Friday 13 November 2009 at 12:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Sir Neville Marriner, founder of the legendary Academy of St Martin in the Fields, will be talking and signing CDs in-store. He will be performing with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra in Melbourne Recital Centre, 15-19 November. Concert details are at www.mco.org.au. Sir Neville revolutionised the performance of classical music in the western world with his famous orchestra. Most of us have a CD of his in our collections - he is the most-recorded classical musician in the world today. Now a distinguished conductor in Europe and the USA, he is making only his second-ever trip to Australia.
Archives for September, 2009
This wine is still quite racy for something that has been sitting around for a while. Very translucent in the glass with layers of mashed strawberry and oak. The palate is very Burgundy, with a great mix of spice, tomato leaf, beetroot and rhubarb – a lot going on I’d say. I had this wine in a decanter for about three hours and it didn’t miss a beat with the acid still shining through right to the last drop. Really enjoyed this one. Oh yeah, it’s a Serge Carlei wine - the biodynamic pioneer in Victoria - so it's bio-organic, ...
On a recent Friday night I enjoyed a splendid dinner with a friend at Mutti’s Austrian restaurant on Elgin St in Carlton. The food and beer are fantastic, and it has already been positively reviewed by Hookturns, Melbourne delectable and Sarah cooks. There’s only one trivial thing wrong with Mutti’s – the music. On arrival I was greeted by an elevator muzak version of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Miss You’. Later I recognised a muzak version of ‘I Shot the Sherriff’. It’s a good thing Bob Marley was a pacifist. I’m not sure about Eric Clapton, but Keith Richards is likely ...
La Mama is an intimate one-room shoebox tucked away in Carlton, and it’s a terrible/wonderful theatre space. Terrible if you’re stuck with a boring show, as there’s nowhere to hide, snooze or make a hasty escape. Wonderful if you’re sharing the space with a witty, invigorating production, as the sense of intimacy really feels like you’re witness to an exciting secret. UK theatre duo Ridiculusmus have brought their works-in-progress Goodbye Princes, Total Football and A Conversation About Comedy to La Mama as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. David Woods and Jon Haynes are my comedic heroes ever since I saw ...
For a smallish city of 4 million people, I think that the Melbourne restaurant scene is disproportionately vibrant – it seems every month I add yet another dozen new restaurant openings to my must-eat-and-blog list. Yet Melbourne has an even longer list of under-appreciated stalwarts, the restaurants and cafes who do their stuff without celebrities, fanfare and month-long waitlists, but who have, over the years, provided my hungry (and critical) tummy with consistently good food coupled with great service at an affordable price. For me, Donnini’s is one such classic. The relaxed and stylish Italian restaurant is a beacon of culinary light ...
This is my second coffee for the day. It will be my last.Miraculous, really, after only four hours of sleep.But I've been propping myself up quite successfully with these coffee cookies LLL made last week.They are seriously amazing.There's a few handfuls of ground-up Seven Seeds in there.Yes, real coffee grounds.And a bean (or two if you're lucky) on each one.I'm not sure how many cookies you have to eat to get the effects of a cup of coffee, but somewhere around five should do it.I'm not sure how this fits in with my blogging rules: do I need to ...
A lovely group of little book lovers and their parents and grandparents came to our first pre-school story time on Thursday. Children's specialist, Leanne, read a couple of stories, including Doodle Bites, about a mischievous crocodile who upsets everyone by biting them - including some of the kids - who were looking a little upset until Doodle apologised and promised he wouldn't bite any of his friends again! Pre-school story time will be held every Thursday between 10.30am and 11am in the children's section of Readings Carlton from Thursday 24 September until Thursday 19 November, 2009. All littlies and their parents welcome.
I often worry about getting a takeaway short mac or espresso in a paper cup on a day this cold and windy. There was a serious danger of it cooling down too much just between the shop and the car.But a short drink isn't going to sit around long enough to get too cold. One traffic light, and you're done.And if your cup holders* are as stupidly-placed as mine, that empty cup will get annoying. But you'll have doubts about throwing it in the back seat. That last drop that you couldn't get to roll out ...
The night started off perfectly. I found a carpark directly out the front of this urbane cool restaurant and wine bar. Little Markov is the name of the bar out the front and once you walk through here you will find Markov Place, a gorgeous looking restaurant with a warm warehouse feel about it. The first thing that comes to mind when I think back to my dining experience at Markov was not of the food but the light fittings. Occasionally the artist in me comes out but rather than paintbrush in hand it is generally ...
Another conference and a lecture. Also being held at the University of Melbourne, details below.As one reader commented on the below post it is a pity that it can be so hard to find out about various events to do with the arts, art history etc. I will try and post them here when I hear about them but it would be good to have something that was more devoted to it. I have a few ideas and am trying to get a sort of arts/art history diary going with another organisation I am part of and will post about ...
Tuesday 20 October 2009 at 6:00pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Here's your chance to see this acclaimed singer-songwriter formely of The Felice Brothers and now of The Duke and the King playing live in-store Free, no need to book.
John White - Queen Victoria Monument, Bendigo Vic. 1903: “An Empire Upon Which the Sun Never Sets” (Photo: Bronwyn Hughes) via Symposium website.An upcoming symposium at Melbourne University that may be of interest. It is completely free and members of the public are very much encouraged to attend. Full details can be found at the website here. A SymposiumHosted jointly by the Art History Program, School of Culture and Communication and The Australian Centre, School of Historical Studies, The University of Melbourne ...
