Juniper Eatery and Meeya Cafe cake painting, South Melbourne

For her birthday this year, Sylvia chose to go across town for lunch at Juniper Eatery followed by DIY decorated cakes at Meeya Cafe in South Melbourne.  It was a fine way to celebrate.  The drinks were excellent, the food great and who doesn't love to paint a picture on their cake like an artist with a paint palate.

Before cake painting, we stopped at Juniper Cafe for lunch.  It was busy.  I had not noticed how close it was to the South Melbourne Market until I started to look for parking.  It was crazy.  And so busy on leafy Coventry Street.  When we arrived at Juniper, there were people waiting in the alleyway by the entrance.  We were told that there was about 15 minutes wait and we could hang out in the cool design shop next door rather than outside in the sun. 

By the time we browsed the design shop and noticed that the wait staff took dishes in and out to the outdoor seats via the shop, we were called in.  And we hadn't even finished going through the swatches of fabric colours for the couch!  Our seat on a long bench in front of a mirror.  Juniper isn't a big cafe but they use the space well.  Bench seats, mirrors and window seats.

To drink, Sylvia had a difficult choice between the frappe and the matcha latte.  She chose the latter.  It was an iced sweet milky coffee  with a creamy coffee froth.  Sylvia assures me it was very different to the milky foamy froth that is on a latte or cappuccino.  As well as lots of regular ice blocks, the drink was topped with an unusual oblong ice block that Sylvia thought might be made with a shaved ice or crushed ice.  It was certainly not ice as we know it.  She hadn't had a frappe before but loved it and looks forward to more.

I ordered the Yumbo blood orange soda.  The staff were great.  When I asked for the soda, I was told that the blood orange Yumbo was not chilled but I had an option of having it over ice or choosing the lemon or grapefruit flavours.  I went with the room temp blood orange over ice.  The ice melted so much quicker with the room temperature drink that I asked for more ice.  The staff quickly brought a cup of ice.  So I was very happy with my Yumbo.

The Juniper menu the waiter handed us seemed quite light on for the sort of food I wanted (ie too much meat and eggs and sweet dishes).  Then I noticed that there were sandwiches written on the mirror and considered the Roasted eggplant, stracciatella, gremolata and crispy shallot sandwich.  

I was glad I remembered that there seemed more at the counter.  They had salads and sandwiches and pastries.  So I chose the salads after all: Pearl couscous zucchini, asparagus, sun dried tomato chilli & lime crema, Tomato, cucumber, olives, nigella, herbs, lemon & maple dressing, Runner beans, snow peas, ricotta salata, mint & red wine vinegar.  I love a mix of salads and was happy with my choice. 

Meanwhile, Sylvia found her meal easily on the menu we were given.  She had the soft eggs on sourdough toast with an optional side of pickled mushrooms.  She was delighted with it, and described it as seeming quite Scandinavian.  The soft boiled eggs were quite pretty on the toast.

I rushed Sylvia out of Juniper because our 1 hour parking metre was expired and we drove to park the car elsewhere, even though we could have easily walked to Meeya Cafe.  As I parked the car, the thunder rumbled and the heavens opened.  Fortunately I had umbrellas in the car because we walked to the cafein incredibly heavy rain.  I arrived at Meeya with a wet back and wet sandals.  Then the sun came out again once we sat in the corner with a cute Miffy and flowers.  The weather was back up into the 30s and made photography slightly challenging.  Classic Melbourne weather!

We were at Meeya for the cake painting but Sylvia wanted an iced strawberry matcha.  She had read that they were worth trying and loved it.  The brilliant green with pink strawberry was a wonderful sight.

For the cake painting we paid $17 for a vanilla sponge cake with vanilla frosting.  It came on a wooden paint palette with red, blue, yellow and vanilla blobs of frosting, paint brushes, a palette knife and forks.  We asked if there was black paint but there was not.  Though I was told if we needed more frosting, we could ask for it.  We also had a the blue cup of warm water to wash our brushes and serviettes that I used to dry off the brushes and palette knives after washing them.

The object was to paint or decorate your cake with frosting and then eat it.  It was harder than it sounded.  If I tried to paint with the paint brush the icing was unwilling to part with it to be styled on the cake.  Sylvia was pretty savvy and showed me how to scoop some frosting up with the back of the palate knife and spread it on the cake.  She was also wise to start with mixing up the primary colours - orange green and purple.  There was quite a bit of colour mixing to be done as we started with quite basic colours.  Sylvia did a simple but gorgeous design of coloured flowers.

As we entered Sylvia suggested I do a mushroom and so I ran with the idea.  Getting the frosting on the cake was doable with the palette knife but shaping small shapes was still quite hard.  My fingers and the paint brush could be useful in shaping.  Fine lines were still very challenging.  I think that this is where piping would be useful - although I can also find piping frosting challenging. 

