Colourful Creations keeping Yarraville warm this winter!

This week hasn't been a great one.. both Darby and I have succumbed to colds and infections (God I hate winter weather and the germs that come with it.. and it  hasn't event clocked over 1st June yet)

So it was a nice warming surprise to find these genius post warmers, near our train station in Yarraville. I just had to get a picture for Amelia from Weddings Babies Everything.. these reminded me of her gorgeous crochet attempts of late! I wish I could take them all home and wrap myself in their warmth.. but at least they put a smile on our faces! 

I am Linking up today with Trish for Wordless Wednesday at  My Little Drummer Boys

Until next time, Life is too short for crappy coffee

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!!

Manic Monday



Darbs riding down the street!

 It feels like deja vu again, another Monday here again so quickly and I am doing what i did last Monday! Soon they will all blend into one long long long monday with no car,  spent sipping coffees at the corner shop, whilst wrangling a 3 year old! Ah life, it really is bliss!!!



Yummy Ginger Flower biscuit mmmm

As I preempted I did have some Children's bookshop negotiating to do before I could enjoy my morning coffee ! Darby was very persistent about going in, and so like every desperate parent does at some point in time, the little 'white lie' came out! It involved an (invisible) rubbish truck driving by.. I was crossing my fingers a real one would actually drive by to back me up.   I also promised a Ginger flower biscuit! Yes.... the  distracting worked! 1 point for mum!



Soy Cappuccino mmmmm



Now onto the coffee... it was as good as ever, I can never fault the coffee here. I particularly love the coffee supreme cream and gold cups, they are gorgeous. Very art deco! If only I knew where I could get some.....



I love sitting  at the window with Darby watching the yarraville village go by, time just goes and Darby is so well behaved, we read the paper together and sip our coffees/babycinos. I get put in my place when I try to take a bit of his biscuit "No mum you drink your Soy Cappucino, Darby is eating the biscuit thanks!" Very Diplomatic!



Best Babycino in town!



Luckily for Darby (and for me) we saw a Rubbish Truck on the way home and that made Darbys day... and me feel a little less guilty about  my little lie!



Until next time xxx



mmm real chocolate!!

Marshmallow!

Just down to the corner shop

Its a Monday morning and the search for good coffee is on! I decide to go local today and visit the Corner Shop in Yarraville - this is only a short walk away from home and is always worth it!
First off Darby and I stop off in the children's bookstore next door, (the only downfall for going to this place is this darn bookstore, I tried the "its not open on Monday line" but that failed when he noticed the door was wide open and a happy child walked out with a book under his arm! Damn!!
 My coffee trip to the Corner shop often costs me a book as a trade off, normally I try to resist but today I was not in the mood for bargaining with a 3 year old, or for any tantrums that would surely follow.
My coffee time is my zen, so I didn't want to have Darby screaming or running around.. and today as a result of the Maisy book, he was very well behaved ... on most occasions he is fantastic but I had a feeling today could have turned the other way!
Here he is engrossed in his Maisy books! Bless!!

We sat at the bench seats overlooking Ballarat St and I ordered my Soy Cappuccino! The thing I enjoy almost more than the coffee itself is the  Real chocolate sprinkle on top.. the gorgeous dark chocolate sprinkles melt in your mouth and tastes heavenly when mixed with  the coffee froth on top.. This is my real treat of the day! If I'm lucky some  sprinkles will sink to the bottom of the cup and I have them in my last sip! I really am a child at heart!  Bliss!  I think that's why I keep coming back.......

Here it is a few minutes later... and I'm one satisfied customer!

Before I go, I also better clear up a contentious issue I'm having with my ex partner! Its not really the kind of problem you think we would be having  but it is an issue we cannot agree on.. What is the difference between a Latte and Cappuccino????????


Well to solve it I took to Google to seek their advice.... and found this definition on Wikipedia!


Caffè latte or caffè e latte is often called simply latte, which is Italian for "milk", in English-speaking countries; it is espresso with steamed milk, traditionally topped with froth created from steaming the milk. A latte comprises one-third espresso and nearly two-thirds steamed milk. More frothed milk makes it weaker than a cappuccino. A latte is also commonly served in a tall glass; if the espresso is slowly poured into the frothed milk from the rim of the glass, three layers of different shades will form, with the milk at the bottom, the froth on top and the espresso in between

Cappuccino comprises equal parts of espresso coffee and milk and froth^{[citation needed]}, sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon or powdered cocoa

I hope that sorts out our disagreement for now....


Looking forward to a work day tomorrow and trying a city establishment...
Until then x

Its Raining its Pouring!

Ahh well my coffee endeavours were very noble today! I visited a '3 beaner' from the coffee review and it was well worth it!
St Ali in South Melbourne is another one of these cafes that is soo hard to find, tucked down a side street alley, but is always bursting with people. Today was no exception, I managed to get myself a seat in the corner at a counter and salivated over every ones yummy looking breakfasts, mind you I had just put in an hours worth of hard core exercise at the Botanical Gardens, so I felt as though I earnt something tasty! Alas I resisted and ordered my usual coffee. Although I had to wait quite awhile for it, the coffee was faultless and it was gone in just a few sips. My guzzling of caffeine made me want to order another straight up but instead I made  my first coffee purchase for home. A bag of the House blend coffee ground for my percolator.... I cant wait to try it tomorrow morning! This resolution could turn out more expensive than I anticipated! Oh well, its all in the name of research!


Last night Melbourne saw sooo much rain, I was oblivious to most of this as I was on a date with Laura R at the movies. Before we went to the pics  we had dinner at the Corner Shop in Yarraville. I ordered a Soy  Mocha and as usual I could not fault there coffee, it was divine... I've never had a bad coffee experience here...