On Friday 12 March, we invite you to come along to a special morning tea following which we will officially open our new neighbourhood community art initiative, the Alphington Neighbourhood Gallery.

The Alphington Neighbourhood Gallery will feature 12 art works by an artist connected to the neighbourhood. The gallery will be paste up boards along our fence. The works will be accompanied by a bio and a QR code link so that anyone passing by can find out more about the artist. This project has been funded by the lovely Yarra Arts team at Yarra City Council, who we thank very much.

The first artist we are featuring is Ross O’Meara. His works will be up for one month. We plan to feature 10 artists over the coming year.

We’d love it if you could join us from 11.30am for morning tea followed by the launch.

Ross O'Meara, Untitled, 2019, ink on paper, courtesy of the artist and Arts Project Australia

Ross O’Meara, Untitled, 2019, acrylic on paper

Ross O’Meara, Untitled, 2019, watercolour on paper

Alphington CWA is joining in the broader CWA birthday celebrations with a scone drive for pick up on Saturday 13 March from the community kitchen at the Alphington Farmers Market (between 12-1pm).

You can order 6 scones for $9 or 12 scones for $18. Just click here to email your order through and one of our CWA friends will get back to you.

Note that you can also order lemon slice and other things (you’ll find all the details below). We’re so lucky to have a local CWA branch in the neighbourhood!

Yum.

Last Friday Anne (our chair) and I were delighted to show Cr Gabrielle de Vietri, Yarra’s new Mayor, around the house and talk to her about all the exciting and neighbourhoodly things we do here. Gabrielle came along with Kathy who is our main contact and lovely colleague at Yarra Council and Elly who supports volunteering across Yarra.

It was a great morning to visit as it was Brett’s birthday and we decorated him a pretty fancy cake. We’ve attached some photos so that you can admire our efforts and wish you too were here to partake of the sugary delight!

So, if you would like to eat cake and coffee with nice people in the neighbourhood any Friday during school term, just pop past at 11.30am. Alternatively join us from 10am for art, craft and gardening (and possibly some cooking/cake decorating). We hope to see you soon!

We’re very lucky to have such a generous community here in Alphington, willing to share their skills and talents. Our local friend Manu grew up in India, but has lived in Australia for quite a while now and she is super keen to share some of her cooking knowledge. She is starting off with a chai tea making workshop.

It will run on Sunday 9 May from 2pm. In this workshop Manu will take you through the properties of ingredients of masala chai tea, and will show you how to make the basic mix and also give you some options to customise the flavour. You will make and try a number variations and then take home a jar of your favourite blend so that you can make it at home yourself.

Just click here to find out more and book in.

Hi Leanne here.

Do you follow the local restaurant Facebook group Northcote, Thornbury and Fairfield Takeaway?

If so you will know that lots of local restaurants had already stocked up on food for one of their busiest days of the year (Valentine’s Day) and have now had to cancel the bookings at the last minute.

So, if like me, you have a valentine (or 1 adult valentine + 3 valentine children as the case may be) in your house, and are feeling a bit lazy on the home cooking front, this weekend is the ideal time to grab some fancier restaurant takeaway and support the businesses that would usually be full.

And, don’t forget the florists. I saw the Bivianos florists working hard Friday morning, and can imagine how disappointed they will be feeling this weekend … (I am assuming they are still open?).

Anyway, we may be stuck at home … but we can still be romantic right? Right. For sure.

Fancy food from Estelle on High Street … one of the local restaurants going back to takeaway this weekend. Make the most of this non-cooking excuse, get out your fancy tableware … and maybe rope your kids into serving (unlikely at my house, they’ll just want to eat for sure, but I can live in hope for a second or two).