Summer lovin’

Well we all got there in the end. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring all that you wish for and more. It’s not even 2019 yet but the year has already rung in changes for me and for other people including my sponsor Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna. After two years, Dani and Dennis Ahimastos have decided to hang up the apron (!) and have sold their business to new owners who will be taking over from 8 January. I was in there for my own farewell lunch last week not realising it was also farewell for them. The business will continue as Hunter Lane Cafe and staff will also be staying on so I hope those of you who are local will continue to support them.

I also managed to drop into my other sponsor’s house party the other week – Nikki Ellis from Cinch Training – who has also had change with her business moving to a new location this year. It was lovely to celebrate with Nikki in her beautiful home full of beautiful things (she’s a woman after my own heart as a fellow antiques lover with a great eye) along with a number of her other closest clients who are also friends. I feel very lucky to know her and be included in that select group of people.

I’ve had a massive week of ending including my own Hawaii-an themed Divisional Christmas party at the Thornbury Bowls Club which was heaps of fun! I was surprisingly better at bowls than I thought – hitting the jack on my second try but regardless, it was just a great way to say goodbye to Marketing and Recruitment at La Trobe. While I have previously been invited to lawn balls (and to trugo – another Victorian-era lawn game) – it was the first time I’d ever played. I particularly loved the group of old timers at the front bar I said g’day to who looked like characters out of the movie Crackerjack!

I have realised this Christmas that there is much to be grateful for and I’m looking forward to an even bigger, better and brighter New Year in 2019. I would say bolder as well even though I am departing from the Bold Thinking Series and I did want to leave you with some summer listening. My very last task was to create a video of highlight speakers to be used for the Facebook advertising campaign that kicks off on Boxing Day – I hope you enjoy it and any of the podcasts that are now available from this year and last – my legacy on the series. With love from Miss Rosanna x.

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Jimmy Diamond

I’m really hoping it’s Friday – I think shorter weeks can sometimes be more intense than normal ones.  Given I had to work Cup Day, my highlight was winning ‘Fashions on the Field’ (make that campus) in our Marketing and Recruitment Division (below) although the odds were in my favour with reduced staff numbers working and not that many choosing to dress up!  You can take the girl out of fashion….

I did have a number of friends attend Derby Day and Oaks Day and have liked the boater style hats as well as floral and other headbands, oversized head bows (like mine) and other departures from the ubiquitous fascinator in terms of headwear this year.  I was briefly in at David Jones today and am a fan of Australian brand Aje. if you’re looking for a special outfit for Christmas.

It’s takeaway night and if you’re local you might want to try Diamond Chinese Restaurant at 122 Burgundy Street in Heidelberg.  It had been recommended to me before but it’s taken 10 years for Mr Rosanna and I to venture in and I’m glad we did.  I met Jimmy last Friday night who’s been there 44 years and plays table tennis against my Uncle George!  If you’re a fan of old school Cantonese food, I think it’s also a good place to go for a quiet Friday night meal and it was starting to fill up when I left.  My Media & Communications team and I also had lunch at Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna (below) during the week which was a lot of fun – it’s good to get off campus sometimes given we spend most of our working week there.

I did want to mention a few local happenings.  The Banyule Art Salon opened earlier this month and Hatch Contemporary Arts Space in Ivanhoe is one of my favourite places to visit.  If you’re into local arts and culture – check out Banyule Arts and Culture‘s Facebook page. If markets are more your thing, the Heide Makers Market is on in Bulleen tomorrow as well as the Melbourne Ceramics Market in Collingwood.

On Sunday, which is also Remembrance Day, the Heidelberg Primary School fete is on.  It was nice to see poppies being sold at Westfield Doncaster today – I can’t help but feel how lucky people are in this part of the world to be buying shiny, pretty new things at these big shopping complexes when things were very different earlier this century.  I’m hanging out to see a grown up’s movie (can’t call them ‘adult’ movies!) and it’s a toss-up between A star is born or Bohemian Rhapsody – I am a fan of Queen and Freddy Mercury and his performance in his all white outfit at the Live Aid concert is still seared in my memory.

