warned – it’s incredibly popular with locals and tourists alike.  I’d go during the week on a cooler day as it gets pretty warm towards the end of Spring.

If the weather stays nice this coming weekend – the St Andrews Festival is on this Sunday if you missed the recent Wattle Festival as well as YouthFest 2017 in Macleod.  If you’re after something more artistic, my friend and fellow Bundoora Homestead Board member Valentina Maxwell-Tansley is holding her Axiom of Devour exhibition opening – an exploration of our relationship with consumerism – this coming Friday night at the Brunswick Gallery as part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Image via Brandy Kew Facebook page

I had a pretty quiet weekend but did catch up with a couple of people on Friday including a lunch time pit stop at Brandy Cafe in Kew.  If you drive down Edgevale Road from Cotham Street, it’s in a very picturesque spot with lots of very pretty houses as you head to the intersection where it’s located.  I had the Shaksouka lunch special which was fresh and yummy.  Speaking of cafes, I’ll be back with a local profile later this week.

T.G.I.F.

I’m so glad it’s Friday today and can’t quite believe how frantically busy this past week has been.  While I’ve managed to make it to both a training session at Cinch PT and my yoga class, work’s been a bit out of control with not one but now two lectures on the go and starting to plan and program for 2018.  It’s been a very busy start to Spring, but at least it’s taken my mind off the weather!  Hello Melbourne – what is with this weather?  Never mind…

18-20 Alexandra Street image via www.realestate.com.au

These two houses which have just come on to the market have both caught my eye – the former (train) Station Master’s house at 18 – 20 Alexander Street in Greensborough which has some beautiful period details as well as the light filled, modernist house at 7 Helene Street in Bulleen, where I grew up – I love those clerestory windows.

7 Helene Street image via www.realestate.com.au

It’s also nice to have a number of arty things happening as of this week.  The Darebin Music Feast has started and the 20th Anniversary Art4All event at Fairfield Primary also starts tonight and runs this weekend while if the weather holds, the Heide Makers Market re-starts tomorrow and the Diamond Creek Town Fair is also on.

Image via www.montsalvat.com.au

Sunday looks like the pick of the week and I hope my friend Arts Manager Jeannette Davison is happy with the turn out at the Montsalvat Arts Festival.

 

Gather Everybody

Welcome to Spring!  The day has finally arrived and while it will still be cold, I’m loving seeing all the blossom on the trees while at work, the baby kangaroo joeys greeted me at the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary this week.  I also had an interesting journey home the other night at the Lower Plenty and Rosanna Roads intersection watching as a mother duck and her ducklings were trying to cross the road at peak hour.

Image via www.latrobe.edu.au

There is a need for calm in the world at the moment and I do wonder what things would be like if there were more female heads of state.  Do we need such aggression and chest beating to prove how strong we are or is there more strength in being prepared to back down, keep the peace and talk to each other rather than displays of military might…there are no simple answers sometimes.

On a brighter note, I went out earlier this week with my work colleagues for a communal meal at the Moroccan Soup Bar on St Georges Road in North Fitzroy – a place I hadn’t been to in years.  There was a queue spilling out into the street when I arrived as they were turning over the tables for the 7.15pm session.  Had I been more prepared like my friends, I would have brought some tupperware containers with me as there’s so much food!  We opted for the $30 banquet over the $25 which gives you a bit of everything and includes mint tea and sweet treats at the end, if you can fit them in.  One of my friends was regretful about going too hard at the start with the dips and bread.

It was lovely to see the Bargoonga Nganjin purpose-built community space all lit up when I left the restaurant.  It opened in April this year and I commend Yarra City Council for being able to get this project up and running – it includes a library, maternal child health service, playgroup spaces, Council customer service area, community meeting rooms, exhibition space and a rooftop garden.  Having worked closely with staff and councillors at Banyule and Darebin Councils now, I appreciate the difficult job they have in meeting the needs of residents and determining their role and the recent furore over Australia Day has left our household in disagreement.  As I said, there are no easy answers sometimes.  I am looking forward to the proposed Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub where community consultation is still taking place if you’re interested in attending an information session.  I’ve got friends involved with the Resolve Rosanna Road/North East Link project and I know that there have been some pretty fiery meetings regarding this controversial project as well.

Image via Macauley Community Services for Women

Speaking of local events, the Fairfield Spring Art Fair by iArt Studios is on tomorrow at the Backspace venue at 14 Montefiore Street Fairfield from 11am – 4 pm.  OLMC in Heidelberg is hosting a high tea on Sunday 10 September while Banyule Primary School is holding its Green Day at Heidelberg Golf Club on Friday 29 September – a golf day, lawn bowls, high tea and cocktail party (they’re covering all bases!).  I noticed too when ducking into Leo’s Food and Wine the other week, that Hahndorf ‘s Fine Chocolates has opened on Burgundy Street in Heidelberg and I hope they do well.  Have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend.

Image via Eventbrite