Here is my finished cake.  I was happy with the decoration.  I enjoyed experimenting with different sorts of flowers., though I might have tried to balance the colours a bit more.  (At the end I was concerned about colours being too similar together and did an impatient darker green stroke by the base of the toadstool that I regretted - it was  not the fine line I had envisaged though I should have known better than to expect it at that point.)  Mixing up the paints was fun.  I had expected to need more white or yellow but managed to just use the paint I had been given.

Once the our cakes were decorated, we then had the pleasure of eating them.  Sylvia had decided she did not need to wash her brushes in the water we were given.  Instead she just licked the frosting off her brush when she wanted to change colour.  I was impressed that the frosting was not too sweet.  The made the light fluffy cake all the more enjoyable.  And there was great satisfaction in having decorated our own cake.  

It was such a fun activity.  The cafe was full of people with their heads down like serious artists at work.  I wondered if it was only me who struggled to achieve my vision.  On the way out we chatted to the women at the neighbouring table who were working out how to use the equipment and I felt like maybe we weren't alone in being on a big learning curve.  I would be keen to return and have another go at cake painting with the experience of one completed "canvas" under our belt - in more ways than one!
 

Juniper Eatery
269 Coventry St
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Open: 8am-3pm, 7 days a week
https://www.instagram.com/juniper.eatery

Meeya Cafe
191 Clarendon St
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Open: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm
https://www.facebook.com/MeeyaCafe

NGV Yayoi Kusama retrospective, Melbourne 2025

In January my sister gave me a wonderful birthday present of taking Sylvia and me to see the Yayoi Kusama retrospective at NGV International in St Kilda Road.   It is the biggest show of Kusama's work in the Southern Hemisphere.  Two hundred works of art include 10 of her iconic infinity rooms and more dots than you can poke a stick at.  They tell stories of courage, fun and warmth of the 95 year old artist's decades of creating amazing artworks.  She seems to ride the zeitgeist, being an irresistable selfie opportunity for instagrammers, and yet has such a fascinating history of being present in so many moments in time.

The exhibition runs until 21 April so I highly recommend it to locals and visitors to Melbourne, if you don't mind paying the entrance fee (and even if you wont pay, the free stuff is great in the Foyer Great Hall and Kusama for Kids).

Ascension of polka dots on the trees

My sister was not impressed by the entry fee for the exhibition ($38 for a child and $18 for an adult).  She rightly pointed out that public art should not be too expensive for part of the population.  So it was great to see that some parts of the exhibition could be seen without paying the fee.  Above is the spotty tree trunks in St Kilda Road outside the entrance to the NGV.  They can be enjoyed by anyone walking, cycling, driving by.  You don't even have to go into the gallery to see the signature spots!

Dancing Pumpkin, 2020

Kusama is famous for her dotty pumpkins so it is a coup for the NGV to have purchased this 5 metres tall dancing pumpkin installation that is currently in the forecourt of the gallery.  While young adults posed for selfies, younger kids played among the kinetic limbs.

Spots in the great hall

This was one of the few pieces of art I could not find a title for.  The giant yellow balls covered in dots look modern and playful against the serious colourfest of the Great Hall's stained glass ceiling.  The simplicity of the balls placed just so is genius.  I could just lie on the floor and look up at this sight for hours.  If only we had had the time and I wasn't whisked away quickly to the fee paying section of the exhibition.

Narcissus Garden 1966

Anyone familiar with the NGV will know the waterwall at the entrance where so many children (including me and my siblings) have placed theirs hands to watch the flowing water part around them and trickle over their fingers.  For the Kusama exhibition it is rendered bright pink with lots of giant dots.  Inside under its rosy glow is a recreation of the iconic Nacissus Garden from the Venice Biennale in 1966.  You don't have to pay to see this in the floyer.

Once inside the fee paying area, we encounter a smaller recreation of the Narcissist Garden.  The original in 1966 was an installation at the Venice Biennale that today we might call art bombing and back then was called unauthorised. She stood in the midst of the installation selling off the silver orbs cheaply as a comment on elitism and the commodification of art.  It was cut short by the Biennale authorities because it was not formally invited but it has been recreated around the world many times since.  There must be a lot of these silver orbs out there!  She looks so young and fresh faced almost 60 years ago and yet by then she was in her 30s with a lot of experience as an artist.