Disclosure: Miss Rosanna is sponsored by Hunter Lane Cafe

 

Living la vida local

Me with a sneaky pic of the gorgeous Greek fruit seller at Halki

Greece is a hard act to follow and Melbourne in the winter time is far from inspiring.  It’s lucky I’ve been busy at work promoting my next Bold Thinking Series lecture – Smashed avo: is there a war on youth? continuing the conversation that demographer Bernard Salt started in terms of the intergenerational wars between millenials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers and whether jobs and housing are harder opportunities for younger people to come by.  On the panel from La Trobe are cultural sociologist Dr Sara James (who reminds me of actress Katie Holmes!) and alumnus David de Garis who is a regular media commentator on all things economic for the NAB.  We’ve matched them up with GetUp’s Chief of Staff Natalie O’Brien and Fairfax finance columnist and entrepreneur Melissa Browne who has recently written the rather naughty sounding book called Unf*ck your finances.  We also tried to get Mr Barefoot Investor Scott Pape himself for this panel as he is a La Trobe alumnus but he was already engaged as many of the high-profile people I deal with in my job often are.  It is Open Day at La Trobe this Sunday and if you are considering studying in any kind of capacity, it’s well worth a visit to find out more in terms of short courses, languages, undergraduate and post-graduate courses as well as some of the other University assets like the library, Wildlife Sanctuary or Sports centre.  We’re lucky to have such a big campus so close to us in the north-east and there are exciting plans afoot for the University in the near future in terms of its development as a hub.

I’ve been driving through the suburbs since coming back from overseas and there’s been a lot of interesting new businesses I’ve noticed like Pilates Republic Ivanhoe at the back of the Centre Ivanhoe near The Foreigner cafe and Vinyasa Studio Yoga in Burgundy Street, Heidelberg.  I’ve returned to Iyengar classes with Pamela Speldewinde at Action Yoga underneath Hatch Contemporary Arts Space in Ivanhoe.  I also noticed the cute sounding name of new organic cafe Mr Macleod while having my boots re-heeled at Chris the Cobbler who’s now also found at the Macleod Village group of shops in Aberdeen Road.  They needed a crane to lift in Chris’ very heavy shoe repair machinery equipment and Chris himself has been a busy man renovating houses as well as opening his fancy new digs.  My sponsor and trainer Nikki Ellis from Cinch Training in Macleod has also been a busy person – she’s launched a new holistic health and fitness program called Find your fierce which I’ll be finding out more about given my fierce seems to have gone missing in action plus the studio is moving somewhere close by in October so I’ll be following her there.

My former client Helen Webster is holding her once a year Raffal Wraps scarf sale tomorrow afternoon if you’re in Ivanhoe and I think it would be worth a visit to pick up a bargain before the end of winter.  I also wanted to mention the Rosanna Station Community Fun Day on Saturday 11 August from 10 am to 2 pm taking place right in front of my other sponsor Hunter Lane Cafe and you will see me there in the middle of the day if you’re coming along to celebrate the opening of the new Rosanna station and level crossing which seems to have taken forever to finally finish.  I’m reserving judgement about it until the big reveal happens but took a photo today (above) as I do love the new Rosanna station sign.  There are a number of other launches taking place locally next week which I will post about in the coming days.  Four weeks to go until Spring!

A little bit fancy

Mr Rosanna has spoilt me for our anniversary presenting me with some David Parker earrings from contemporary Australian jewellery store eg.etal – part of a special consignment especially created for the Cartier exhibition currently showing at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.  David Parker’s range includes two sets of earrings and one necklace as part of the eg.etal limited edition commission – I have a number of special pieces from eg.etal’s artists including friend Amy Renshaw, Cass Partington and Yoko Fujita.  Local jeweller Jeanette Dyke is also stocked there and Jeanette has very kindly done some repair work for me in the past.  I’d love to do one of her ring making courses at some future stage.

