Fri-yay!

A holiday can’t come soon enough for our family. We’ve had a big start to the year and will continue to be busy through the winter but at least it will take my mind off the weather. Busy-ness is the curse of modern life and I don’t say it with pride but resignation. At the moment I’ve accepted where we’re at but I’m hoping to cut back on the amount of things we’re doing as it’s not sustainable in the long run nor does it make for a terribly balanced life.

All the half yearly sales have started early so I’ve visited both Northland and Westfield Doncaster the past two weekends stocking up on luggage, activewear and children’s shoes and clothes. I don’t love shopping centres in general but they do serve a purpose and sale time is the right time to buy. If you’re a fan of Uniqlo, then you’ll be happy to know it opens early next month at Northland.

For slow fashion fans, the Flat Iron warehouse sale is on at 54 Gwynne Street in Cremorne from 11am – 4 pm tomorrow while The Conscious Closet sale is on from 11am – 3pm at Fitted for Work, Basement Entry, 210 Lonsdale Street in the city. I was lucky enough to work with ethicist Peter Singer’s wife Renata a couple of years ago (on the Bold Thinking Series lecture Forever Young) who had a very impressive background as one of the original co-founders of Fitted for Work splitting her time between Melbourne and New York.

I also wanted to do a shout out for The Pioneer Cafe in Rosanna which is holding its monthly 3 course dinner (menu above) on Saturday 22 June if you’re interested in the Spanish-themed event. I had a little moment last week when I had not one but two Columbians on my front porch – my son’s music teacher Pablo had lined up replacement teacher Carlos for a meet and greet – it’s certainly got a lot more international in Melbourne.

I’ve also been spending time in Thornbury the past couple of months and love that Zak’s Surfboards have a shop (pictured above) in the area given my love of all things slightly incongruous. It’s not far from Greek social club the Olympian Society whose logo also caught my eye this week and made me nostalgic after our inspiring trip to the Greek Islands this time last year.

 

 

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Forever Young

It’s the name of my next lecture that asks how can we age without getting older?  It’s an interesting premise but given the fact that many of us will live to an advanced age, there are many repercussions to think about.  Joining La Trobe ageing specialists Professor Irene Blackberry and Dr Rachel Winterton will be ‘Older & Bolder’ author, writer and community activist Renata Singer – wife of ethicist Peter Singer and an interesting person in her own right.  She is one of the co-founders of social enterprise Fitted for Work (although no longer involved) and spends half her year in Melbourne and the other half in New York.

Image via Bold Thinking Series

Speaking of interesting enterprises, I watched the news about the Melbourne Coffee Co. last night with their idea of potentially turning our old W-class trams into cafes for export.  It’s such a clever, original and sustainable idea for these iconic trams that were originally built in the 1920s and now no longer in service and I hope it becomes a reality.

Image via MUP

I spent my Mother’s Day at Hunter Lane Cafe yesterday which was packed out with multiple breakfast, brunch and lunch sittings.  The owner Dennis was interviewed last week on ABC radio about the Rosanna Level Crossing so it’s been an action packed week for him.  I still feel quite ambivalent about the crossing and the need for it given the great cost and inconvenience but time will tell.

Image via Apiary Made

I’ve started hauling out my winter clothes and heavier quilts and blankets with the cold snap we’ve had.  I bought some Apiary Made beeswax liners not that long ago and have been using these instead of plastic wrap in the kitchen.  My clever cousin Beck from Fabric Drawer has done one of their designs and they’re great for wrapping cheese in particular.  I also now carry a glass straw in my handbag and have camp cutlery in my drawer as I’m wanting to reduce my use of single use plastics and was pleased to see that Woolworths are phasing out plastic bags by mid-year.