The section in the first part of the exhibition showed artwork from her early decades as a child in Japan and a young woman seeking like as an artist in the USA before she returned to Japan with poor mental health.  Since 1977 she has voluntarily lived in a mental health facility in Tokyo and takes a daily short walk to her studio.  It is a form of art therapy but also so much more.  The above photos are of her wild life in 1960s New York staging staging outlandish happenings in public places often involving naked people painted with polka dots.  She was a part of the 1960s counter culture that expressed love and sexuality in a wild and challenging way that was bound to shock.

Statue of Venus Obliterated by Infinity Nets 

Across the forecourt in the second section of the fee paying exhibition were the later infinity rooms and spectacle. Above is a statue of Venus de Milo covered in Kusama's signature dots.  It reminded me of Andy Warhol's pop art and then I read that Kusama had influence pop artist such as Walhol and Claes Oldenburg.  What an icon and an innovator!

The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens 2015 

One of the first things we saw in the second section was a queue.  This must be the famous infinity mirror rooms.  We had to see it to get our money's worth and if we had to queue, we would see it.  After over 20 minutes of queuing we were questioning if it was worth it.  (We had breaks one or two at a time from the queue to run in the next room and look at other artworks.)  Yet our excitement rose as we finally were in the yellow room with black dots around this first mirror room.  It was actually a peep hole into a mirror room of an infinity of glowing yellow pumpkin lanterns covered in black dots.  It was amazing.  More amazing to be there peering in that any photos or videos can show.  We were told beforehand that there was a 30 second limit per person and still it was difficult to drag our eyes from the spectacle when our time was up.

Dots Obsession 1996/2024

While waiting to see that first infinity room I wandered into the infinity mirror room of red spheres covered in white dots.  So simple and yet so fun when seen with a new perspective.  

Kusama has a prodigious output.  As well as the infinity mirror installations, she has created painting, sculpture, poetry, videos, fashion, performance art and fiction.  Wikipedia describes her work as "based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, art brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content."  Wow!  What an impressive artist!

As Jo Higgins writes for the ABC, Yayoi Kusama's NGV exhibition offers up more to ponder than just her Infinity Rooms.

Works from my Eternal Soul series 2009-2021

There paintings were displayed in a room so large that it was difficult to photograph the top ones.  Some had sculptures in front of it as you can see in the photo above the photo above.  My sister and Sylvia were keen to move on so there wasn't a lot of time to stop and read.  However when I saw the titles of a few of the pictures I took photos to enjoy the poetry of them later.  Here are a few samples:

• The Urge to Die Comes on a Daily Basis. Hoping That You Come Across My Death 2014
• Billions of Sparkles of Love Fade Away in the Silence of Death Like a Gust of Wind 2017
• Here, Another Night Comes from Trillions of Light Years Away 2017
• Dear Death of Mine, Thou Shalt Welcome an Eternal Death 2017
• Let's Exclaim the Youth 2019
  
  

Chandelier of Grief 2016 

The boundless landscape of bright chandelier lights in a dark space filled the second infinity mirror room we saw.  It had some of the attributes that are common to Kusama's installations.  The endlessness of images crafted by artful arrangement of the mirrors.  It can be a challenge to work out what is real and what is just a reflection.  The lighting and music were an important part of the experience.  Lights were choreographed to shine and dim in rhythms, rotating through gradually changing colours.  We stood and watched in awe as the ambient melodies of "If everything was good" (by Silicon Estate (featuring Mimi) played around us.  

It was like stepping into another world.  Somewhere dreamlike where you could lose yourself in beautiful sights and sounds.  To be there alone for a long period would be just so relaxing.  It is less relaxing because there are other people in there.  They have also queued to see it so I can't resent their presence but it does make it harder to take photos.  And I am so busy taking photos that the 30 seconds is up quickly and then the museum guide is opening the door and herding us back into the bright lights of the real world.  I arrive outside and wished I had taken less photos and spent more time just absorbing the room.

Ladder to heaven 2019

I don't think this infinity ladder counts as a mirror room because it is just one round mirror on the floor and one on the ceiling that makes the ladder look like it goes on forever as I crane my head upwards.  But there is another ladder in the room and queue for the Chandelier of Grief and maybe a few other bits and pieces so it is more exhibit than installation.  There is no queue for this which is great and also means that people crowd around it and there is not the space when a limited number of people are allowed into the infinity rooms.

This photo looks down where the same infinity ladder goes down without end.  The light rotates through different colours so it took quite a few photos to get this one with the green lighting.  Green is such a lovely colour but I guess there is something for all tastes.  I love this photo that looks as if my phone has the power to throw out the light of this dotted ladder.

The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe 2019 

This installation is an infinity room where there is no queue.  It is a thoroughfare from one part of the second section to the other.  I first check it out when we were queuing to see the pumpkin lanterns but was glad I had the opportunity to return.  The bright yellows are cheery and the huge tube turn and twist through the room like a slithering snakes or alien tentacles.  The yellow dots on the yellow tubes look a little scaly to add to the feeling of being in a room with something monstrous.  Though it is more friendly than frightening. 

