Hi friends, remember … this year if you’ve come home from holidays and your parsley, coriander or silverbeet has bolted you can feel happy instead of sad … and take the opportunity to save the seeds for our new Street Seed Library.

The library was installed by Darebin Council around November, and is all about encouraging sustainable food options, connecting up us locals with backyard veggie patches (we’ve all pretty much got one of some description right?) and building community connections through sharing and caring.

Not sure how to save seeds? Just jump on the interwebs (google, YouTube etc.) to find out exactly how and when to harvest and package your seeds, and then … when you are next passing by, you can leave them in our Street Seed Library for someone else to collect. And at the same time you can see if anyone has left seeds that could be your next crop. Neighbourhood loveliness … neighbourhoodliness!

This year we’re running formal playgroups on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then welcoming families to pop into our garden on Wednesday mornings from 10am-12pm for an informal play.

Grab a coffee from Alphington Foodstore next door or an icy pole from the milkbar, and enjoy our mud kitchen or our sand pit, our ride on toys etc.

There are tables and bench seats scattered around to relax and enjoy conversations with other parents or just sit and take a breather for 5 minutes. Come along with your kids, arrange to meet another family here … our house is your house!

We hope to see you at ACC when we return for Term 1. Our programming recommences in the first week of February.

This Friday the 18th of December Santa will be paying a visit to the Alphington Bowls Club!

Take your children along to put in their last minute present requests.

The bar is open from 4pm and the kitchen from 6pm.

Santa’s visit will be around 7:30pm.

Now in it’s 12th year this annual event is fun for all the family. Free sweets and ice creams for the kids.

This week our letter starting ‘Dear neighbour’ has been written by a year 12 student. Find out what the student is planning now, how year 12 has been amidst a global pandemic … and more.

Another super interesting take on a year like no other!

These letters went up Sunday on the butcher shop window, so there should be some left Monday. Note we also have some in the foyer at ACC if you find you keep missing out …

Our fruit trees are full of fruit and we’ve got lots of herbs growing in our garden this year. We are hoping that with your help we can keep them alive and thriving through the summer holidays when we are closed.

If you live close by, will be home in January, and wouldn’t mind popping past once or twice please let us know, and we’ll add you to our watering roster.

We are so fortunate to have so many lovely volunteers involved in Alphington Community Centre. Thanks in advance!