This week at Preserves Group we made fig jam and eggplant pickle. So yummy. Thanks for the fig donation! Thanks Fiona, for leading this session. Thanks everyone who came along. And then … thanks U3A Armchair Theatre friends - who bought up big on Wednesday afternoon when they were here! Also thanks Elaine for making our preserves look extra pretty!

There’s still lots left, so pop past if you need some condiments to brighten up your life. Also great for a gift (of course). The sales of our preserves help us run our access all abilities programs.

Next month Fiona is going to teach up how to make ‘no sugar’ berry jam … and I think we’re on the look out for chokos (if anyone has them) - apparently they are in season and Fiona has a recipe.

On Thursday we will be back with another of our awesome Thriftsavers Op-Shop Adventures! This time we will be heading over to Sydney Rd in Brunswick to peruse Savers, Vinnies and some of the smaller stores, before getting a coffee/cake together. It’s a great opportunity to connect with locals from our Alphington community and hopefully find a fashionable and sustainable bargain or two.

We had such a fun time running these tours last year and are very excited to be doing them again. Thanks Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank for supporting these trips!

We will leave from ACC at 10am (please be here on time) and come back at 2pm on public transport (but no need to bring a myki because it’s still free for this month!). If you are interested in joining us you can book in here at this link. We would love to see you!

We’re back in the office on Monday 20th April, and straight back into community cooking on Tuesday 21st April. Join us for an eggplant pickle cook-up from 1pm. We’re exploring a new and exciting recipe that is being shared by Fiona (you make know her from her business Jams by Fiona) and she will be leading the session, with Kalimna providing any necessary assistance along with her her special brand of kindness.

Come along and join in. Coffee, a sweet treat and great conversation is also part of the deal!

Hi everyone,

It’s our last week before the Easter holidays. Programs this week will wrap up early on Thursday as Lee is on school camp with her baby Oscar who is at FPS and I have to get to parent teacher interviews at NHS for my baby Scarlett who is in year 12 … which sadly means we won’t be running Crunch or Community Lunch this week.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 7.30pm Village Power will be coming to ACC for a Q&A about Alphington’s new community led battery, and if anyone is interested in getting involved and helping to reduce carbon emissions you are more than welcome to come along!

Coming up during the holidays we will have another of our monthly Men’s Breakfasts on Saturday the 11th of April from 8am-11am. Don’t forget to book in online here.

And next term is going to be really fun with Sustainability Workshops, Thrift-Seeking opportunities, and Community Yoga.

Keep an eye on our newsletter in the coming weeks for further information.

For now we want to wish everyone a happy Easter, and we’ll see you in term 2.

Also … check out all the amazing photos in the posts from this week (below) specifically thanking volunteers, showcasing the dog show … and all the other things! As usual Kalimna did an amazing job in capturing our event in pictures (on top of all her back-end organising!). We’re so lucky to have her here!

Cheers Leanne

I was not able to capture everything that was happening on the fantastic community day of the Alphington Show.

But here are a few more photos to share.

Thank you to all the Makers Market stall holders that were her and the very friendly petting zoo people. It was lots of fun! We loved the beautiful face painting (by Jamari) and also loved seeing so many people making clay pieces that will contribute to the new garden totem sculptures being created under Clare’s guidance (using a process kindly shared by local artist Avis).

Kalimna