I read that the ceiling is 6 metres high (or 20 feet).  You can hear the sound of the air being pumped in to keep the snakes plump and floating through the air.  This installation feels endless like the other infinity room but it but uses artwork rather than mirrors to create the atmosphere.  It a fun place for kids to playfully run in and out of the tubes than in the infinity mirror rooms where people wander around cautiously in the gloom. 

With All My Love for the Tulips, I Pray Forever 2013 

This infinity room has a tulip painted to match the multi coloured polka dots on white that cover the walls, floor and ceiling.  It is camoflagued so carefully that it is not immediately obvious. 

But when you are close up you see the flower very clearly and it is beautiful.  It is so big that it reminds me a little of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors but this is no venus flytrap that will gobble you up.  It is a very bright and friendly presence.

Love is Calling 2013 

This infinity mirror room was Sylvia's favourite.  Stalactites hang from the ceiling and stalagmites stand at attention on the floor, covered in black dots.  The lighting rotates through bright colours so that at any one time the structures are all different hues.  And the mirrors make an infinity of these coloured pointy dotty shapes like being in a magical cave. 

The entrance to this infinity room was less conspicuous than the other ones.  Perhaps this is why the queue was much smaller than others.  There were only a handful of people waiting.  When we came out exclaiming at how amazing it was, we looked a short wait and queued for another 30 seconds inside.  We could have gone in a third time but by then time was marching on and so did we!

My Heart Is Filled To The Brim With Sparkling Light this infinity room

My favourite infinity room was "My Heart is filled....".  This installation debuts at this NGV exhibition.  The darkened room is filled with pinpricks of red, blue, green and purple lights that shine out of small halls in mirror balls.  The lights sparkle and shimmer and change colour like clusters of twinkling stars.  Like other infinity rooms this is a wonderful immersive experience, even with the limits of a time limit and sharing the space with other people.

I did not take the name of these paintings but I liked that they all featured green.  Some of Kusama's painting remind me of Indigenous art.  It has a lot of beauty and simplicity.

Flower Obsession 

The final installation is an old friend.  Flower Installation impressed and entertained me years ago in 2018 at was exhibited at NGV in the Triennial.  Every visitor takes one red flour and places it anywhere on a series of white rooms with white furnishings.  It is so much fun to decide where to leave my mark.  And satisfying to look back and feel part of the installation.

We did not go to the Kusama for Kids exhibit - which is free.  This features the obliteration room with a similar offer for visitors to take a coloured polka dot and places it in a white room.  Unfortunately we only had time to browse the gift shop quickly and then my sister decided to squeeze in a quick trip to St Kilda (and who wouldn't when on holiday from Ireland).  So we farewelled Chris before she headed home soon after and we had an amazing drink and cake at Tori's bakery cafe,

Yayoi Kusama exhibition
NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) International
St Kilda Road, Melbourne CBD
15 December 2017 to 21 April 2025
www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/yayoi-kusama/

Carrot, couscous, bean and feta salad - perfect for a picnic and a play

We recently went to see Australian Shakespeare Company's Macbeth at the Botanic Gardens.  The tickets were Christmas presents from my parents.  We enjoyed sitting on a rug with our picnic watching the Scottish play!  I made salad, baked bread and took leftovers.  Today I am going to share the recipe for the Carrot, couscous, bean and feta salad which a strong contender for a regular meal.

I baked a batch of overnight sourdough leek and red cheese bread rolls in the morning.  (Based on these rolls.)  We had made the carrot and couscous salad previously.  The dressing hadn't quite worked but it was definitely worth revisiting.  So I was disappointed when I made the salad in the afternoon and it still didn't taste quite right!  There was a good reason for this.

I had forgotten to add the 2 tins of beans.  We didn't have cannellini beans which weren't available at the shops so we used a tin of borlotti beans and a tin of a 4 bean mix.  I liked the rustic look of the variations.  Adding the beans made a big difference.  They given the salad substance and texture.

I was very pleased to take three salads to the picnic.  We had some leftover rice salad and kale salad to take along with the fresh carrot and couscous salad.  I was less pleased at the seating at Macbeth.  We have been to a few outdoor plays in our time.  It is usually about taking a blanket and a picnic and sitting on the grassy expanse in front of the stage.  

This play had a section of short folding seats set up in numbered rows.  These were premium numbered seats.  Then there was a section for people who brought their own short seats to set up and THEN there were the section for people with blankets just in front of the people who rented the higher seats.  This was just not the democratic fun of outdoor theatre.  It felt unfair to have so little option but to be so far from the stage.

