On the Wingrove Street milk bar window!

Our latest letter starting ‘Dear neighbour …’ is out.

This time it is on the milk bar window. And it is from a politician … if you are one of the 40 lucky folk to get one you’ll know who … because it is signed.

And, while you are collecting your letter, have you met Juliette? She’s the new milk bar owner and a long-time local. Her eldest and my eldest started preps together at FPS way back in the day. And now they’re in year 10! Time flies …

Do say hello … and buy some milk and eggs … she’s ace!

This week we started to install our stories from isolation sculptures. Don’t they look gorgeous grouped together in front of our new ramp!

Haha … it looks like I’ve been doing all the work in this pic. Actually Lee has been doing most of it! Thanks for taking the photo Mish.

Cute huh? We can’t wait for these to be installed in our garden! We’re thinking our little community clusters might go in front of our new ramp.

Stories from isolation … we’re a doggy neighbourhood so we couldn’t leave the fur babies out!

Even though some things are opening, many of us are being cautious right? Personally I am seeing my sister and her family, and have been back at work a bit, talking to people mainly outside … but that’s the extent of my socialising. I’m taking it slow, and still looking for ways to connect that aren’t all in person.

So I am keen to share these ideas. About singing and ukulele online. Because I suspect some things may take quite a while to come back as face to face options. And some things are actually working really well online.

Thanks Kathy, for taking the time to share your story and for putting this list together for us!

Kathy says,

The Northcote based choir that I usually sing with is meeting via Zoom and this works well for us because we are an established group.

Other options are many and varied for anyone that just wants to join in a singalong.

• I’m currently enjoying a Toronto based duo called Choir! Choir! Choir! who host Choir!ntine singalongs (today's was 80's dance hits) They run at 10am Mondays (8pm Sunday night Toronto time).

• An Australian based singing opportunity is The Massive Singlet. Stephen Taberner has run choirs in Melbourne for many years and is now offering this range of singing experiences (some for kids as well as adults and some including ukelele). You need to register ahead of time for each one and some sell out quickly.

• If you'd like to add some ukelele to your singing experience, a couple that runs many choirs and ukelele orchestras from Newcastle NSW is now using Zoom to connect with both current and new members. they are called The Sum of The Parts (Music). I can highly recommend their teaching style, having joined with them in the good old days of physical get togethers. They are Jane and Mark. This link is to their home page that has a great video overview of what they do. This second link takes you straight to their Zoom tutorials.

So, enjoy an endorphin rush without needing to  leave home - or get some friends together now that we can gather in small indoor groups and have a group experience with music.

Many people in our community have experienced significant financial changes in the last six months. People have lost jobs, have reduced work hours - have gone on JobKeeper and JobSeeker.

Many people are having to juggle money in a way they have never had to before.

So we thought it might be helpful to briefly explore the world of financial counselling - an excellent service that is well worth accessing early if you are experiencing a significant change in income.

Financial counsellors can help you navigate a pathway. They can advise you about whether you should really access your superannuation. And they have established relationships and in-depth knowledge to negotiate on your behalf with banks and utility companies. They can help you access payment deferral periods, they can help you manage any debt that has gotten out of control and work out a payment plan, including negotiating final payments. They can help with landlord discussions. They can help you work out a plan that is tailored to your individual circumstances.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are struggling to know where to start and what to do, here are three free services you might like to consider:

National Debt Helpline is a not-for-profit service that helps people in Australia tackle their debt problems. They say, ‘You should never have to pay for [financial] advice. Don’t ever agree to pay fees to get financial counselling, to get advice about debt or to fix your credit file’. They offer advice on debt problems relating to utility bills, housing and cars as well as debt solution strategies, like negotiating terms of repayments, consolidating loans and even bankruptcy. Call 1800 007 007.

Uniting Care Financial Counselling is part of the Victorian community services arm of the Uniting Church in Australia. This financial counselling service supports those experiencing financial difficulties and people on low incomes to achieve financial security and independence. They operate in our area. Their financial counselling services are free of charge and confidential. Call (03) 9351 3600.

Salvation Army Financial Assistance also operates in our area. Their program offers access to ‘caring, professional counsellors’ who provide personalised advice and practical step-by-step directions on how to tackle your specific money problems. Call 13 72 58.