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!!

Coffee in the Golden Central (and the misery of a tooth ache comes to an end!)

 I was seriously concerned with the thought of going coffee free on Good Friday.. I know I have probably  sinned this year (I wont divulge what though)  but I didn't want 'no coffee'  to be my penance (little did I know what lay ahead !) I could think of plenty of things I could go without to cleanse me of my sins.... but this year coffee was not to be one!  

When mum told me the new cafe in Bendigo that has been venturing into what I think is  new Melbourne esque territory was open - ie getting serious about their coffee, open in an old corner store in a residential area away from any other hustle and bustle  - (note: apologies to other Bendigoian cafes... I don't visit very often and I haven't seen this coffee lovin in action anywhere else yet) I thanked the Lord! Hallelujah, prayers have been answered on the most religious day of the year!!! Phew, What a relief!!!

We headed to the Bendigo Corner Store (the name sounds oddly familiar doesn't it!) I was pleasantly surprised with their set up! A modern, and simple decor, but it had a warm and open feel and  they were obviously serious about their coffee... offering a Single Origin Kiam from Papa New Guinea to try!

The store, once a milk bar, and still serving the essentials, (Fresh Bread, Local Milk, Free Range Eggs, Papers and a few treats and ice creams) now focuses heavily on coffee and delivering fresh, simple and vibrant food. We sat in what would have been the back yard, set up appropriately for kids to play with a Sand Box and a Blackboard, whilst the mums and dads can sip their lattes in the Sun... nice touch!

There is also an indoor room with comfy couches that has been elegantly designed, but also features an array of kids toys and books... most likely  for the younger ones not on the move yet.  There is still plenty of room for those that don't have little kids with a large dining area and a bar overlooking the street at the front.

My coffee came and it looked lovely, with a sweet chocolate crema on top. Their coffee of choice is Espresso Syndicate, roasters of organic fair trade beans (good to hear) using where possible sustainable practices and based in Richmond. I don't think I have had their coffee before, but my soy cappuccino was lovely and smooth and ,very easy to drink! Such a relief to drink coffee from a cafe with passion and purpose! Well done! When I'm back in Bendigo, Ill be coming back here for sure! I dropped in again at the end of my weekend for a takeaway and had a gorgeous and strong coffee... can't wait to come back here again.

On another note, my tooth drama came to a dramatic end! On Good Friday night, after a lovely day sipping local coffee, helping Darby in an Easter egg hunt and enjoying all the Easter goodies Bendigo has to offer, I cooked my family a lovely meal and when I was ready to put my feet up for the night - the PAIN set in, not the regular aching pain I have been having recently but thunderous, throbbing, scream out loud pain! No pain killer I had even touched the sides... so my kind sister took me into Emergency Room to get something for the excruciating mess I was in ! Six hours later at 2am I was finally seen ...(I wont even get into the details of the waiting room dramas. I am trying to block it out of my mind!)
Injected with Pain killers and sent home with Panadeine Forte, I was told very helpfully that my Easter was over and I would have to go back to Melbourne to get to a dentist immediately, basically it was a joke (and a miracle) if I could  find a dentist in Bendigo. Well believing  in miracles is something I do,  So In a desperate attempt to avoid going back to Melbourne, I called around every Dentist with no luck! My sixth or seventh call I got an answer, within a minute I was booked in at 1.00pm for an extraction! The Dentist was a tad eccentric, tad sarcastic  but very helpful and amusing so I was in and out in 30 minutes, one tooth less and with hopefully pain gone! Needless to say I didn't feel like drinking coffee for a few days... maybe I was being punished... (just God was a day later!)  

Before I go, a big congrats to my gorgeous friend Mrs Moss (nee Egan) who was married in England a week before the Royal  wedding.... I was very excited to speak to her on the day (so sad i wasn't there)  and cant wait to see her at the end of the year to celebrate!

Until Next time xxx (and hopefully at number 50!)