Cup Day is upon us and we’re taking a mini- break on Monday and Tuesday.

If you have children, grandchildren or family in the throes of VCE exams it might not be that relaxing at home (like me) … but for the majority … it’s like the transition weekend to the Christmas season right? And summer … how exciting.

It’s certainly the case at ACC. We’ll be launching into organising the Christmas Makers Market as soon as we’re back.

The Market is on Saturday 21 November from 11am-2pm - come along and get your Christmas gifts sorted before December starts (then you’ll feel so organised and generally amazing!). Also, if you could help on the BBQ for a bit we’d be ever so happy. In particular we need some assistance from 12.30-2pm. You can sign up here.

We’re also starting planning for next year and after some ideas from you. Check out the post below for more info.

See you from Wednesday onwards.

Cheers Leanne

Do you love trivia? We hope to put together a table for the Friends of Baucau trivia night fundraiser coming up on Wednesday 18 November.

Tickets cost $60 or $45 for concession - but all the money goes to supporting on-the-ground community organisations in Timor-Leste.

If you want to join in please email us here. We’ll then coordinate booking seats at an ACC table.

Alternatively you might have a group of trivia buff friends and put together your own table - and then here’s the link to book directly.

We are currently starting to get organised for next year, and we are open to adding some new programs to our schedule. If anyone has an idea for a great program or workshop that you would like to set up, or know of something great that we could possibly offer, please email us at info@alphington.org.au.

We love having volunteers come along and run activities like John’s Heart-Centred Breathwork and Men’s Breakfasts, and Rosie’s Community Yoga….. Or teachers who want to hire out the space for classes like Clare’s Artful Painting and Drawing, and Yoyo’s Violin Lessons …

In particular we have rooms available on weekday afternoons between 4pm-7pm and would be very interested in having some after-school programs or more music and/or tutoring type activities on offer. We could also fit in more counsellors or self-help type groups that might be interested in using our smaller spaces in the evenings. We are open to any ideas!

We look forward to hearing from you. Please note that we’ll be finalising our program for Semester 1, 2027 at the end of November, so all ideas need to be with us in the next couple of weeks.

When I was in Baucau in Timor-Leste the other week I had breakfast every morning at the Pousada Hotel … and after a few days I realised that the ‘marmalade’ I was putting on my bread was actually pumpkin jam. Having never had pumpkin jam before I looked it up online to discover that it is a traditional Brazilian jam … (also another Portuguese colony) and … I can highly recommend it.

So … this week we made some at Preserves Group. It has pretty simple ingredients: pumpkin, lemon and orange, with a hint of cinnamon. And some sugar (of course). Perfect on a fluffy white Portuguese bread roll (traditional breakfast fare in Timor-Leste).

So we’ve now got some for sale in the foyer, along with a new batch of cucumber pickles. You can pop past and buy some if you like. Only $7. Our jams and preserves make a lovely small gift for someone … and the proceeds support us to run our disability programs.

Win=Win.

Anyway, thanks to everyone that came along to our short courses this week. it is super to get back into the swing of things!

Now the weather is improving you might like to start your day in a mindful way - why not check out John’s Breathwork sessions which you can book on a weekly basis or for the term.

And …

We’ve also had a refresh of our op shop this week - so come and have a look for a bargain if your wardrobe also needs a refresh.

This week we’ve got Embracing Life and Death coming up on Thursday from 1-2:30pm. This month the focus is on bereavement and living with grief and loss. The sessions are free, but booking is essential via eoldoulasinmelb@gmail.com.

We have 3 spots remaining for Community Yoga this term if anyone is keen to join Rosie from 5:30-6:30pm on Wednesdays. It’s just $22 for 3 classes over the next few weeks. Book in here if you’re interested.

As always, we’ve got all of our regular programs and short courses continuing this week so we hope to see you all soon.

Cheers Leanne

Our ukulele group The Flukes are holding another Sunday singalong on the 25th of October! It’ll be a one hour singalong, starting at 2pm followed by tea and coffee afterwards.

Anyone interested in coming along for a sing and a boogie can look forward to tunes such as Build Me Up Buttercup, Be My Baby, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Last Train to Clarksville, Jolene, I’m Into Something Good and Six Months in a Leaky Boat.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, you can book in here, it costs $10 as a donation to ACC.

We can’t wait to see The Flukes in action!