Red alert!!

Red Cap Action

I have noted previously my obsession for hats and I have a certain favorite red one that I can't seem to get off my head... Even going to the extreme of buying a back up replica in the awful event I lost the original!! My obsession has obviously rubbed off on my sidekick  Darby as well and when he spotted a red cap the other day, he just had to have it!! (lucky for me it was on sale!) The color red has been my "color" since my life change in 2010, becoming dispersed throughout my house in bits and pieces,from kitchen appliances, rugs, cushions. Even the wooden love heart that adorns my entry. I went to my friend google, to find out why this may be so.... psych analysis of myself with colors...."Red has more personal associations than any other color. Recognized as a stimulant, red is inherently exciting and the amount of red is directly related to the level of energy perceived. Red draws attention and a keen use of red as an accent can immediately focus attention on a particular element."How the color red affects us physically

• Increases enthusiasm
• Stimulates energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate
• Encourages action and confidence
• Provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety

All sounds pretty reasonable to me and sums up how I feel (I can blame the color red on my energy.. not the amount of caffeine I am  consuming, and a good excuse to tell my Doctor next time my blood pressure is taken!) ... So you could say I was pretty excited when we walked into a Pillar of salt in Richmond, surrounded by all things red... heaven!! There were touches of it everywhere.. Including glamorous shining red cups (and Darby and I in  our little red hats!) The staff were so lovely!! Even happy enough to take a picture of us in our matching attire with the red cups. I do believe we looked incredibly dorky...or well just downright adorable! Kids and parents dressed alike never gets old, maybe weird though!!
 Pillar of Salt is not on my "100", so I didn't exactly tick one off my list,  but I'm positively sure that it will be in 2012's, so you could say I was before my time! (oh and I had read about it in the Age Good Cafe guide!)



Our Glam Drinks!



Our coffee experience, although short, was very sweet.. we indulged in a coconut raspberry slice that was eaten up in a flash! (From a quick glance the rest of the menu looked downright delicious as well) My coffee was lovely... Another cafe using 5 senses (they seem to be popping up everywhere and slowly becoming a real favorite of mine. My Soy cappuccino  had a  strong crema and a super smooth and luxurious finish! It was just what I needed as I was about to embark on a quick (yeah right) late afternoon shopping trip to Ikea to buy photo frames! Maybe coffee wasn't such a great idea...a shot of tequila may have made it more palatable!



Cheese... we look super cheesy in matching hats!




On my way out  I even managed to snag the last business card... coffee dust and all, very kind of the barista to give it to me!! Ill be back here soon for a little more red therapy!! After all its good for the soul!

Oh and I stayed true to my word.. I did manage a quick trip around hell (Ikea) out of there in 20 minutes.. has to be a record... and with a tired and grumpy Darby too!

Ahh.. Until next time... Life is too short to drink Crap coffee!  xxx



Red Cap Action and Sunshine
at the Corner Shop - yarraville!

A JavaJane coffee tour..... all aboard!!

 

It seems as though I have been  stalled at 62 cafes for a couple of weeks now.. so its time I get myself back out there and tasting new coffee and also crossing places off my Melbourne coffee review 100  list... With the recent release of the Age Good cafe guide , my eyes have been opened to a whole other spectrum of new places to visit (and drink from), whilst this is fantastic and the book is now constantly in my bad and already looking  well loved), it is also distracting me from my goal.... so I'm getting back on the horse ... so to speak and will start by getting around the suburbs!  I have to pick up the pace and get my momentum back . This is when my car (and a full tank of petrol) will prove very handy! I have exhausted all but one of the city cafes, so its out to the burbs I go (in burbs I really don't mean much further than Brunswick, Balaclava, or Fairfield!!)

I don't know whether it is just my new interest in everything coffee, but it seems to me there are alot of new "coffee houses" opening this year??!?!? I'm guessing they will need to make the Melbourne Coffee Review the top 150 to accommodate the talent and awesomeness of all these places!! (it wouldn't be fair to make a 'nearly made it' list)

Anyway.. back to coffee: Last weekend I took Uncle Paul on a Java Jane coffee adventure..... but I chose to stay close to home to showcase the joys of the little village that is  Yarraville (and proud home to Darby and I)! We wandered up and down the street, pointing out all the key landmarks.. the Butcher, the pub, the newsagent, the bookshops and the Sun Theatre and then I took him  to another favorite the Corner Shop (we were lucky enough to snag a table in prime time)... Luck was on our side for the day! We ordered some more frothy ones (cappuccinos) ... this time our coffee came with a different designs from our coffees the week before... Paul was very impressed with the coffee art and I think he now understands the pleasure that is my ritual daily coffee drinking! Our coffee as always was perfect.. I have a soft spot in my heart for the coffee here.. its always on song!

