My Monthly Chronicles - January 2026

January was a busy month with leave on the first and last weeks.  In the first week I ate out 6 of 7 days.  I ate amazing food, caught up with friends and family, got out for swimming, lost my purse, had a mudguards saga, had some lovely day trips to Monsalvat, the Dandenongs and Daylesford, as well as seeing family in Geelong.  And then there were the stinking hot days when we were too hot to do anything except a quick ride to the pool in the morning.  I tried to avoid the terrible political events but they demanded attention as you can see in my summary at the end of this post.

You can read more about my January below or about the food we had at home in my post: In My Kitchen January 2026.  Above is a random photo of the summer artwork on the front window of the iconic Readings Bookshop in Lygon St, Carlton.  I try not to buy books as I don't have much time to read.  Yet whenever I am in there, I find so many books I would love to read that I feel that even if I just spent all day every day reading, I would never be able to read them all.  So much joy and so much regret!

Torquay Beach on New Year's Day

On New Years Day we went to Geelong to have lunch at my parents.  My mum had made a lovely cheese quiche to serve with salad.  A fine challenge for Sylvia's first day as a vegan.  There had been some communication breakdowns so to make amends I took her to the supermarket to find mini tacos and vegetable gyoza for her to eat for lunch.

Then I went to the Torquay back beach.  The weather was so cool and I didn't have much time so I just walked along in the tide.  I was amused at the wintery attire of the lifesavers in the middle of summer.  It is always lovely to get to the beach with any weather.  

Welcome to Thornbury - Vegan food trucks

Sylvia was keen to go to Welcome to Thornbury (520 High Street, Northcote) because it was a vegan evening in the food truck park. I enjoyed all the outdoor seating in the leafy courtyard.  We started at Nohadra's Kitchen where we shared the Taste of Iraq mixed plate with 2 falafels, 2 savoury Kuba Haleb (crispy rice balls with mushroom filling), 3 Dolma, tabouli, salad, pickled turnip, flatbread, and tahini sauce.  We'd had it before at Coburg Night Market and knew they do good food.  The crispy rice balls are excellent.

Wokkng Amazing, Welcome to Thornbury

Then I joined the queue in front of the Woking Amazing food truck (also visited here) for three Garlic Butter Jumbo Potato Cakes and an Eggy Sausage Roll, both of which we shared.  The garlic potato cakes were delicious and indulgent.  The roll was described as a "Classic Taiwanese breakfast with BUDS Italian Sausage, soy egg, and hash brown drizzled with oyster mushroom sauce rolled in a savoury flaky scallion pancake."  I was disappointed how how similar the vegan omelette was to a chicken one.  I enjoy a vegan version that is not at all like the real thing as I don't like the taste of eggs.  But I really loved the flaky scallion pancake.

Union Kiosk, Melbourne CBD

We met my dad in the city for lunch and a movie.  Lunch was at Union Kiosk (10 Howey Place).  It is down a laneway off Little Collins Street.  Union Kiosk is a hole in the wall that sells mostly vegan toasties.  That was what we were there for.  My dad had the bolognese, mozzarella and garlic butter toastie.  Sylvia and I shared the pepperoni mac and cheese toastie and the tofu scramble , mushroom and cheese toastie.  

I liked the mac and cheese best despite it being a bit spicy.  The tofu scramble (a bit like the Wokking Amazing roll above) was too eggy.  I wished they hadn't worked so much magic on the tofu.  My dad loved his toastie so much that a few weeks later he took a friend there for lunch 

Howey Place and Flow at ACMI cinema, Melbourne CBD

We headed off to see Flow at ACMI cinema after lunch.  It is an animation film about a cat in a flood.  The scenery is gorgeous with lots of jungle and seemingly spiritual statues.  A friend had told me she liked it despite there not being any dialogue.  Sound odd but once you are immersed, it was a delight to watch the black cat act in ways that rang true of cats and expressing fears and joys.

Postscript: We took the tram home without needing to pay because the state government was giving free transport on weekends to celebrate the new Metro Tunnel.  The next day I could not find my wallet.  I rang the trams, then the cinema and finally Union Kiosk, who had it.  I went back for it and with a bit more time I was amazed to see all the creative street art off Howey Place.  It was so impressive that I have put up a post on this street art in Presgrave Place.

