In a blink of the eye, we are suddenly in a changed world with the Queen passing away this week. Whether you are a Monarchist or not, Elizabeth II has been a stabilising, calm and enduring presence in all our lives and I have nothing but respect for someone who served her people so nobly for such a long time – she was greatly loved and will be greatly missed. I went to see the Demons play (sadly losing to Brisbane) on Friday night at the MCG and the opening ceremony captured the changing times (and perhaps changing tide) in Melbourne – there was a Welcome to Country, followed by a minute’s silence and tribute to the Queen ending with the Australian anthem sung by Deltra Goodrem. Once time has passed to mourn, I am sure the question of a Republic will arise again for Australia.
I meant to post in time for Father’s Day last Sunday but time got the better of me – some of my gift ideas were along the lines of food, wine, art and music. I’ve discovered Daniela Casa Cucina – Italian cooking classes held at Daniela’s house in East Ivanhoe, both Daniela and nearby Vinoshi’s Beverage Shop (which has a lovely feel if you get to visit) offer gift vouchers and local gin distillery Wander North with Imbue has an outlet here in Ivanhoe with their gin sampler gift set (or gift cards) a good choice for Dads who like a tipple. I’ve always thought that a Heide Museum membership is a great choice for the artistic Dad and if I had the money, I would have bought tickets to see Australian jazz great Vince Jones perform at the Jazz Lab next weekend.
I have some birthdays coming up in my household so was interested to find out about Mali Bakes in Thornbury as well as Celebration Cakes by Samantha at Pelligra Cakes in Greensborough (check out that unicorn cake!). If you love all things Melbourne, you might want to check out Garden State Journal on TikTok, read about a Melbourne magic coffee (which has been around for a while but seems to be a recent discovery for some) or watch The Lost City of Melbourne currently showing at both the Thornbury Picture House and Westgarth Cinema in Northcote as part of the Melbourne Film Festival.
The Melbourne Writers Festival finishes today and Melbourne Fashion Week opens on 10 October so there is a lot happening with football finals this month and the start of the Melbourne Cup Carnival Race Days next month all happening before Christmas.
Change is in the air for me at work and I am preparing myself for some continuously busy few months right up until early December with major events also taking place before the year is out – I hope to share more when I can. It is the end of the second Elizabethan era and it will be fascinating to see what the Carolean era will bring.
Miss Rosanna 