We had a spot of brunch there  and then descended on Footscray Kmart and Cole's to a) pick up a copy of Kung Fu Panda for Darby and b) pick up the ingredients for caramel slice for me!

I attempted to cook a caramel slice (in a pie tin!).... although it turned out well and tasted pretty darn good, it certainly wasn't without its dramas.. Although this is not a blog about food, sometimes the digression is worth it.. In this extreme case, I completely smoked out my apartment and suffocated everyone with  a burnt butter smell, it was streaming out  from my oven ....not a good look for someone trying to show  dessert making prowess ... and the smoke alarms didn't go off so that's even more to worry about.. anyway .. the end result was a delicious slice with not even a trace of smoke tainting it! Phew!!



My Smoke free Caramel Slice/tart



And on Sunday an unprecedented thing happened.... I had no coffee...OMG I cant remember the last time this has occurred (which scared me even more) ...  OK so the moral of this blog is "I'm back" on the coffee tasting bandwagon from now on.. no excuses!!!

Until next time, Life is too short to drink crappy coffee!

PS... check out some pictures from our "shoot" with Ochi-Innocente Photography. They are pretty cute if I do say so myself!!

A road trip to Bendigo.. and a visit to the "Fat one"

Don't I look hot!?!!



Bendigo put on  fabulous winter weather over the long weekend... for what was a dreary and heavy hearted week, this little bit of sunshine and dare I say it even a little warmth certainly lifted my spirits.. Darby and I were booked in for an early Saturday morning  "photo shoot"... so before I could have a camera near my face I needed a little coffee hit to wake me up and keep my smile bright!  I decided to go to a Bendigo newbie... "El Gordo"  bringing a little   coffee and culture to the lane ways of Bendigo...(I googled the name El Gordo as I was intrigued and to my surprise I found the meaning to be the " Fat one" in Spanish.. not referring to the size of any ones girth but actually the Annual Christmas Lottery draw!!! How bizarre... but certainly attention grabbing!)
 Darby and I found El Gordo nestled in Chancery lane way and in a rather small and cosy cafe.. mainly with tables in the outside walkway and from what I saw a very keen takeaway crowd.... People are catching on to the coffee craze that is Melbourne ! (although I only realised later on that it is only open every 4th Saturday.. so the extra business made sense!) Darbs and I took up a posse and ordered... only to find that's what everyone else had in mind at the same time.. so we ended up getting takeaway drinks as we were in a rush to meet our photographer! Next time I would like to sit back and absorb some more of this really cool little cafe... it makes me feel at home ahhhh... 

Reading a classic!

My own photography skills...
in a funky lane way in Bendigo
featuring graffiti of what Darby
thinks is a Pirate!!

In terms of the coffee.. it delivered.... smoky with a bittersweet crema but finished silky smooth! Yum!

So off we went to our little shoot... Darby feeling very special being the centre of attention (not that he's not used to that) and having to "say cheese" over and over... even coming up with some trademark poses that would put even Derek Zoolander to shame.. He nailed Blue steel, rocked Magnum and I'm sure he even created a few of his own.. including "shake your booty" pose and a very compelling rendition of "Jazz Hands"... he ain't my son for no reason!! Its in the Genes to love photo taking and to love posing for the other side of the camera!! Very excited to see my shots soon!!

After an exhausting morning.. it was nice to have some Rest and Recovery.. and what better way to do it with more coffee! Plus I wanted to take Uncle Paul for a Java Jane experience ! I don't know if I am making a big assumption but I am guessing that the coffee in the middle of the Northern Territory is nothing like Seven Seeds and the likes... (I could be wrong though!!) So we decided on the Bendigo Corner Store, a cafe I was impressed with last time in town.. and that's saying something as I was hopped up on pain killers and with another molar missing!



Paul and his frothy one!



Paul wanted one of the frothy ones, so I ordered two cappuccinos (see its in the genes) and a baby one for Darbs... as well as a caramel tart! The tart looked impressive and was tasted by all and gone in just a few bites! (I was given the challenge of cooking one like it the following weekend which I can report back on with mild success!)



The coffee arrived and Paul had not seen anything prettier, He didn't want to take a sip! I forget sometimes how much I take the look and feel of my coffee for granted.. something I definitely wont do in the future! (All part of my glass half full and smell the roses challenge!!) The coffee was great....... still somewhere  I will come and visit when I am in Bendigo! 