North and Eight cafe, Essendon

I had a lovely lunch at North and Eight (285-287 Buckley Street) with my friend Kathleen.   She had the smashed avo and I had the wild rice salad: quinoa, kale, feta, roast carrot, pistachio, corn, turtle beans, herbs, cranberry, coconut, pepitas, spiced tahini yoghurt, avocado & activated almonds. ($24).  It was a lovely salad but I took more notice of catching up with an uni friend than the food!

Lux Foundry, Brunswick

After hearing in a history talk that Lux Foundry (21 Hope Street) is a fine example of a converted historic industrial building in Brunswick, I went there with Faye with renewed interest in its heritage.  Faye had the Poke Bowl which looked very good and I had the Roasted Pumpkin and Superfood salad: asparagus, kale, currants, shaved macadamias, broccolini, miso dressing.  The menu offered vegetarian extras of poached egg or haloumi and lemon.  I asked for the crispy battered tofu.  I really loved the tofu but it could have benefited from some sauce.  However there was plenty of dressing on the salad so I really enjoyed this meal. 

Bean Thief, Kew East

Another university friend I enjoyed catching up with over January was Jane.  We met in Kew at Hays Paddock for a walk on the morning of a ridiculously hot day of 39 C.  At least the park had some shade but it was definitely a day for a hat and suncream.  It was only a short walk followed with sharing a delicious wedge of Tuscan apple cake at the Bean Thief (773 High St).  The cafe had a nice vibe but it was the air con and cold drinks that I most appreciated.

Monsalvat, Eltham

I can never say enough just how much I love the artists colony of Monsalvat.  It is bursting with fascinating local history, wonderful artistic creations and many gorgeous buildings that looks more Medieval French than Melbourne.  I had a lovely visit there in January and wrote this post about it: Monsalvat Artists Colony, Eltham.  I love this photo by Sylvia.

Big Elma, Coburg 

After a friend recommended Big Elma (138 Nicholson street) at the end of Harding Street, I went there for brunch and we were most impressed.  Sylvia loved her vegan burrito made with wheat tortilla, black beans, avo, tofu scramble, tomato, aioli and served with pickled onions.  

My meal deserved to be heaped with praise!  I had the amazing Half moon tribute Falafel patty by one of our favourite local joints, Half Moon Cafe in Coburg. The patty was made of that delicious vibrant green Egyptian falafel mix and served in a soft bun with tzatziki, cucumber, lettuce and sumac onion ($18).  I ordered the vegan version and it was so so delicious.  Bonus points for being a burger that is easy to pick up with my hands and eat neatly - unlike so many modern burgers.  In fact I think it is one of the best burgers ever!  I regret that the photo does not do it justice.  We must go back for more.

Hey, that’s my Coburg exhibition at Big Elma

We had scrambled to get to Big Elma in January to see the Hey That’s My Coburg: What Remains, What’s Next artwork by local artist Lanie Harris.  The exhibition was inspired by the close of the nearby Andy's Milkbar in Harding Street.  I really love Lanie's gorgeous ink and watercolour paintings of local icons and houses.  My favourite was the Half Moon Falafel painting you can see in the middle of the above photo.  Lanie has a business called Hey That's My House where she take commissions for hand-drawn house portraits (starting at $130).  

Invasion Day

On Invasion Day, on 26 January, the idea of celebrating it as Australia Day becomes more and more problematic.  I was impressed by this Invasion Day poster with a traditional Indigenous eel trap of hopes and dreams.  I keep meaning to go to these marches but sadly this year was not a day when I had the energy.  Instead of marching in the street I read words of anger about how Indigenous people are viewed and treated in this country, especially with the attempted bomb in Perth on an Invasion Day march.  Here are a few of the articles written with distress and fury at the ongoing injustices and harms:

• Invasion Day, the party's over, by David Tyler in David's Substack, 26 January 2026.
• It's only "terrorism" if they're not white, by Dave Milner in The Shot, 30 January 2026.
• Invasion Day is about Indigenous people’s survival, our resilience. To strike at the heart of that is a hate crime, by Lorena Allam in The Guardian, 7 February 2026.
  
