Okay. Hooray! We think the mural for our new podcasting studio, The Cupboard is finito. Finally (surely by now we’d know that these things always take longer than expected).

So … when we get back from holidays we’ll buy the podcasting equipment … build a webpage for bookings etc. and then officially launch what we know will be a fabulous community resource.

If you think you might be interested in using The Cupboard for a one off recording or a more regular gig you can register your interest here.

Thanks Clifton Hill and North Fitzroy Community Bank for supporting this. It’s going to be great and we are super excited!

Well, we’ve done quite a lot in what feels like a very short first term. In particular we:

• Opened (then closed for a bit then reopened)

• Ran 3 Women in the Shed programs

• Restarted playgroups

• Consolidated our Friday community mornings

• Yarn bombed the ramp

• Made good progress with setting up up The Cupboard - our new podcasting studio

• Featured our first artist in the Alphington Neighbourhood Gallery - Ross O’Meara

• Officially met the new mayor of Yarra

• Moved choir and CWA offsite (due to our small space and their numbers and corona and all that … we’re sad not to see you guys regularly but happy you could find great venues nearby)

• Reorganised the front yard and paved the Community Shed seating area

• Started some new programs such as Drawing in the Shed and Matthew’s Guitar Lessons

• Restarted old favourites like Line Dancing, Ukulele and Lego Club

We’re all feeling so pleased that things are getting back on track again, and that so many new ideas are starting to come to fruition.

And we’re a bit exhausted. That’s quite a lot for our little community organisation to manage in only two months … So, we’re looking forward to the Easter break and a little down time. And then we’ll be raring to go once again!

Hi friends, school holidays start today. Our office will be closed for the holiday period. So we’ll be back on deck on Monday 19 April.

If you desperately miss us (huh!) or need anything urgently just send an email or give us a call.

If not, see you on the other side!

When we were planning things at the end of last year we were a bit unsure how 2021 would roll … so we scheduled most of our first semester one-off workshops in term 2. Which is now fast approaching …

Here is what we have on offer:

1. Sewing Machine Maintenance on Saturday 1 May - I can’t tell you how great this session is. If you have a sewing machine you REALLY should book in.

2. Chai Tea Workshop on Saturday 8 May - we accidentally scheduled this on Mother’s Day, but we’ve changed the date to the Saturday instead. Join local Manu as she shares her knowledge. Take home your own chai tea blend.

3. History Walk on Sunday 16 May - postponed last year. Join Anne and the History Group crew for a stroll through South Alphington and learn more about our interesting suburb.

4. Overlocker Maintenance on Saturday 19 June - a follow-on for sewing enthusiasts who also have an overlocker.

If any of these sound just like your cup of tea you can click here to get all the details and book in.

And … also please let us know if there is anything else you’d like us to run, or if you have a workshop or session you’d like to run for the community. We’re really keen to share neighbourhood skills and talents!

We’ll be putting together our program for the second half of the year soon, and publishing it late June.

We have had a recent blitz of glass jar donations. And now we find we have too many … our Craftberry Jam community arts project has wound up and we have a big tub full to overflowing in our shed for preserving group etc.

So, we hope that if you are looking to donate your jars you might be kind enough to send them elsewhere for a little while … like Moon Rabbit Cafe in Preston which is part of Bridge Darebin (another Neighbourhood House in our network). They use jars as take away coffee cups as part of their ‘no waste’ commitment, and so they get through an awful lot!

Thanks. And we’ll let you know when our stockpile is depleted and we’re in need again!