Oh and I cant wait to take Paul on a tour of some of my favorite coffee haunts next week!  I really am running my own Java Jane coffee adventures!

So Until Next time .... Life is too short to drink crappy coffee



PS - Just a little tribute to Patrick... a cousin taken way too soon and in a way that makes me still shake my head and wonder why the world can be soo screwed up sometimes.... It really isn't fair!

This is me with him and his sister Julia Rose.. about 15 years ago... me with terribly short and red hair! I'm sure I thought I looked sophisticated and classy... This is what will be my memory of him.. a cheeky guy that liked to rib me... and did very well at it too!  Life is way too short.... and so damn crazy at times...

Another cup of coffee



A week has passed and I haven't written.... how tardy of me... I have been drinking coffee this week , but not with the same vigour or necessity that I have been this year.. It is still essential to my daily routine remaining one of the fundamental pleasures of  my day, I just can't seem to write about it!

Maybe because I have had a sad week, another gentle man gone way  before their time. Another shock of the reality's of life and the sometimes really crappy and meaningless curve balls that it throws!  It does make me lose  that sense of invincibility, we are all fragile and every moment, day , week, month  is precious and we need to be mindful of that and live in the moment....and don't lose faith! 

I attended a "Happiness" seminar at work today and I took away all of these things... as well as being gentle and kind to ourselves, look out for each other , write down 3 blessings every day... even if it is that you survived another day.. and enjoy the time we have, by smiling, laughing and immersing your self in the things that you are good at and that make you happy!!  For me thats coffee drinking! (and on the odd occasion - writing!)

Looks just like me right?!?! In a cartoonish, glamorous kind of way!

In such an up and down week, I enjoyed coffee at places of comfort to me - Elevenses, The Corner Shop and Wee Jeannie - Plus a couple of newbies - The Truffula Seed (another one ticked off my list!) and A Pint of Milk  .... and then some on my Bendigo escape that were worth a mention as well - El Gordo and The Bendigo Corner Store. (see next blog post!)

First mention will go to the Truffula Seed... an Espresso bar  located in the Paris end of Collins St and nestled in the Shell house in Spring St ! The entry from Flinders lane was quite unique, I descended upon it from escalators above.. and it was a very very pretty site to see. The name of the cafe is inspired by the  Dr. Seuss book ‘The Lorax’, which is a story about the environment, industry and human nature... that explains that they run a sustainable no frills business, making sure to use ethically sourced beans from another one of my westie cafes "The Social Roasting Company"  and I'm guessing organic produce (and milk!). I was utterly mesmerised by the lit from within silhouettes that make up the coffee bench! If only i could get a replica and put it on my wall- check out my picture below and on their website!... It kind of reminds me of me... well  I'm not as delicate.. but I know it would inspire me to drink coffee everyday!  The coffee, with real chocolate sprinkles (a winner for me) was a the perfect warm anecdote on a very chilly Melbourne Afternoon! Why oh why does it have to be so far away! .....Ill come back here soon, if only to ask how I can get that picture!  

With Grandma!!

Next on the coffee of the week is a newbie (only open for a few weeks) .... The Pint of Milk.. in Williamstown (or Newport as the maps say!) ... Only about 3km from home, it is nice to add another one to the ever growing western suburbs  list! I have been here a couple of times and had lunch, this day with my mum who was down to visit. As you might have guessed the Pint of milk is an old milk bar fit out! Still selling bread and milk... and the odd mixed lolly bag  or two! The cafe is bright and open with  newly polished hardwood timber floors the only giveaway that this place hasn't been open for longer, soon they will  treaded on more and more and will have garner a authentic rustic feel (like the corner shop does). The food each time I have been here has been fresh and delicious! The coffee is also good, although I think they are still perfecting that.. but I'm guessing it wont be long, especially since using 5 senses beans!

Friday was a very draining and emotional day ... where coffee was pretty far from my mind! Although I did manage to get  an early one  from Omar and the marvellous coffee bird in Gardenvale...after Darby was dropped off with Grandpa Vic... I think I was inspired as Dave's dad gave me a wonderful and heartfelt surprise... A CD burned just for Java Jane.. with drumroll..... songs all about coffee.... It was a really touching thing to give me and it has been played in my car ever since.. Its magic to listen to artists such a KD Lang, Bob Dylan, Nat King Cole, Bill Haley  all singing about coffee!  It made a hard day feel a little easier and did give me that warm and fuzzy feeling that someone else in the universe is interested in what I am doing!

