They carefully curate their stock to ensure that their beer ‘displays a strong sense of local or regional identity, and that also supports or adheres to local traditions’. Swoon.

But, like anyone newly smitten, we still turn to our friends for approval. Make a date to meet our lager suitor yourselves by checking their website, or visit their blog to keep up to date with the new arrivals and tastings.

image from www.slowbeer.com.au

Slow Beer can be found at 63 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn. p. (03) 9078 7995

But not this July!

Every Friday from 1 to 29 July, the City of Melbourne is putting on a free fireworks show to light up Victoria Harbour at Docklands. Every show will be set to music and will have a distinct theme (including Symphonies of Fire and Jazzing up the Sky). The best spots to see the show are probably Waterfront City or NewQuay, so take a stroll through Harbour Town or enjoy a meal or after-work drink before you claim your spot.

1st July: Docklands goes Gaga
8th July: Symphonies of Fire
15th July: Rock at the Dock
22nd July: Jazzing up the Sky
29th July: Final Countdown

• A Children’s Lantern Parade
• Fire Performers
• Food Stalls
• A bar
• And, of course, a big crackling bonfire!

Tickets sold out last year, so don’t be slow getting yours here.

This Friday, the second annual eco-market will be held at the corner of Bourke Street and Harbour Esplanade, Docklands. From noon til 2pm you can browse craft stalls, sample local produce and see fresh-food cooking demonstrations by Kane Lilywhite and Lee Chan (Victoria’s My Kitchen Rules contestants).

And on Sunday, commemorate World Environment Day (and the Year of the Forest) by popping down to Royal Park. From 1pm to 4pm, celebrate our wonderful indigenous flora and fauna by planting some native plants and grasses. Plants and shovels will be provided, so just bring the kids (and make sure you dress them in something you’re not afraid to wash!)

Fittingly, both events are easily accessible by public transport – so train, tram or bus your way in just to make it all the more worthwhile.

(image from www.thatsmelbourne.com.au)

the book (images by shona stark).

the printing process (images by dave carswell).

COOKBOOK north/south will be launching at Craft Victoria / 6 – 8pm Monday 29th Nov /31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Melbourne Bikefest starts today and with all this glorious weather (minus the winds), it’s hard not to be feeling inspired about jumping on the saddle and celebrating how good it is to have a bike in Melbourne. Here’s a few events we’re looking forward to…

The Opening Night Party happens tonight and apart from the usual festivities, the folk from Bikefest will be bringing some old fashioned class to the event in the guise of a bike valet service ////There might not be a bench seat to cosy up to your sweetheart, but who isn’t intrigued by the novelty of going to see a Ride in Movie////There’s also going to be a special Bikefest edition of Craft Hatch, that lovely incubator of crafty, handmade goodness in the theme of all things bicycle.

Much, much more here.

The game of Klop might just have the moves to supersede the clack of bocce balls on dried lawns this summer time… Hailing from Finland, woodsmen from the Finnish-Russian border are said to have started tossing logs because the sound of wood-hitting-wood scared off the hungry bears.

Back in the ‘burbs, the rules of Klop are pretty simple. Under-arm throw a wooden block, called the chuck, at a group of numbered pegs. If you hit a peg, you score however many points were written on it, with the aim of getting to 50 points.

For the super competitive, The Third National Klop Championships are happening at Birrarung Marr this Saturday and anyone can register to play. Yep, you could be a national champion! Klop is said to be kind on the amateur, so no worries if you haven’t been practicing chucking sticks around the back yard… All the details are here.

The word ‘dingbat’ originally refers to to a character or symbol used in typesetting which gives an instruction to the printer. These are supposed to be removed before the text is published, but were occasionally left in by mistake. The character made no sense to non-typesetters and the association of ‘dingbat’ with ‘nonsense’ and ‘forgetfulness’ carried over to describe people.

Ta, Google…

I currently work from home running my ‘local-centric empire’ This is Your Kingdom (TiYK) – an insider’s guide to lovely local things to do in the UK. As I am always on the look out for lovely stuff to feature and am generally a.) not very good at sitting still and b.) not terribly keen on being inside, I can often be found pottering around my local area under the guise of carrying out important ‘research’.

So… my perfect Autumn outing in SW11… This would begin with a potter across the common (past my favourite oak tree) and down to Northcote Road – home to the most brilliant selection of independent shops, lovely locals and yummy cafes. On arrival I am usually lured into my favourite foodie hangout, Brew, for one of their delicious lattes accompanied by soft boiled eggs and toasted sourdough marmite soldiers. Ideally I would secure a perch at one of their outdoor tables (under the heat lamp for extra cosy factor) where I would tinker around on my laptop, utilising the free wi-fi, in a bid to appear productive…

Then, positively stuffed and feeling reasonably pleased with myself I would then set off to Northcote Road Antiques Market in search of a reward for my good behaviour. It usually takes longer than expected to reach the market as, being hidden away at the end of Northcote, you are required to ‘pass’ a great number of rather lovely looking shops on the way… One safely inside Northcote’s ‘best kept secret’ I would then turn my attention to the serious business of purchasing a suitably lovely trinket. Being of an age when lots of my friends are getting married and having babies – this is a brilliant place to pick up a unique and lovely gift for that special occasion.. My current favourite picks have to be the lovely pieces of vintage glassware and antique silver which are always very well received.

Being a country girl at heart my outing would usually end with a wander round Clapham Common which, luckily for me, lives just at the end of my road. This 220 acre park provides a mass of gorgeous green space for all the surrounding residents, a lovely spot to meet and greet friends and family, it is also home to hundreds of majestic looking trees which, at this time of year, are certainly at their most beautiful… After this well needed blast of fresh air I would then head home for more TiYK-ing accompanied by a cup of earl grey and a large slab of cake.

Written by Hannah, founder of www.thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

TiYK are always on the look out for lovely local things things to feature to raise awareness of all the fabulous independents on your doorstep. If you run a lovely business or are simply a passionate localite, send TiYK a few words (or more if you fancy!) about your favourite local thing to see or do (sadly this cannot be your own venture). Provided it fulfills TiYK’s ‘lovely, local and independent’ criteria, it will be published on the site for all to see – accompanied by a suitably detailed accreditation by way of a thank you of course.

more images here

The skills and creativity of the clever students at The Social Studio, a training initiative in fashion design for refugees and people from disadvantaged communities, were on parade last night, meaning they’re deserving of a proper slow down post-show. Particularly so, given the rain and thunder that Melbourne turned on. Collaborating with Hunter Gatherer, the young design students showed off the new collection of reworked vintage garments in a parade  held in the middle of Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.  A good ol’ fashioned street party…

You can source some of these pieces for yourself at their shop come studio come cafe, tucked into Smith Street, Collingwood.

The Social Studio 128 Smith St, Collingwood