Wrangle Dangle

A bit of sunshine makes all the different on the back of a long, cold winter which it has been. While I know it’s been expensive and crowded, I’ve still been envious of friends who’ve managed to venture to Europe and other places to enjoy some warmth over these past few months. My weekends have been busy and week days even busier so that’s been one upside to this cold season – I haven’t really had time to dwell on it.

ANZSOG’s new Dean and CEO was announced last week and the current Victorian Public Sector Commissioner Adam Fennessy starts in October so it will be the end of an era with Professor Ken Smith AO, who my team reports to, stepping down. Higher education as a sector continues to go through seismic shifts and structural change at this time like many industries and I do wonder where it will all end up. I have experienced a lot of change this year and while I’m riding the wave, I am looking forward to some time to refresh, recharge and reflect at the end of the year. There are still a number of very busy months ahead and possibly some travel in store for me so no rest for the wicked.

I’ve felt very grateful to have been able to spend time with friends and family these past two weekends including a birthday celebration with my bestie Jules at Lollo at W Hotel last Saturday night. It’s an Adam D’Sylva restaurant with an Italian/Indian-inspired menu for which we shared a number of different platters amongst four of us. It made for a very glamorous dining destination and has an intimate feel with its mood lighting and clever dimmer lamps on every table.

Kingfish starter – Lollo restaurant

Last Sunday night was a bit more grungy – Mr Rosanna and I went and saw our musician friend (and producer) Marcel Borrack and his band perform a set from his latest, and very funky, instrumental album Telecaster Diaries at The Merri Creek Tavern in Northcote down the Westgarth Theatre end of High Street. Very cool and a lot of fun at an extremely civilised early evening hour, which meant we had time afterwards to grab some pizza at Primo across the road.

While I’ve not yet visited the Melbourne Music Vault at the Arts Centre, I noticed there is a Melbourne Music Bus Tour you can do from October to December with Melbourne music identity Bruce Milne and music journalist Mary Mihelakos as part of Always Live. There are some big acts touring Australia later this year including American singer Leon Bridges (who we saw perform pre-COVID at The Corner Hotel) and Australian band Rufus Du Sol who I think would be massive at clubs and music festivals.

Besides Marcel Borrack, I’ve been enjoying listening to local band The Meltdown‘s new album, and new single with Emma Donovan ‘It’s a long road’, which indeed it has been these past few months and years.

Finally, with the new season almost upon us, I’m also loving Nancybird’s latest clothing range ‘River’ (first and second images above) inspired by nature and the landscape around us. When things get tough, there is always that and I feel very blessed to be living in our small green patch of the world. Have a great week and hello Spring!

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Mum’s the word

How are you faring self isolation-wise? The whiff of freedom is tantalisingly close this Mother’s Day weekend if you can continue to hang in there and I am looking forward to what our State Premier has to say on Monday in terms of loosening restrictions in Victoria. It has been a long haul for many of us but I think there’s been a lot of silver linings as well reducing the busy-ness of daily life and commuting, more time spent with family and friends virtually or in real life and perhaps some real innovation that remains post-pandemic.

Ridge jacket by Nancybird

I’ve mused aloud in the past about staggered start and finish times work-wise to reduce public transport and vehicle traffic on our roads and the need for large-scale structural change. It’s taken COVID-19 for this to be realised in a matter of weeks and months as businesses and organisations now look at how staff return to offices and workplaces (a likely staged approach), children returning to school, ongoing flexibility to work from home, greater pedestrian and cycling paths in the city and other innovation that may actually benefit us and the environment in times to come.

Online workshops image by Nicola Cerini

It’s also been great to see the prominence given to experts – doctors, scientists, academics and traditional news media outlets (albeit in different online mediums) instead of celebrities as we look to evidence-based research and science for facts. Interesting too to see which jobs have been considered essential and I hope that people will treat supermarket staff, teaching, nursing and other staff with newfound respect. Scientists may yet become the new sexy! I hope a vaccine or drugs to counteract the pandemic is developed in the next 18 months.

Artist print by Earth Greetings

I’ve been doing a lot more cooking and baking at home – I ran out of eggs last night and was pleasantly surprised to find that Four Leaves cafe (below) in Rosanna had pivoted to groceries on top of still doing pizza and takeaway food. It was previously a grocery store cum cafe so has completed the circle in its current iteration.

There are a number of local retailers selling lovely things for mums – online gift vouchers from Pretty Intense in Rosanna, click and collect gifts from Heide in Bulleen, bouquets from French Blue Flowers in Heidelberg (if you’d ordered early enough) and sold out high tea packages from Second Home Eltham. I’ve also seen pretty pastel things via some of the Australian retailers I receive e-newsletters from including Nancybird, Nicola Cerini and Earth Greetings.

Sabina Musayev Diamond top and skirt image by Husk

 

At the moment I am wearing loungewear brought to you by the House of Uniqlo and Ugg on my beer budget (I have requested a Chinese money plant from Mr Rosanna for Mother’s Day) but dreaming of glittering times in the future. For the glam mum with champagne tastes, Husk Clothing continues to stock some beautiful clothes for evening adventures in another time and place.

 

 

 

 

Eat, pray, love.

Welcome to winter!  It’s been cold and I feel like a hibernating bear at the moment just wanting to take refuge indoors and sleep.  I’m jealous of some of my work friends who have European vacations booked over the coming months…if only we could all go away somewhere warm and lie on a beach.

Cooler bag image via Kollab

It’s sale time and there are $5 bags to be had from Kollab if you enter passcode KOLLAB17 at www.kollab.com.au/warehousesale.  Nancybird currently have an online warehouse sale with up to 80% off while Sage and Clare are holding their warehouse sale on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 June.  There are some beautiful items from all these Australian retailers if you’re on the look out for some cold weather inspiration.

Image via Sage and Clare

 

The Ramadan Iftar Dinner 2017 is being held tonight at the Bell Street Mall in West Heidelberg with children’s activities and a light show from 5pm and a buffet halal meal at sundown.  All I do is feel like eating at the moment so I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to fast for a month.  Stay warm – I’ll be back next week.