And on that note I will leave it there for today.. I will start my regular writing, curve balls and all from now on!! I am on the home straight... 38 cafes to go and I still have 28 weeks left of 2011!!

Until Next time... Life is too short to drink crappy coffee!!





PS: My newest craze in getting my life back to basics has been cooking my own bread, in the words of Nigella, there is nothing as satisfying as baking your own bread and their is some kind of whimsical nostalgia  that makes you feel very satisfied for all that hard work (well its not really that hard apart from a little kneading, which is more tension releasing and therapeutic than hard or annoying !!) ... and of course it tastes amazing straight from the oven with lashings of butter! I was amazed at just how simple and easy it is to do.. no bread maker required!  I just have to remember to not eat too much of it!!

You can leave your hat on!

     

I have recently noticed I have a fetish (and I think I may have started an obsession for Darby too!), maybe one greater than my love for coffee, well not quite, but its close! One I think I have always harboured, but this year its really reared its ugly head..(pardon the pun to come!)  Drum roll.. If you haven't guessed already ... yes my fetish is for HATS, mainly caps of the "Beatles era" kind!
 I'm guessing it is helped by the ridiculously cold Melbourne Weather, or quite possibly it is due to not having stepped foot  in a hairdressers in  waaayyy too long resulting in horrid regrowth and ahem..some nasty grey hairs, yikes I am getting old!!  Well maybe these at  least  explain my recent purchases of some rather fabulous Caps in which I am wearing every waking moment, except bed (well only on the odd occasion when I actually forget its on my head) and work (they really need to introduce them into the dress code!) And Besides, Winter is upon us and from what I remember most of our bodies heat is lost through our head... so they are an important and essential fashion accessory, right?  Oh and did I forget they look fabulously cool sipping on  soy cappuccinos! (as demonstrated above!)  
 Speaking of cool, I have been to some very cool places of late, so the 'Hat' adds that touch of mystery and edginess, that lets face it , without one,  I have none!

Jackson Dodds in all its glory

Waiting for our Table

First stop on my new Hat wearing  adventure is Jackson Dodd's in Preston. Now I'm not a regular to good old Preston, and I do admit that I got quite lost (again), thinking that I did know it better than I thought!

I found Jackson Dodds on a cold Sunday arvo... brimming with people, eager diners lining up to get a table! Darby and I joined that line... was it worth the wait! Hell Yes! The staff were gorgeous and looked after us every step of the way... We were seated outside next to the glorious heater.. mmm... I think I could actually smell my skin burning at one point.. ewww... but we were toasty!



My Loveheart!!

My coffee arrived swiftly and looked splendid... with a lovely Love heart atop! Darby turned to me in the most honest and heartbreakingly poignant thing when I took my first spoon full "Look Mum, your Heart is broken , It needs fixing" oh how he is spot on, but not in the sense I was thinking.. so damn innocent and so mature at the same time.. Bless Him..

I will store that memory away and hold it dear to my heart!

The coffee in itself was very soothing and just what I needed... We ordered some lunch to share and it was amazing! The yellowest egg yolks I had ever seen. Poached to Perfection.. If it wasn't so far away I would come back frequently (I think I find myself saying that alot these days!)

Jackson Dodds has a very cool vibe, relaxed and chilled and well pretty much awesome.. the kind of place hats seem like a good idea....

Dad and his flat white!

Oh and another very cute place I went (although I technically didn't have a coffee..but I wish I did) and where hats are a must  is in the very chilly town of Woodend..not technically on my list, but worthy of  a mention for a country destination: The Village Larder - they have a gorgeous logo of a very retro girl.. right up my alley and a blog as well.. check them out!! .. I joined my mum and dad for a coffee  here to pick up Darby from a weekend away galavanting in Bendigo... His babycino will be added to the years best and I managed to get a picture of my dad with his Flat White! He has drunk Flat white's since I have known him (a very long time!).. and I remember trying to make them for him when I was a kid, never getting the balance of coffee or milk just right.. but this one looks rather impressive!  

Stay tuned for more of my "hats" adventure.. plenty more to come!

Until Next time

Life is too short to drink crappy coffee xx



I'm back and its A Whole new World!