This was Sylvia's first Shakespeare play.  It was harder to enjoy being so far away but there were spectacular scenes for a teenager who decided that a good way to watch was wrapping herself in a blanket listening to music on her phone - through earphones!  The witches were an unworldly sight in their spooky costumes with misty lighting coming from their cauldron.  The sword fights were a bit more basic but fun. 

I studied Macbeth at both school and university so I am quite familiar with the play.  There are so many powerful words in this play.  I felt sorry for the actors that they were heckled by a group of drunken guys passing on the other side of the fence while Lady Macbeth was at the end of her Out Damn Spot soliliquy.   The most compelling moment for me was the pathos of Macbeth giving his Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow soliliquy towards the end of the play.  The idea that life is "a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing" still resounds today when we look at our media and our politicians.

We really enjoyed the carrot and couscous salad.  I made some changes to the recipe I found on the From My Bowl blog.  For a start they use harissa but as we don't have this I tweaked the seasonings but kept the Morroccan flavours.  We also added feta.  We used pearl couscous instead of regular couscous but either would work.  The salad is same same but different to our recent favourite Pearl couscous, cucumber and feta salad.  And as with that salad can be tweaked in many ways to suit all sorts of diets and preferences.  Definitely a keeper!

More recipes with couscous on Green Gourmet Giraffe:

Couscous salad with chermoula (v)
Moroccan chickpea and couscous salad (v)
Mushroom, chestnut and couscous sausages
Pearl couscous, cucumber and feta salad with pesto
Pearl couscous pilaf with eggplant, lentils and pea (gf, v)

Carrot, couscous, bean and feta salad
Adapt from From My Bowl

Salad ingredients:

• 1 cup pearl couscous (or regular couscous)
  
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 tsp stock powder
• 4-5 carrots, grated
  
• 2 x 400g (30 ounce) tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
• 3 spring onions, sliced
  
• 200g smooth feta, crumbled
  

For the Dressing:

• good drizzle of olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes
• good amount of pepper
  

Place uncooked couscous in cold water and stock powder in a medium saucepan and cover with a lid.  Bring to the boil.  Cook about 10 min and then turn off the heat, then rest at least 5 minutes with the lid on.  This should make about 2 cups of cooked couscous.  You can do this ahead of time or cook the couscous while we prepare the rest of the salad and add it hot.

Prepare and place remaining salad ingredients in a large salad bowl (with the option of keep back some feta and parsley for garnish).  Mix well.  Add the dressing ingredients and stir in.

When the couscous is cooked, add to the salad bowl and mix well.  If you opted to set aside some feta and parsley, scatter or pile on the top of the salad.  The salad will keep for a day or two in the fridge.

NOTES: This salad can be made with many variations on the grains, beans, seasonings and even the vegetables added.  Mix it up any way you want.

On the stereo:
Begin to Hope: Regina Spektor

My Monthly Chronicles, January 2025

January was so busy I am still catching up.  It started with leave from work in the first week, a visit from my sister from Ireland for a couple of weeks that included my mum's significant birthday high tea and then a long weekend holiday in Walhalla at the end of the month.  So the month had lots great meals out, time at the beach and the pool, catching up with friends and a few ice creams.  I even found a little time for reading books as well as some insightful articles about an unsettled time in politics.

More posts about January can be found at In My Kitchen post, and the Walhalla holiday posts.  One outing I had meant to write and still hope to is the NGV Yayoi Kusama exhibition.  It was far more amazing than I had expected.  Amazing how some bright colours and black dots can make such beauty.

Soba Ramen, Torquay

On New Year's Day we had planned to go to Geelong to see family and then onto the beach.  However due to Covid, we went straight to the beach.  Firstly we had lunch at Soba Ramen (Shop1/32 Bell St, Torquay VIC 3228)

For starters we had Edamame with sea salt.  Char-grilled cauliflower with miso, seven spices and Pan-fried vegetarian gyoza with soy dipping.  Then we shared the Vege Ramen Plate: miso flavour noodle, nasu tempura, corn, croquette, seaweed salad.  All the food was delicious, especially the cauliflower and gyoza.  The ramen plate was lovely with big slabs of crispy tempura vegetables and a big pile of noodles but I would have loved more salad and for less mayo on the crispy croquette.  I loved my refreshing Sober Bitter - Yuzu soda.  Sylvia was pleased with her sparkling apple juice.

Frenchy's Icecream, Torquay

After lunch we had a glorious New Year's Day walk along Whites Beach.  Then back to Frenchy's Icecream (17 The Esplanade, Torquay VIC 3228).  It was busy but we didn't have to wait long.  I had a great intense vegan chocolate ice cream. 