  

Paddock Bakery, North Geelong 

We had a lovely lunch with my parents at Paddock Bakery (Federal Mills, 33 Mackey St).  I have only had takeaway or eaten bakery items in the cafe before.  This time we had the full cafe menu.  My mum opted for bakery simplicity in a croissant and jam.  Sylvia went for vegan simplicity in her chips and toast; there was not much savoury vegan food for her on the menu but she was very pleased to have a soy strawberry matcha.  My dad went for the indulgent spectacle of a Sticky Date Pudding French Toast served with custard, caramel sauce, ice cream and berries.  I had a fantastic Purple Toast: roasted beetroot & Za’atar puree, two poached eggs, Meredith goats milk feta, honey roasted walnuts, fresh rosemary on our house wood-fired 7 grain sourdough toast ($25). I did not have the eggs and had the optional extra of guacamole ($6). 

Our lunch was on the busy Invasion Day weekend, and there were a few disappointments.  They were sold out of their wonderful salads.  My mum was surprised that they didn't have any ham and cheese left for the croissant.  Sylvia was told they could not change any menu items such as giving her some sauerkraut on her toast from another meal.  I had looked forward to an Iced blueberry Earl Grey, lemon & soda with rosemary & berry skewer but they were out of blueberries so instead I had the Iced peppermint, apple & soda w/ mint bunch & freeze dried apple ($11), which was really nice.  Despite all this, we enjoyed our meals.  The bread is always amazing and I would be interested to taste their GF options with the toast.  I'd love to return on a quieter day!

Torquay, sea and swimming

After lunch at Paddock, I went to Torquay back beach for a swim.  It was the perfect day for it and on the long weekend there were many people enjoying the sun, sand and surf.  I was so happy to get some swimming in during January after so many busy months with even dipping my toe in.  We had a couple of 44 C days that were made so much more bearable with a morning swim at Brunswick Baths.  And there was the wonderful lunch for my mum's birthday that I have written about: At the Heads, Barwon Heads where we ate overlooking the ocean.

Ripe Cafe, Sassafras

We had a great trip out to the Dandenong Ranges at the end of my week of holidays in late January.  It was the day after it had been 44 C so we noticed that many buildings were still a bit warm and stuffy after such heat but we appreciated how cool it was in comparison to the previous day.

Our first stop was Ripe Cafe (376-378 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd) which had an impressive menu for vegans and vegetarians and beautiful food for everyone.  It was also a lovely space with a large fireplace and dark wood paneled walls in the older part of the building and a more modern addition with a high ceiling fans and large windows onto the garden at the back.

Sylvia and I shared the Veggie Big Breakfast of Thai corn cakes with chilli jam, wilted spinach, guacamole, chargrilled pumpkin, dukkah & pecans, sourdough toast, beans, grilled tomato & mushrooms ($30), and Italian tomato arancini served with salad and aioli ($24).  They were both magnificent: beautiful and delicious vegan meals.  I really wanted to have one of the gooey brownies but there were other temptations nearby.

Miss Marple's Tearoom, Sassafras

Nearby the Ripe was the famous Miss Marple's Tearoom (382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd), which feels like walking into ye olde English village tearoom.  Sylvia can't remember her last visit there so was excited to visit.  We had to walk up to browse the Through the Looking Glass bookstore (3/383 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd) first because we were full of lunch.  We also enjoyed looking at the crafts and gifts in the Little Eclectic Shop (1/372 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd).

Later we returned for scones with jam and cream plus some peppermint tea for me and red lemonade for Sylvia.  I was not so keen on the towering square scones which were not as fresh as I would like but the locally made raspberry jam was the fine quality you would expect in an area of Melbourne renown for its orchards.  Sylvia was pleased they had vegan scones with jam and coconut cream.  Hers weren't that fresh either but they were much better than just watching me eat mine!  

  

Miss Marple's Tearoom II

We were very pleased to be at Miss Marple's on the day when school went back when it was quiet and there was no waiting list.  You can't book so there are often queues.  It meant we sat in one of the darling window seats with floral curtains and cushions.  Even if the scones aren't fresh out of the oven, it is worth visiting.  There is so much to admire in the cosy village decor: the dark beans on the pale ceiling, the pots by the fireplace, the cute window seats, shelves around the walls holding old teapots, the black and white photos of Margaret Rutherford when she played Miss Marple on tv.  And the staff were really lovely.  You can read my post about a previous visit to Miss Marple's tearoom.