Image via eg.etal

The weather has got cold and if you are after a special rug, the Hali Rugs mid-year clearance starts today with 30 – 50% off all rugs in store.  World Wide Knit in Public day is coming up next weekend and if you are a knitter, Wool and the Gang have some fantastic contemporary patterns including some great designs from I Love Mr Mittens.  Locally, Woolybutt wool shop has been in Greville Road, Rosanna for over 10 years and is a favourite with my mother-in-law.

I wanted to mention some local happenings coming up – on the more fancy side Champagne Supernova local women’s event to connect and inspire is taking place on 19 July at Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna while this Sunday, Valiant Barbers is turning 1 with free burgers and beers from 12 – 3pm at their Street Party (probably a bit less fancy!) but kindly raising funds in support of White Ribbon.

Nb. Miss Rosanna is sponsored by Hunter Lane Cafe

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.

This is home

It’s the name of the book by Natalie Walton, which has recently been published, considering the art of simple living and what makes some houses feel more like homes than others.  I’m really looking forward to reading it and it makes a beautiful coffee table book or gift for someone with an interest in houses and design.   I have friends like me, who love watching Grand Designs with Kevin McCloud and it remains one of my enduring favourites – that and watching a lot of Nordic Noir!  Mr Rosanna and I have just finished bingeing on the last season of The Bridge.   The other book I want to read is Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie which was long listed for the Man Booker prize and is a modern-day version of the Greek story of Antigone.

I was out last night for dinner with some ex-work colleagues at Ocha Japanese Restaurant in Church Street Hawthorn – a place I hadn’t visited since it opened many years ago originally in Kew.  The food was good and not surprisingly, it was an older, more sophisticated and monied crowd dining inside.  Dishes are for sharing and with drinks, it was on the pricier side at over $80 a head – it’s not somewhere I would go to regularly but worth a visit.

Rosanna Level Crossing

It’s been a warm Autumn and Mr Rosanna and I are still working on our house wondering whether to paint it or not before Winter is upon us.  We’ve been trialling different paint colours and still haven’t landed on the right shade.  We live in an open plan house with floor boards and I’ve discovered that as much as open plan is fantastic for living areas, I do prefer zoned bedrooms and other spaces.  We’ve already put on a door to the kitchen for noise reasons and now considering a Crittall-style steel and glass panelled internal door for our formal living room.  I love the look of these steel windows and doors prevalent in the 1930s and still produced by Crittall in the UK but suspect the price will blow us out of the water.

Rosanna Level Crossing

Speaking of artisan, the Eaglemont Artisans market is on tomorrow if you are a lover of all things creative.  I had a brief drink at Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna today having a chat with the owner Dennis, where I got a bird’s-eye view of the final stages of the Level Crossing, which still feels like a massive construction zone.  They’re now talking about it being ready by Monday 7 May instead of this coming Monday but I am dubious about it being complete, and safe, by then.  I am hoping it looks a lot nicer than the current behemoth that it appears to be now when looking at it from ground level.

Nb. Miss Rosanna is sponsored by Hunter Lane Cafe

Glitz and glam

I had coffee this morning at Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna (there’s car parking behind the library) and it’s fantastic to see owners Dani and Dennis both receive the Mayoral Choice Award in the recent BestBiz Awards.  I do feel like the whole Village is undergoing a resurgence with new shops, cafes and restaurants slowly starting to open in, and around the Lower Plenty Road strip and perhaps Rosanna’s time has come.

Wonderlust collection image via Wedgwood Australia

Speaking of getting all decked out for Christmas – I have been eyeing off Wedgwood’s Wonderlust collection inspired by the wonders of travelling from Europe through Asia.  I’ve also long admired the Hermes Balcon du Guadalquivir chinaware inspired by Andalusian iron work – a touch of the exotic for the every day if you can afford it.