Frenchy's Icecream, Torquay II

Sylvia went for the double English toffee ice cream and fruits of the forest scoops.  She wasn't so keen on the fruits one that tasted too much of artificial flavouring but she loved the toffee.  We ate it overlooking the front beach.

I wish I could say there have been lots more visits to the beach and the pool but opportunities have been scarce since I finished my summer holidays at the end of the first week of January.

Son in law, Melbourne Central, CBD  

For Christmas I gave Sylvia a third pair of ear piercings.  But it had to wait until after the day because I could not be there on Christmas morning puncturing her ears!  So it meant a trip to the city and somewhere for lunch.  We love the convenience of Son in Law, on the ground floor of Melbourne Central, near the corner of Elizabeth and LaTrobe Streets.  It is quick, casual and you can get a cheap bite.  The fried tofu bao are $7.50 and the sweet filled bao are $7.80.  This is a lot to offer but their food is also the cutest!  

Sylvia had a hello kitty tofu bao with the cucumber, coriander and tamarind sauce but no peanuts (not pictured).  She also wanted to try their new crispy fried broccoli side dish.  I had other ideas for lunch but could not resist a sweet bao.  Sylvia had a hello kitty sweet bao with jam filling.  It was a little too much jam but she could not resist getting the hello kitty set.  I had the minion bao filled with nutella and banana.  So good.  So cute.  of course I tasted the broccoli and it was delicious.

Fish Bowl, QV, CBD

After Son-in-law, we went to my choice of lunch place.  The big bowls of vegies, grains and proteins at Fishbowl.  I went to a franchise in the QV shopping centre on Red Cape Lane off the corner of Swanston and Little Latrobe streets.  I had the Tofu Boys Bowl which on the website is described as tofu, kale, carrot, cucumber, edamame, shallots, roasted sesame dressing, tamari almonds, crispy shallots ($12.90).  Mine also had a big scoop of avocado, which was perhaps unnecessarily huge.  Perhaps I chose it as an extra.  However it was a lovely bowl of healthy food. 

 

Daikokuten, Hawthorn East

After discovering Daikokuten (398 Tooronga Rd) on the Onigiri map, we were delighted to return while on the other side of town.  Sylvia returned to their onigiri which again was amazing.  I had the delightfully named Forbidden Garden Poke Bowl ($27) with black rice, nori and avocado, pickled vegetables, cherry tomato, edamame, mixed leaf with sesame dressing, and purple sweet potato croquette with sriracha mayo.  It came with salmon or kinoko mushroom but I asked for the fried tofu instead of the mushroom and the staff were accommodating.  It was as amazing as their onigiri.

1985 Kafe, Clayton South

After we had lunch at Daikokuten, we headed out to 1985 Kafe (59 Springs Road) to meet Yav and her daughter before their family moved out of Melbourne.  We all enjoyed checking out the sweet treats at the counter.  They were not cheap at $10- $12 for one serve but the decorations were so gorgeous that it was a fine way to wish our friends good luck with moving house.  We were tempted by the little Minions on the mango shortcake and the Totoro faces on the matcha dessert with red bean filling.

1985 Kafe, Clayton South II

 The red velvet latte was not available so Sylvia had the Strawberry iced matcha with the cute icy pink teddy bear on top.  She also had the Banoffee tiramisu which came decorated on top with a toffee covered slice of banana and an adorable biscuit bear (or beaver?).  I had the avocado cheesecake with a butterfly pea soda.  Sylvia loved hers.  Mine were good but the cheesecake was a bit more creamy and less cheesy than I like and the drink was cute and refreshing but surprisingly lacking in sweetness. 

Barklys Kitchen, Brunswick

The viral pasta in a cheesy bread bowl at Barklys Kitchen (63 Sydney Road) had been on Sylvia's radar for a while.  She was very pleased to finally go thereWe shared the Strawberry daiquiri (fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, lemon juice and sprite - $12) and Cheese arancini with pesto mayo and balsamic glaze ($16.90).  I had the Barklys healthy salad (spinach, pumpkin, semi dried tomatoes, goat cheese, pine nuts and lemon basil dressing $19.90) and Sylvia had the Green pesto rigatoni served as the famous cheese pasta in cob bread ($30.90). The arancini was fantastic and the salad was nice.  I had a taste of Sylvia's bread bowl and found it a bit too creamy but she really loved it.

Lunch at my parents, Geelong

We visited my parents soon after my sister arrived to visit from Ireland.  Lunch was a simple but delicious meal at home made up of zucchini and capsicum quiche, arancini and my sister's green salad.  There was much to catch up on around work and politics and kids.  