Cloudehill Gardens, Olinda

Our last place to visit was the Cloudehill Gardens (89 Olinda-Monbulk Rd) the next town along from Sassafras.  I had worried the gardens might look a bit wilting after a scorcher the previous day but they were gorgeous and green with lots of flowers and shade.  It was much cooler outdoors and I enjoyed strolling around.  We had a map but I got a little lost towards the end.

Merri Creek cycling trail

I've enjoyed riding by the Merri Creek on the my holidays.  It is always nice to ride in the strip of greenery and waterways.  

My bike had a few repairs last year but the most frustrating was the last one when the mudguards (technically called fenders)needed replacing.  I decided to go to a new place in late November who offered to order some in and give me a call.  They never called and when I finally rang in late December they said just come in when I could.  Finally in early January I did.  They said they were too busy.  I went home to check my diary and rang to arrange something and they said it would take a week.  By this time I was fed up and questioned that they had no time for a quick job.  So I was told to come in and I did.  I left the bike for a few hours and again they did not call me to say it was ready so I headed back.  When I got there I found that they had ordered the wrong type of mudguards and had my phone number right.  I asked for a refund and went to my usual bike shop.  They had new mudguards on my bike in a few days!

Harvest cafe, Daylesford

We drove to pick up a pillow we left at our Daylesford Accommodation in October.  We were excited to go to Harvest Cafe (29 Albert Street)early enough to order the tofu scramble off the breakfast menu (after failing to do this in October).  We got there early but the tofu scramble was no longer on the menu.  Instead we checked out the display cabinet.  

Sylvia made a beeline for the rice dishes: Dolmades ($1 each), Pumpkin tarragon rice cake ($4), and the Shiitake mushroom & sticky sushi jackfruit sandwich ($10.50).  I ordered the Apple & raisin sourdough fruit toast served with goats cheese & pear ($15) from the menu and a side serve of Cauliflower ceviche salad with green beans, coriander, pickles, cucumber, red onion.  Once I picked  out all the coriander I quite liked the simplicity of the salad.  It was a good meal all round.  The Two Boys elderflower and rose kombucha was also lovely.  You can read my post about my visit to Harvest Cafe in 2009.)

Paradise Bookshop, Daylesford

After brunch we collected the pillow and had a quick look in some shops.  I really loved Cedar and Sage gift shop but spent most of my time at Paradise Books (46 Vincent St).  It is a beautiful bookstore with lots of gorgeous greeting cards, second hand books, kids books and all the tempting fiction and non-fiction I would love to curl up with in one of the gorgeous rooms with bookshelves, a fireplace and a cosy armchair.  

As we drove home we listened to an episode of ABC RN The Music Show called "Lucy Dacus on feelings, bread, and roses; and 'a country trying to sing itself free' in Celtic Utopia".  I loved the part of the interview where Lucy talked about marriage.  As well as being a muso she is a marriage celebrant and has incorporated weddings into her concerts because she can and also to support couples who were concerned about visa issues in the current USA administration.  Fascinating stuff!  As you can see January had so much stuffed into it and February and March are both busy times.  So much to share and so little time to write about it!

 In the News:

January is supposed to be a quiet time for politics and current affairs but not this year.  We have had days in Victoria way above 40 C resulting in bushfires, loss of property and deaths.  Across the border,  NSW residents were dealing with heavy rains and flash flooding which gave rise to more shark attacks!  But other politics in Australia and America that have dominated the news so I have concentrated on these this month:

Australia was still reeling from the Bondi murders at Hannukah in Sydney and the fallout was intense and harmful:

