My Monthly Chronicles, September 2024

September was such a whirlwind that I can't believe it is suddenly over.  Work keeps getting busier. I have had some fun outings with Sylvia to some of the icons of Melbourne: the Zoo, the Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade and the Royal Melbourne Show.  I also found myself at some of the city's hidden gems: a cat cafe in Box Hill, Paddock bakery in Geelong and the Albrecht Durer exhibition at the University of Melbourne (above).  And I never seem to have enough energy, especially after a wonderful Clare Bowditch gig or the fireworks at the Show.  There was less time for lunching in cafes but I had an outstanding meals at Just Loved in Blackburn and had quite a few opportunities for innovative food.  You can also see more on our food at home on my In My Kitchen post.

I am told by my teenage daughter that I read too much of the information signs in museums and that is why she enjoyed going to the Hellenic Museum in the city with her dad and grandfather this month.  I say never too much!  So I really enjoyed a couple of visits to the University of Melbourne's Albrecht Dürer's Material Renaissance exhibition (above photo), most recently between a chicken pox vaccination and lunch with a friend.  I love the Arts West building where it is located and have enjoyed immersing myself in the worldview of Medieval prints.  One of the most fascinating prints was the Witch Riding Backwards on a Goat (c1500).  Indeed, the past is a foreign country!

Assembly Ground, Essendon

Sylvia had wanted to go to Assembly Ground (104 Fletcher Street) for some time so she was delighted when we finally got there.  Sylvia had a great meal of zucchini, spinach and halloumi fritters with
tzatziki, pita, crispy kale, pomegranates and a poached egg.  I was envious because my Nourish bowl had a lot of spicy rice and chickpeas.  It was too spicy for me and I felt it needed some creamy sauce.  I was more keen on my Boost juice with beetroot, carrot, pineapple and orang.  Sylvia was also very keen on her Pink juice with watermelon, pineapple, mint.

RIP Dame Maggie Smith.  She sparkled with wit that was not without compassion.  Her death is mourned for all that will never happen but we are all the richer for her legacy of memorable characters she brought to life on the screen, notably Professor McGonagall, the Dowager Countess of Grantham and Miss Jean Brodie.

Paddock Bakery, North Geelong

On Father's Day I went to Geelong to visit my parents.  My dad was out at lunch so I stopped off at Paddock Bakery (Federal Mills: Tenancy W4, 33 Mackey St,got some Mexican corn with avo and salsa fresca on a seeded bagel that I shared with my mum.  It was lovely.  I bought some Jam doughnuts for my dad.  He can never resist one.  And I bought myself a Pesto and cheese scroll and a Brulee doughnut for Sylvia.

Father's Day Afternoon tea

We had a lovely afternoon tea for my dad.  My mum baked lamingtons, profiteroles and scones.  It was delicious.  My dad also got some chocolate for Father's Day.  The Violet Crumble bar and Polly Waffle bites remind me of Christmas time when my older sister and I took it in turns each year to buy dad Violet Crumbles and Polly Waffles.  He is not as busy with work as he used to be.  It means he has more time to help out the kids and grandkids.  Last week he was in our backyard putting up a new shelf for Sylvia's ever growing pot plant collection and fixed the flywire screen on her window so she can open her window without bugs flying in.

The Tea Rooms 1892, CBD

We had a lovely time at The Tea Rooms 1892 in the Block Arcade (282 Collins Street) having our deconstructed high tea of scones, sandwiches, and cake.  I've written about our visit in my post about Tea Rooms 1892, Block Arcade, Spellbox, Melbourne. 

Memories: The legendary Punters Club reopens after 22 years.  20 August 2024 in The Age.  I went to this iconic pub in Fitzroy to see great local indie bands as a twentysomething, and visited when it became Bimbos and then Kewpie.  I hope to get back to the "Pun'ers" once of these days.

Croix croissant, Flemington

Croix croissant (185 Mt Alexander Rd) came to my attention when it was mentioned to me by someone I met in Yogyakarta in Indonesia last year.  She was a friend of the owners.  I heard that it had vegan croissants but was still amazed at the good quality of the baking.  It is a bijou small cafe with lots to offer.  For those who want classic flavours, there are cheese croissants, almond croissants and pain au chocolat.  For people like us there are many fascinating new bakes to try.  I was tempted by the  tempted to get Oreo milk tea croll or Nut black sesame croll.  Sylvia was disappointed that there were no Biscoff croissants available.

Croix croissant, Flemington 2

Sylvia had the Korean garlic cheese croissant which had quite sweet garlic cream cheese in a cute cross on a croissant.  She also had a Tiramisu Croll (or croissant wheel) that had a lot of cream inside it.  I had a Vegan bacon and cheese croissant.  It was nice but the cheese wasn't heated enough to make it melty.  Vegan cheese is better when melted so I enjoyed the leftovers I took home to grill more than the warmed portion I had in the cafe.  

As I was aware that the owners of Croix Croissant were from Yogyakarta last year so it was no surprise to find an Indonesian influence in this bakery.  I could not resist the novelty of the Indonesian inspired vegan "martabak".  It was a round pastry with a lot of vegan cheese filling topped with chocolate chips, peanuts, sesame seeds and condensed oat milk. As with my croissant it suffered from not being heated enough to melt the cheese.  Even so I really liked the sweet and savoury flavours.  I would have had more chocolate but can you ever have enough!