Get in your car and put on Meatloaf's dorkily awesome rock-ballad 'I Would do Anything for Love'.Turn up super loud. As you drive, sing at the top of your lungs as though you are in the fantastically overblown and decadent nineties music video (try to do emphatic gesturing if possible). During the instrumental section, pick up the camera off the car seat next to you and take a photo through the rain dappled windscreen of the rainbow that has appeared during one of Melbourne's afternoon sunshine showers:Let iPod shuffle take you into 'Computer Camp Love' by Datarock:Car dance - wriggle ...
Cindy and I have had some good meals at Pizza Meine Leibe in Northcote, but the place has a few problems: it's too far away for a lazy night out and you probably need to book to make sure you'll get a table. Problem solved! Bande a Part in North Carlton is a Meine Leibe's closer, emptier sister. We turned up with Mike and Jo on a Wednesday evening and had our pick of tables in the spacious and trendy interior.The friendly staff quickly had us sipping our first beers and perusing the long and varied menu. ...
Sunday 11 October 2009 at 2:00pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Melbourne jazz group, Frock, has spent much of the last 12 years producing six c.d.'s of orginal pieces and touring Europe, Singapore and much of Australia. For it's most recent recording, "Father, Son & Holy Ghost" released on ABC Jazz, the band decided to turn its attention to three artists that have produced, and still continue to produce, a vast array and variety of work. Frock has covered the work of Don Walker, Neil Finn and Nick Cave arranging their music with the inventiveness and humour the Frock has become known for
Every Thursday between 10.30am and 11am join us in the children's section of Readings Carlton for story time for pre-schoolers. Readings staff will be reading out stories from their favourite books - new and old! Starts Thursday 24 September and runs through until Thursday 19 November, 2009. Please note! This is not a child-minding service. We ask that parents stay with their children for the reading. To find out more please call us on 9347 6633 or email events@readings.com.au.
Wednesday 28 October 2009 at 5:00pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Peter Temple will be at the Carlton shop signing copies of his new book Truth at 5pm.
Easily one of the best place to get coffee in Melbourne is @ Seven Seeds, this funky cafe is situated nearby the Melbourne University Law building. Like Sister Cafes St. Ali (South Melbourne), Liar Liar (Hawthorn), BBB (CBD), Seven Seeds serves specialty coffees. Also on display are the latest in range in espresso machines and uber-talented baristas strutting their stuff.Seven SeedsCyclist-FriendlyHave a cuppa: Latte & CappuccinoSeven Seeds: on the outsideSeven Seeds106 Berkeley StCarlton VIC 3053Ph: (03) 9347 8664Monday to Saturday 7am-5pm andSunday 8:00am-4pmhttp://www.sevenseeds.com.au/Score: 3.5/5
These cupcakes (not pictured) are dangerous. I just went for a small one today. But that didn't help. It just made me wish I'd had a big one.
Tuesday 27 October 2009 at 6:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053David’s book, Overcoming Pain is a practical guide to understanding and overcoming persistent back pain and neck pain. It is written by an Australian physiotherapist with personal and professional experience of what is required to overcome pain that just won't go away. David's message is confrontational, realistic, practical and it works! Free, no need to book.
Wednesday 28 October 2009 at 6:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Dominique’s new book of poetry, Out of Bounds is a sequence of poems in three parts. It is a double story of dislocation that explores autobiographical fragments drawing on the protagonist¹s experience of migration and motherhood. It draws together the two strands to reveal a subject at pains to re-define herself through language in a space circumscribed by sexuality, culture, and post-colonial politics. Succinct and astonishingly vivid, these pieces stretch the boundaries of language and literary form. Free, no need to book.
Thursday 29 October 2009 at 6:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053Michael is the former editor of The Age, and a well -known media figure. His new book, Rocky and Gawenda, is about his relationship with his dog.. This is a beautiful book on family, friends, and how to make a life after work. Free, but please book on 9347 6633 or by email.
“When people say there is too much violence in [my books], what they are saying is there is too much reality in life.” Joyce Carol Oates One man being hounded at the moment because of the violence in his art is Quentin Tarantino over his new film Inglourious Basterds, a pulp action-thriller set during WWII. I will admit that Reservoir Dogs is one of my all-time favourite movies, but I haven't watched many of Tarantino's films since. I gave up after Natural Born Killers - I don't even think I watched it all the way through. But a friend convinced me that Inglourious Basterds was worth seeing, and I wasn't disappointed. ...
Wednesday 21 October 2009 at 6:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053After revealing the decay of public language in Death Sentence and then compiling the hilarious Watson’s Dictionary of Weasel Words, bestselling author Don Watson turns his acerbic wit to the rise of modern management language, which has invaded every sphere of life. Bendable Learnings is a mind-boggling assortment of noxious management drivel and financial-market blather, compiled and introduced by Watson, whose sharp satire restores hope in the power of well chosen words to entertain and to inspire. Free, but please book on 9347 6633 or by email.
Friday 23 October 2009 at 6:30pmReadings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053This year Victoria University’s Offset magazine have gone multimedia. Come and see what all the fuss is about! Free, no need to book.