Alice McCall ‘I feel it coming dress’ image via David Jones

You may also be preparing to slip into something more stylish for Christmas and I do love some of the more glamorous dresses from Australian designers Alice McCall and Rebecca Vallance.  Studio Elke also does some pretty amazing handmade statement jewellery if you’re after something special.  Our friend local jeweller Amy Renshaw also does glitter earrings if you’re a fan of these.

Magnetic earrings by Studio Elke

The countdown is on until Christmas and the Kris Kringle Night Market at the Northcote Town Hall started a while ago while the Coburg Night Market is being held tonight.  The Sisters Market in Brunswick is also on today and tomorrow if you’re in the area.

Nb. Miss Rosanna is sponsored by Hunter Lane Cafe

 

From El Salvador to Japan

Having not one but two birthdays in my family just before Christmas every year always kills me and this year was no exception.  I spent most of this weekend eating but the good thing was that it took our minds and attention off the miserable and wet weather conditions.

Poor Mr Rosanna’s birthday is always overshadowed now but we managed to salvage the day by taking him out for brunch at new Rosanna cafe The Pioneer, which is firmly on the map after a visit from our Premier Daniel Andrews MP last week.  The front tables were taken but we were given some seats in the back room (above) with the square communal table that seats 12, housing the Christmas tree, which small people came to look at while we were there.

The owner has a social enterprise background but this is his own first cafe and what I love even more is that he is a local and an El Salvadoran Australian so the menu is Spanish-influenced.  Despite the drizzle, the place was still rockin’ on Saturday morning with very much an inner-city vibe – I still find it hard to believe sleepy Rosanna is finally starting to wake up.  The coffee and the meals (above) were fantastic – as good as you’ll find in Fitzroy or Collingwood.  On a sunnier day, it would also be lovely to spend time in the back courtyard tables so it’s great to see this former newsagency transformed into something of the times.  Interesting too to know that besides a Woolworths supermarket, Chemist Warehouse is also coming to Rosanna Village in the near future on the corner of Lower Plenty Road and Bellevue Avenue where Meridian Travel used to be and going all the way up to where Chris the Cobbler (who’ll be moving to Macleod) has been for over 30 years!  They made him an offer too good to refuse…

Mr R’s day didn’t stop there as I’d booked dinner for us a while ago at Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, which was also a great experience given the conditions outside.  Brunswick Street is always pretty busy on a Saturday night but it was jumping (and dark!) inside the restaurant where we had a booth table after Dani from Hunter Lane Cafe had recommended me booking.  There was some pretty awesome 70s dance music on high rotation while we were there so I found it hard to sit still – it’s got a great atmosphere and reminded me a bit of Garden State Hotel in the city with all the different layers and parts to it upstairs and downstairs.  There was a private function going on upstairs but the Village People rooftop bar with hawker style dining would also make a great date night venue.  The mixed sushi and sashimi platter that we had (above) was beautifully presented and there was a team of Japanese chefs behind the counter doing their thing.  I’ve not been to the sister restaurant in St Kilda but I think it would be just as good.  It was interesting too to note that we weren’t the oldest people in the joint – I think there are a number of older people now downsizing and moving to the inner city.

We’d walked past a number of cool looking bars and restaurants on the way to Ichi Ni Nana including The Rooks Return, Smith & Daughters and Bon Ap but ended up at Uptown Jazz Cafe where we had a drink and stayed for a couple of songs by a jazz trio playing two sets that night.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday night in Melbourne.

We also had dinner at local favourite Benjamin’s Kitchen in Alphington on Friday night followed by ice cream at Fairy Hills Ice Cream in Ivanhoe (in a great location on Lower Heidelberg Road opposite Ivanhoe Grammar) where we played a game of Uno.  We were at Leo’s Fine Food briefly over the weekend (where again I am loving all the Christmas packaging for imported European foodstuffs like Italian Panettone above) and I noticed that ice creamery Wally & Fletcher on Burgundy Street is just about to open so Fairy Hills will have a new local competitor.  I am hoping the weather picks up again for all of them as I think it would be great to share the ice cream love.