I have also written about the fancy family get together at my parents for my mum's birthday high tea.

Paddock Bakery Geelong

After lunch my parents' kitchen table, we went for a drink and dessert at Paddock (3 Mackey St).  The bakery is in a large old warehouse in the Federal Mills complex north of the city centre of Geelong.  It was a warm day and very pleasant eating by the large window that opened to a view of green leafy trees.  I had the black forest danish.  It was nice but not quite as I had expected.  It was a mixture of fresh and stewed cherries on chocolate custard.  I wanted more fresh cherries and more chocolate.  But that is a personal preference and it was really very nice.  My dad had a homer simpson style glazed doughnut, Sylvia had a creme brulee doughnut, and both my mum and my sister had a croissant.  A plain croissant is such a joy when the baking is so good!

Federal Mills complex, Geelong

I really love how the re-imagining of the early Twentieth Century woollen mill precinct harnesses the beauty of the old red brick warehouses for innovative uses - cafes, community organisations, a distillery, businesses etc. 

Geelong Vintage Markets, Federal Mills

After our drinks and pastries at Paddock, we all went to check out the some of the rustic, and quirky offerings at the Geelong Vintage Markets.  My sister was most amused at a vintage Humphrey bear toy with a pull and play cord because the kids tv character never spoke.  But she and my parents couldn't stay long.  Sylvia and I stayed to browse at length, enjoying retro signs, antique furniture, groovy clothes, gorgeous kitchenalia and lots more.  See above and below photos.

On the telly:

When we have been hot, tired and/or collapsed in front of the aircon, we have spent time watching television. One of the most interesting shows was New Amsterdam.  It is a 2018 hospital drama with a medical director, Max Goodwin, who is passionate about change to be more inclusive.  He is a bit reactive rather than strategic but I love how he tries new ideas when he sees inequities.  Even if his initiatives don't work they often offer insight into what system change might look like.

We have also seen some other great tv.  Monty Don's Secret history of British gardens was so beautiful and fascinating.  I swooned to see the charm of the Bloomsbury groups art when the Charleston house was featured among the gardens.  My Sister's Keeper was an interesting film that offered insights into the moral dilemma of children conceived to give biological support to another child's life. I tried watching The Zone of Interest but was too tired to cope with the subtitles and subtleties around Rudolph Hess's family life.

Lastly we binge watched The Great, an exciting innovative tv series that springboards off an historical moment (Catherine the Great's marriage and subsequent coup of her husband, Peter, who had inherited the throne) to tell an "occasionally true story" that is packed with elegance, brutality, satire, fun, and humour.  It makes one pause to think about whether it could be true and what if it was.  It explores power, love, politics, sexism, tradition and progress in ways that filled me with awe and laughter.  Russia in the Eighteenth Century looks magnificent with spectacular architecture and costumes.  Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are passionate and hilarious as Catherine and Peter.

Fluffy Torpedo, Brunswick

I was craving ice cream after reading "11 new and underrated ice-cream spots for this sizzling hot day" on 17 Jan.  Among the places selling amazing ice cream, were favourites of ours: Fluffy Torpedo and Luthers Scoops. We could not agree which one to visit so I got the Milk chocolate with salt and vinegar chips icecream from Fluffy Torpedo. (213 Sydney Rd)  It was lovely and creamy with the crushed crisps dialling down the sweetness of milk chocolate.  A scoop of ice cream, chocolate and crisps is like the ultimate junk food. 

Graffiti and political media

Once I had my Fluffy Torpedo ice cream, we walked to Luthers for Sylvia to buy her an ice cream there.  I didn't take photos of the ice cream but I did photograph nearby graffiti: "Baa baa black sheep, have you any brain cells?"  At least it was more creative than some of words painted on walls that show people's frustration with the current political situation.

January is a time where there is a lot of soul searching around politics, especially in Australia where we have summer holidays, and in the USA this year with the change of government.  The mainstream media has been intense but unsatisfying.  I have been finding BlueSky helpful for discovering more small independent news outlets and commentators (You can see some in the list of links below).  Substack has some great political blogs.  The more I read, the more that commentators emerge with their own personalities.  One of my favourite moments was when David Marr and Laura Tingle deviated from an insightful political conversation on ABC RN's Late Night News as David commented on Laura's "disdainful cat".  I want to know more!

NGV Yayoi Kusama exhibition

As well as the top photo, I am sharing this photo from one of the infinity mirror installations in the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the NGV on St Kilda Road.  It was lots of fun, despite some queues.  Her work inspires so much awe and wonder but always has a warmth and passion underlying the beauty.  I hope to share more photos soon.  After the exhibition, Sylvia and I went for a drink and cake.  I have written up our trip to the amazing Tori's bakery cafe.

