Handsome Steve on Handsome Steve’s House of Refreshment: ‘The key is minimalism: stripping stuff away rather than adding. The essence of a wog bar is that there is no need for a menu, as you know it will have croissants, some cheese, some ham, and good bread perhaps and of course great coffee.’

Handsome Steve on the Convent location: ‘I expected to be either rejected outright or nibbled to death on the details. To my surprise and delight, the far-sighted people at the Convent gave the go-ahead: yes, you can put terrazzo on the floor; yes, by all means paint a giant mural on the corridor wall.’

Handsome Steve on growing up: ‘I asked my Dad, well into his eighties, if this growing up business gets any easier as the years tick by. He said no, it didn’t. That’s when I decided we all needed a place where we could leave the everyday world behind for a spell: the House of Refreshment.’

What more can we say?

So, it’s Friday the 13th. Seems an appropriate time to talk about Bernard’s Magic Shop. This darling little store is like our very own never-ending carny. Open since 1937, it retains its old-world romance - staunchly determined to bring some magic into city life. But it’s not all poo-poo cushions and fake vomit, down the back, past the novelty items is the serious stuff: books and devices only for the brethren of magicians. And then there’s everything in between, from juggling supplies to ventriloquist’s dolls. There’s always room for more magic in a day; do stop in next time you’re in town.

• Quietly walk from room to room and switch off unused appliances at the wall
• Put on a cardigan instead of the heater
• Don’t drive: use a tram, train, bike or bus
• Using junk mail, cut and paste a ‘No Junk Mail’ sign for the letterbox
• Do less: go to bed early and read

Thursday 5 June is World Environment Day – the UN’s initiative to popularise reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. To really get into the spirit, calculate the household’s emissions and create an offset account. Or just slow down and spend less energy all-round.

Hear

Help us. What is the sound of spring in Melbourne? The most obvious one is the footy. The sound of the siren is evocative any time of year but doesn’t it seem louder and livelier, almost joyful in September? Almost like it’s celebrating the great local game and the arrival of spring. The strains of rollicking crowds, barrackers and melodramatic commentators rise up into a thumping crescendo before exploding into the club song of the new premiers…played over and over by the two brass-blowing buskers outside the ground.

And then what can you hear that’s specific to spring? The excited chirping of birds, rivers resounding to the kinking of bell miners, the whistle and wail of Puffing Billy as it stirs the bush from its wintry stillness?

Smell

Spring uncovers the joy of Jasmine in Melbourne. This forgotten backyard inhabitant holds old fences together, covers the shed and provides an organic wildness to an otherwise manicured world. But in Spring, Jasmine with it's heady white fragrance up lifts with the promise of warmer days to come. What's the eau du October in your neighbourhood? (From Melinda.)

Walks

Anyone wanting to reshape their views of Melbourne should do a walking tour of the city with Dean Stewart from Koorie Heritage Trust. The tours are absolutely brilliant and definitely succeed in "stripping back the layers" of Melbourne, as Dean says he aims to do. Starting along the Yarra River opposite Crown, Dean paints truly vivid pictures of what Melbourne would have been like before, and at the point of, first European contact. You can imagine the local Aboriginal people camping along the banks of the river, crossing the river at the sacred waterfall that once crossed the Yarra, and gathering food stuffs amongst the reeds. Tours end near Fed Square, where I learnt for the first time that the MCG actually sits on a traditional corroborree spot where clans used to meet for entertainment - not much has changed in that department! The whole experience is both educational and entertaining, and Dean is a rivetting and passionate personality. Completely changed my views of Melbourne and gave me a new appreciation for what lies beneath our busy and noisy city!! For more info, visit www.koorieheritagetrust.com/education The website says the tours are only for groups of 15 or more, but I'm assured there are opportunities for individuals and I'll update this post when I get more info. (From Emma.)

Taste

A green revolution has sprouted here in recent years, with fabulous farmers’ markets countering supermarket bland and delivering tasty and local produce to a growing brigade of mindful Melburnians. They provide great opportunity to meet growers, talk food, shop seasonally and engage. Compare the spring in your step as you leave a farmers’ market laden with wholesome flavours to the drudge from your local supermarket. There’s a great farmers’ market somewhere in Melbourne every Saturday. See your book for reviews and listings, but here’s a quick guide:

First Saturday of the month: Veg Out in St Kilda, Kingston Farmers’ Market
Second Saturday: Collingwood Children’s Farm
Third Saturday: Gasworks in Albert Park, Boroondara in Hawthorn East
Fourth Saturday: Slow Food at Abbotsford Convent
Every Saturday & Wed: Ceres in Brunswick

Play

For the record, when we played Trugo while researching The Slow Guide to Melbourne I trounced photographer James Braund so bad that his dignity was down around his ankles. Trugo is perhaps the most Melbourne of sports, and as our host, Gerald Strachan of the Brunswick City Trugo club lamented, “it’s dying mate, it’s dying”.

Rail workers in Newport invented Trugo in 1924, to help them pass downtime in the yards. Some clever clog took a ring-shaped rubber buffer off a train, and tried to pelt it with a mallet through two cans at the other end of the carriage. “When the ring went through the posts”, says Gerald, “observers yelled ‘true go, that was a true go’ and hence the name”.

The game became more organised and grew in popularity among the rail workers of the western suburbs, and then beyond to the working classes throughout the city. Men and women play together, the gents swinging the mallet between their legs with their backs to goal, women swinging to the side.

Trugo, once the preserve of the over-65s, was opened to all-comers in the 1990s in the hope of preserving the game. Gerald’s 34-year-old son Patrick is his doubles partner and they’re the reigning doubles champions of…well, seeing as though the game is only played in Melbourne, they’re the Trugo doubles champions of the world! Tout le monde!!!

But the traditional player base is dying off and the young folk aren’t joining in sufficient numbers. This unique piece of local culture is endangered, its last legs about to be kicked out by an increasingly homogenised world. There are only six clubs left: Brunswick, Footscray, Yarraville, Port Melbourne, Ascot Vale and current champions Sandridge. And less than a hundred registered players.

The new season has just started. Games end with a “beer or two” in the local pub. “It’s all about having a bit of fun and being sociable. Anyone can come along for a hit”, says Gerald. So if you’re interested in enjoying yourself, connecting with the community, preserving local heritage and setting your own trend, give Gerald a call on 9386 6708, and he’ll put you in touch with your nearest club.