More Proud Mary Moments! Ahhhhhh

On Friday  I was like a little girl on Christmas morning !!! Skipping with enthusiasm to my local service station to pick up a copy of the  The Age Magazine Top 30 "Cafes"  (or coffeehouses as they may be more likely referred to  in the future!)  I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy and see who had made the grade! I wonder what I will be like when they release the Age Good Cafe Guide this month featuring 250 cafes, maybe leading me to dream the impossible dream! If I get through my 100 in one piece and not  admitted to some kind of clinic with a serious caffeine addiction ..then  what is  an extra 150 to do ! Easy peasy!!  



I was dying to see which ones I have already been to on "my journey" .... My Score card  read: 22 out of 30 and all since February!  Pretty impressive huh!?? Before February I was sitting at a measly 4 !!! That was before my coffee revolution... crazy what you can do in a few short months when you really have a goal huh!? So much easier than sticking to a diet to  lose that pesky 5kg!!  

Coming from a  relatively new coffee lover.. I think I have only dipped my toe in the water of what the Melbourne coffee scene is really like, and I like what I see..  I  think I am still  discovering that  I may  actually have a  a deep riding passion for coffee after all, well I don't know any other crazies doing such a thing.. but I'm sure they are out there and its only a matter of time before I bump into them over a soy cappuccino... my soul mate perhaps!?!?! 

 My  ability to never stop being surprised and delighted by everything ,big or small  is a quality I love about myself  ....  and It has allowed me to see that I am so much more a creative - right -side- brain  person than I ever thought I was... better than any Myers Briggs assessment would tell me !  

Now I only have 38 to go... and  I have no  one holding me back.. I'm running my own show and  I actually know I will achieve this goal... I am excited and exhilarated thinking about it! 

This new found confidence is now ready to be applied to other aspects of my life! I'm not saying I'm not still feeling sad and sorry for myself at times, I am ..... but  I have Adele on  my play lists to help me thought that ... Coffee has allowed me to immerse myself in the world all by myself and without having to really try, but now I am ready for the scary stuff.. putting myself back on the dating scene... the thought of it runs shivers of terror down my spine.. but hey gotta start somewhere!! Will keep you posted on this one if there are any developments, a handsome barista perhaps, I don't think there is a shortage of those.... 

As  for coffee this week, the highlights again have  been the Pastel cups!!! This time at Hardware Societe.. I have a love love love of pastel cups... as seen in Proud Mary and also at Duchess of Spotswood too!! They just look so pretty and I feel so elegant drinking my coffee... ahhhh... I am going to find some, but it wont be the same drinking out of them at home...Ok so back to Hardware Societe. I walked there at lunch time, a 30 minute power walk round trip! The coffee was fabulous and soo cheap $3, seriously for a soy too.. pity it is on the other side of the city! The french inspired cafe is so inviting with warm yellow splashed everywhere and little touches that demonstrate they care about the little things... and I wished I could have stayed for lunch the food on other people tables looked so appetising, next visit  for sure. I might have to swap my coffee for a Pot of Tea, served with a tea cosie and all!  Lovely!

Kate out the front of Proud Mary
Very Happy with her coffee!!!!

I did make it back to Proud Mary on Saturday with Laura and Kate.. slightly under the weather  from a few too many vino's the night before.. I could still manage to get myself to order a coffee here.. normally a big no-no in my hangover recovery book... but how can you resist at one of the best places to drink coffee  in Melbourne! I don't regret it! It was so smooth and actually fixed my headache and gave me the caffeine kick that I needed to get through the day! We ate breakfast here as well which was the perfect hangover cure!The Hash browns are a must!!  The staff were attentive and friendly, and very helpful  and the noise that normally engulfs cafes on a Saturday was not even an issue!  I feel redeemed from my suggestion to come here after my last cafe suggestion backfired in February! 

Will be back here without a doubt! 

I also picked up some very helpful and pretty postcards  that explained all the different coffee brewing methods from French Press, to Syphon, Chemex and Espresso! They have dispelled a few  mysteries for me and I may one day actually order a Pour over...



A cup of Teal Goodness from the Duchess! 

On Monday I went to another home of Pastel Cups... Duchess of Spotswood, just a few short minutes from home and a diamond in what is a rough industrial area of Melbourne.. The barista wearing a very funky hat... (read my next blog all about hats!) served up a strong and sweet coffee in a wonderful Teal cup and pale blue saucer (and Darby had his in a pale pink cup! ) I keep meaning to come here to eat, as the reputation of the food produced here is pretty high and the anticipation is making me want it more... Monday morning is a perfect time to do it and escape the weekend traffic! We might even walk here to work off what could be a very decadent treat!

Ahh well that's it from the week.. I will be back to my regular  posts from now on!  

Until Next time... Lifes too short to drink crappy coffee... xxx