David Lynch Reflections:

With the death of David Lynch, I have reflected on my mixed feelings about his work.  They are both amazing and disturbing.  I loved the quirky town in Twin Peaks tv series, especially straight-laced Agent Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) and his love of cherry pies at the diner.  He shared the viewer's innocent horror at the twisted tale.  While watching the show I had frightening nightmares and even now I am not sure if it was in the tv show or my dreams that I saw the man named Bob going down the drain of a kitchen sink.  Yet I bought the soundtrack for its meserising ethereal music.  Even more terrifying was watching the film Blue Velvet.  I remember pausing the video in my bedroom (I can't think why I watched it there) and finding my siblings elsewhere in the house and begging them stay up because I was so scared that I needed company at the end of the film. 

Celebrations and commemorations

There have been so many changes in approach to Invasion day aka Australia day on 26 January.  I find it now too controversial to feel comfortable about celebrations any more.  We were out of town on the holiday long weekend and did not see much sign of celebrations.  I was interested to see how Woolworths dealt with it.  A poster (above) that could be seen by some as celebrating the day and by others as just celebrating the Aussie summer.  I chose to focus on enjoying the Australian flag made of food.

I saw more interesting celebrations from the USA.  The article by Pinch of Yum about My favourite non-alcoholic beers was fun to read.  I really like how there are more and more articles on adult alternatives to drinking alcohol.  We also watched some of the FireAid concert to raise money for rebuilding communities after the LA Wildfires.  My highlight was Stevie Nicks singing "Landslide".  It gave me chills.  Billie Eilish was also lovely as she performed her sweet music in a way that looked like she was in an underground folk club than in a stadium.  survivors.  more on celebrations from america in unexpected ways

In the News

I have been reading the news too much when I have so much to note here.  January saw some crazy local stories such as the hiker who survived on berries, creek water and 2 muesli bars when lost for 2 weeks in Kosciuszko National Park, and the house sliding down a hill in Dromana due to coastal erosion.  Other national news was about the ongoing political handwringing and the Grampians bushfires threatening homes, wildlife and Indigenous rock art sites.  Further afield were the terrible LA Wildfires, the cautious celebration of a Gaza ceasefire and concerns about a Trump presidency.  Here are a few interesting articles:

Australia leases US firebombing aircraft in the northern winter. So what happens when LA burns in January? (changing seasons could leave Australia less international support to deal with natural disasters such as bushfires)  in The Age, 9 January 2025.

Scorched earth: the precarity of living on a burning planet (LA wildfires and the Trump presidency) by Marisa Kabas in the Handbasket, 9 January 2025. 

Belling the cat: between the lines (Christopher Pyne on LNP nuclear policy), Amy Reimikis in The Australia Institute newsletter, 10 January 2025. 

A Firestorm of miinformation (about the rejection of fact-checking, experts and science) by Lucy Hamilton on Substack, 10 January 2025.

NACC finds no corruption, spends 140m to date, The Klaxon, 12 January 2025.

Robert Reich was worried but seeing reasons for reassurance on the eve of the Trump presidency: Tomorrow will be a shameful day, 19 January 2025 but by the time he wrote about Trump's first week: the Real Story. 26 January, he described it as a "catastrophe for vulnerable people.  But the biggest story was the startling initial moves from democracy to oligarchy".  Check his substack for more commentary.

Oklahoma immigration attorney urges public to know their rights  (President Trump’s immigration policies have sparked fear and uncertainty for many undocumented immigrants), in News on 6, 27 January 2025.

Trump baselessly blames DEI and Democrats for Washington DC plane crash, in The Guardian, 31 January 2025.

Ideas and insights on podcasts

Who gets to shape the story? Reporting on the conflict in the Middle East  ( with The Guardian’s Nour Haydar (wise insights into journalism and its biases with a focus on Palestine reporting), ABC Radio National Big Ideas, 5 December 2024

History and narrative, (Poses the idea that America was invented rather than discovered) by Mariana Imaz-Sheinbaum on ABC RN's The Philosopher's Zone, 16 January 2025.

The vicious cycle of fear and anxiety and how it traps society, (with a focus on how it affects leadership and politics) on ABC RN's Future Tense, 17 January 2025.

Gregory Smith's re- introduction to the world (from 10 years as a homeless hermit in the forest to academic at the University of Sydney) - Conversations podcast from ABC radio, 13 December 2016.

And finally, not a podcast but a thoughtful blog post by Gregory Smith from the above podcast:

A braver man than I (reflections on the power of words to inflict hurt and change the narrative such as homelessness as a "lifestyle choice" and using "boat people" instead of "refugee") on Dr Gregory P Smith's blog, 10 January 2025