• Grief and resilience in Bondi as community unites after deadly beach attack, John Anderson, Townsville Bulletin, 11 January 2026.
• There was little time to grieve before politics were played out that resulted in new hate speech laws which were called for by the Liberal National Party (LNP) who were in opposition.
• Disagreement about hate speech laws ripped apart the LNP who were much reduced in power as the two parties of the Liberals and the Nationals.
• The power vacuum has created the conditions for far right party One Nation to suddenly poll as the second preferred party in Australia, though it should be noted that the ruling Labor party still has a huge majority!  For now! 
• Read more about Pauline Hanson's One Nation party in If I had leg's I'd kick you, by Tim Dunlop in the Future of Everything substack, 27 January 2026.
• The Bondi attack resulting in unrest about the invitation for Israel Prime minister to visit Australia in February
• Read an insightful reflection on Bondi and the hate speech laws in The Great Silencing by Rick Morton on his brilliant Nervous Laughter blog, 15 January 2026. 
• Meanwhile a bomb thrown into an Invasion Day march in Perth of Indigenous people and allies (that was not detonated by dumb luck) was met with a shrug not a shriek (Daniel James). See Invasion Day articles further up this post.
• The Adelaide Writers Festival was cancelled after mass resignations in response to cancellation of Palestinian writer and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah for past statements on Israel.  It is illuminating to listen to Jan Fran's interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah in We Used to Be Journos, 13 January 2026.  
• Update on writers festival saga - Top authors signing up for alt Adelaide Writers’ Week An alternate Writers festival in Adelaide, InDaily, 28 January 2026

Meanwhile the Trumpian saga of rupture, racism and entitlement continues in the USA:

• Trump's intervention in Venezuela heralds an incomparable era by Laura Tingle, ABC News, 7 January 2026.
• Woman [Renee Good] in Minnesota fatally shot by ICE agent during raid, video shows: Mayor says ICE claims incident was self-defense are not true, and tells agency to ‘get the fuck out of Minneapolis’ in The Guardian, 8 January 2026. 
• Trump ties failure to win Nobel Peace Prize to efforts to acquire Greenland in message to Norway, CNN World, 20 January 2026.
• ‘Rupture in the world order’: Speeches by Carney, world leaders in Davos, Al Jazeera, 21 January 2026.
• Protesters gather in Minneapolis as governor calls on Trump to remove agents after shooting [of Alex Pretti], BBC News, 25 January 2026.
• Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, & NOFX Share New Anti-ICE Protest Songs For Minneapolis, by Chris DeVille, in Stereogum, 28 January 2026. 
• Donald Trump has Iran in his sights, but what is his endgame?, by John Lyons, ABC News, 30 January 2026.

More listening, viewing, reading:

Daphne: A Portrait of Daphne Du Maurier by Judith Cook.  I really enjoyed this book, especially the first half about her ancestors and youth that had fascinating memoirs by Du Maurier to draw on.  It was a nice coincidence that at one point, Du Maurier wrote about Branwell Bronte, bother of the Bronte sisters.  I had some context around his story, having recently read Dark Quartet: The Story of the Brontës by Lynne Reid Banks.  I love a literary biography and recommend both of these.

The Good Wife tv series which focuses on legal and political stories.  Julianna Margulies is the star as the eponymous good wife but I really loved seeing Josh Charles as a law firm partner having his principles challenged.  It felt like seeing how his character in Dead Poets Society might have turned out as an adult.

No one should call this place home, (which parodies Peter Allen's I still call Australia home) is featured on Tony Armstrong's Always Was Tonight, an ABC special.  It is sung by Aboriginal children about being locked up in gaol.  You can read more about the context on Pedestrian.TV: Tony Armstrong Takes Square Aim At Criminal Age Of Responsibility In New ABC Special, 22 January 2026.

But Also John Clarke about the Kiwi-Australian comedian.  It talks about some of his hilarious comedy on television and film but also of him being fun but also compassionate and challenging when facing injustices.  That is great leadership and great friendship as well as great art!

Joy (2024) based on the true story of the world's first IVF baby starring Bill Night, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton, showing how harmful attitudes to women and infertility could be in the 1960s and 1970s, and what a difference the science of IVF made to their lives.

Artists and Models (1955) with Jerry Lee, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone.  This was a film that I loved watching on tv as a child and recently found on dvd because these old movies are much harder to find on tv these days.  It is a fun story involving a talented women, crazy dreams, a cartoon and the cold war politics, with a touch of not so admirable old fashioned attitudes.  It was such a great nostalgic trip to watch it again.

Challenger: The disaster five people saw coming, ABC News, 28 January 2026.  A really interesting piece of investigative journalism about the team of engineers who expressed scientific concerns but were overruled by management attitudes 40 years ago when the space shuttle explosion resulted in the deaths of the whole crew and a review of space travel.