Lazy Cat Cafe, Box Hill

On Sylvia's bucket list is a desire to visit every cat cafe possible.  So when we discovered the Lazy Cat Cafe (g03/830 Whitehorse Rd) in Box Hill it was only a matter of time until we visited.  The cats were cute and friendly, especially when being fed the food that was available for purchase  In fact most cafe cafes give food to humans but this one was really all about feeding the cats.  Sylvia wanted to purchase another hour at the cafe but I was quite ready to leave after an hour.

Just Loved, Blackburn South

After the cat cafe, we drove to Just Loved (8 Hunter Drive). How cute is my Japanese curry with the Miffy shaped rice!  And the crispy potato croquette was really good.  Sylva loved her creamy curry udon noodles and we both loved our drinks.  I hope to write more about it soon, so stay tuned.

Podcasts - The strange life of Ingrid von Oelhafen Parts 1 and 2, ABC was a fascinating story of how the Nazi love for blond haired, blue eyed "Aryan" children went as far as arranging adoptions into German families.  As we now know, adoptions are never straightforward and it is fascinating and often sad following this life of this woman as she looks to find out who she is.

Melbourne Zoo, Parkville

It has been years since we have been to the Melbourne Zoo (Elliott Ave).  I took Sylvia along because her school had an excursion there just before the school holidays.  We had sushi for lunch and a Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  Highlights were the giraffes (as always), feeding time at the seals, cheeky penguins, the active red panda, the big yawn on the Tasmanian devil and the peace of the Japanese garden.

Finding joy.  Nick Cave asked his readers on The Red Hand Files to let him know "when or how do you find joy?"  He has compiled the answers on a page simply called Joy and they are indeed a joy to read.

 

Clare Bowditch at Howler, Brunswick

I went along with a couple of friends to Howler (7-11 Dawson Street) to have dinner and see a Clare Bowditch gig.  I had fried cauliflower in a leafy salad with crispy kale, a small plate of pumpkin arancini and shared some hot chips.  It was good but even better to catch up with Andrea and Jo.  The gig was far far better than I expected.  I like Clare Bowditch's music but it is so much more entertaining live.  She loves chatting to the audience ("my darlings), gets the audience singing along and encourages us to call out "where's marty" when her husband is about to play drums or keyboard on a song.  Mostly it is just Clare Bowditch with her guitar telling stories that along the way get accompanied by guitar and then morph into the song but it is so seamless that the music is just part of the all the fun.

Carlton Farmers Market, North Carlton

It has been a long time since I have been to the Carlton Farmers Market - so long that the location has changed from Carlton Gardens Primary School to the Carlton North Primary School on Lee Street. I was there recently to see my sister at her peanut butter stall but also enjoyed browsing the stalls.  I enjoyed a vegan nachos pie from Pie Thief for my lunch and took some delicious food home (see what I bought at In My Kitchen post.) 

On the telly: The Unforgotten crime show and I have started watching Series 5.  It is also so interesting to see the stories of people who have been affected by cold cases.  Even so I don't think it would reflect real life according to this article - Why forensic science is nothing like the popular TV investigation shows when it comes to solving crimes By Fiona Pepper and Claire Slattery for Big Ideas on ABC RN, 26 September 2024.

Melbourne Coffee Culture adverts

I have noticed a few billboard advertisements making capital of Melbourne's Coffee Culture lately.  The Support Your Local Oat Milk Dealer with Oatly adverts have been eye catching.  I laughed when I saw this Stay Fussy Melbourne advert The Alternative Dairy Co's almond milk in Moonee Ponds.  We all make fun of Melbourne's coffee culture but according to coffee drinkers, Melbourne is the best place for having your coffee made just right.  Having never drunk a cup of coffee, I can neither support nor deny this. But even I know that a good barista and a range of non-dairy milks is important to our coffee scene!  And I can always appreciate the coffee art!

Royal Melbourne Show, Flemington

It is quite a while since we have been to the Royal Melbourne Show at the Showgrounds in Flemington.  We had lots of fun with rides, craft, decorated cakes, llamas, horses, and came home with showbags.  The meals on offer were ok but nothing fancy.  We enjoyed trying some fun food in the Gourmet Pantry and Cellar.  I enjoyed my milo macaron and Sylvia was excited to try a skewer or fruit tanghulu.  I prefer my fruit without hardened sugar.  (See what we bought home at In My Kitchen post.)

In the News:

Come to your census: data, Dutton and ducking for cover by Jo Dyer in The Shot, 6 September 2024. 

Ban the socials! But keep the gambling ads and urinating contests that ‘traditional’ media serves kids, by Angela Priestley in The Women's Agenda, 12 September 2024

Kamala Harris effectively baited Donald Trump during the debate, drawing out his insecure white masculinity, The Conversation, by Karrin Vasby Anderson on September 13, 2024.

The Easey Street killings haunted Melbourne for five decades and an arrest in Italy is just the latest development, by Melissa Brown, ABC News, 22 September 2024.

The US cannot allow Israel to turn Lebanon into a second Gaza: This crisis is a humanitarian disaster that may destabilize the whole region, by Mohamad Bazzi, The Guardian, Fri 27 September 2024

Gisele Pelicot: The New French Feminist Icon In Landmark Rape Trial, by Anushka De in NDTV World on Sep 28, 2024