Nb. Miss Rosanna is sponsored by Hunter Lane Cafe

Health is wealth

If you’re a train commuter at Rosanna, then I’m feeling for you this week and until March next year.  I was running past the whole level crossing development on Lower Plenty Road at Rosanna parklands over the weekend and it is a major construction site.  I’ve also been very sad to see all the gum trees removed from Turnham Avenue and at the top end of the park.  I just hope the new level crossing is worth it once it’s built.

Hunter Lane image via Trip Advisor

I am also feeling for neighbouring businesses and with this in mind, have happily accepted a sponsorship deal with Hunter Lane Cafe.  Like me, I hope you will continue to support them by visiting (even if it’s by foot or bike instead of car) during this temporary period.  A big thank you too from me to Dani and Dennis at the cafe – it was lovely of them to ask me.  While their logo will feature on this blog and I’ll be doing regular shout outs for them, I will still be visiting and posting about other cafes in the area but flying the flag for Hunter Lane whenever I can, which will be acknowledged.

Image via Ivanhoe Harriers

It is Spring and the start of term 4 so my crazy weeks juggling work and ferrying children to their various activities will start all over again.  I did want to mention that the Jagajaga Community Sports Awards are being held this Thursday night at Eltham High School from 6 pm onwards.  I did nominate a couple of people this year including representatives from the Ivanhoe Harriers Running Club and Yarra Tennis Coaching in Eaglemont and they have been successful so will be receiving their Awards that evening, which is very exciting!  The special guest speaker will be Laura Duryea, Melbourne AFLW Football Club Defender so it’s nice to see a female featured instead of a bloke.

Oscarisms book image via Busybird Publishing

Good health is indeed, wealth and it’s the name of a book and In Conversation event with author Kitty Cheng hosted by Busybird Publishing and also being held this Thursday from 7 – 9 pm at Busybird HQ – 2 / 118 Para Road in Montmorency (look out for Oscar the office dog if he’s there!).  Without health, you have nothing so it’s always good to find out more about how we can better look after ourselves and enable us to achieve more.  Have a great week!

On stage

It’s been a while!  I’ve been in Noosa the past 10 days spending some time in the sun and the heat.  And while I’ve been there a number of times, this was the first time since having children.  I will post about my trip later this week.

Image via Melbourne Festival

I posted about the Banyule Performing Arts Festival at Hatch in Ivanhoe before I went away and I hope it was a big success – while the Heidelberg Theatre Company has long had a presence in Rosanna, there is a need to share the love with other performing artists in the area.  Speaking of performing arts, the Melbourne Festival has opened and if you get a chance to see a show, it really is a great experience – one that defines Melbourne as the arts capital of Australia.  My picks would be Chinese contemporary dance performance Under Siege, the House of Mirrors installation and Terence Malick’s Voyage of Time narrated by Cate Blanchett and set to music by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Image via Banyule City Council

But back to all things local, the Banyule Award for Works on Paper exhibition launch is this Wednesday and always a fantastic show to see if you manage to fit inside Hatch Contemporary Arts Space in Ivanhoe.  The Victorian Seniors Festival is also on at the moment and there is a morning tea being held at the Ivanhoe Centre this Wednesday (or Thursday).  I also love that there is an associated Evergreen horticulture therapy program being held on 12 October – as I’ve got older, I’ve started to appreciate the seasons, the outdoors and spending time in nature – gardening is a very life affirming and calming past-time.

Image via Hunter Lane Cafe

Finally, Hunter Lane Cafe in Rosanna is holding ‘A barber and a BBQ’ fundraising event for brain cancer research, in partnership with Valiant Barbers from Heidelberg Heights this Sunday 8 October from 2.30pm if you find yourself in the area – it sounds like Mr Rosanna’s idea of heaven!  Have a good week and enjoy the school holidays if you are lucky enough to be at home not work.