BUS STOP.

Hey Blue.

There are a few things on my fridge
that are important to look at everyday.
The flyer for Veg Out's Xmas night market
held on Wednesday was one of them.
For one reason alone.....



"Hello love, you back again..
you gimme that $5 and I'll give ya $6
wort of the good stuff.
I tell ya love, now of course
you don't have to believe me,
but I picked this fresh today at around 11.
I did the spinach and I said now I'll get some Kale next.
What do you use it for love, do you make those chips?
A few people are giving them ago.."

I always buy Blue Kale off the man with the bluest eyes,
like aquamarines, who's hands are so much the same colour
of the dirt his produce comes out of,
I am unsure of where he stops and where earth begins.
One and the same.

" Now I have probably told you this before
but I'll tell ya what I did the other day,
I boxed up this lot for market and grabbed a hanfdul for the two of us,"

He nods a gesture behind him, all the while eyes on me as he grabs handfuls
of leaves and stuffs them into a crumpled brown paper bag.
His wife, who is just the coolest woman,
nods behind him, adjusting bunches of fresh herbs.

" Now I dont chop close to my fingers like some T.V chef
you hear, rough chop, you get what I'm saying?
Rough chop up a hanful and while thats happening
I slice in half some turkish bread, and coat in with a spread of oil
and put it on the barbi, flat down. Then I rub on some garlic
and I fry up my kale, some bacon, thin sliced potato and an egg,
all in 15 mins, Mrs. here was almost home and ready to eat,
then one at a time, on it all goes, onto the bread,
and ohh, to make it special, for the Mrs. some white anchovies..
ohh it was delicious.,we thoroughly enjoyed it, simple
no fuss and ohh
it hit the spot."



... meanwhile back at my ranch- stove top

Organic Corn Pasta
Organic Red Quinoa
Home grown organic garlic
organic leek and celery
Macadamia dukka
Chia oil
and Blue Kale.

( This can be made with or without
white anchovies, I guess that depends who you're cooking for. )

Perfect, our two sentiments unite
from farm to plate.

The Gem Store

A gem called opal.



These mobile phone photos were sent to me by Michael.
He was having breakfast when visited by a little rockstar.
A gem called Opal.
Waiting at the bus with her mum
post ordering a coffee
our little Opal is a shiny bring thing.

Mandi

"Here, you want a mandarine ?"

N pulls one from out of her basket
after she has packed her shopping into it.

" They are from my sisters tree, its famous in Elwood-
She sits and watches all the neighbourhood kids
climb it and pick mandi's while she breast feeds!
haha, it's a classic"

Inga and Max

Here come Inga and Max.
They are both from Switzerland
and have experienced their fair share of adversity.



Max is Inga's 2nd husband.
Her first husband was a 'brute',
'he was terrible', she told me with her lovely Swiss accent.
Max has Alzheimer's, he is frail with skin like paper.
Inga pushes Max in the wheelchair down to the shops everyday.
She will do anything for him, her strength never ceases to astound me.

"No,'" she said when we first encountered each other,
'"I like to, Max looked after me when we met,
he was a chef and always cooked for me, he was wonderful.
You know my first husband was a brute, we met, I was young,'"
and with a glint in her eye she softened her voice and followed with,
' we were lovers, but he didn't respect me,
we were not friends...but Max,
no its not like that with Max."



"Max is my friend, we are very good friends, we tell each other
everything and we laugh. and importantly, we are also lovers,"
she giggled,
"I would do anything for him, I don't mind and we only have each other.
One day you will have a great love like my Max, I know you will,
I can tell you understand what I am telling you.'
I held my heart when she first uttered those words.



Today Inga spotted one of Jacq's Little Bag lady' bags hanging in the window.
"Oh, its beautiful, Oh, it would be perfect for the back of the wheelchair,
how much is it?"
We told her and she giggled,
" Oh $45, exactly how much I had in my little coin purse,
I lost it at the market, I was so upset,
my sister gave it to me from Switzerland,
its not the money, I said to Max, lets not worry we are not broke."

As she left I pulled at the bag hanging in the window,
I looked at Tony who was still laughing after
he and Inga had shared funny clumsy stories.
Tony told Inga about the time he fell into a grease trap
when he was a chef.
She laughed while saying ' I shouldn't laugh '
then told him about the time
she fell into the compost and two farmers had to pull her out,
they had quite a struggle getting her free,
but if she were to die, then she'd be broken down quickly!

"Let's give her the bag." I said to Tone.
" O.K," he said " for christmas."
But too late, back in came Inga to the store with a giant smile,
"Max is buying it for me, for christmas!" She said.
" Oh I am so happy its just perfect look at how it fits perfectly on the wheel chair!"




A man is lucky if he is a woman's first love.
A woman is lucky if she is his last.

St.Kilda

The store was well and truly caught up in Finals Fever..
Everyone came out of the closet as St.Kilda fans,
even if they had never watched a game of footy in their life.
I write here from experience.
Our community was entwined in a great feeling of togetherness.
I write this 'Post' with the help of the weekends text messages..

26.09.09 10:02
Thats so great!
And everyones happy
Go saints. Im closing
early!
E>D

Over the AFL Garnd final week end the match between the 'Saints' and the 'Cats'
emptied Elwood, Balaclava and the streets of St.Kilda.
If you were not at the MCG
then you were in front of a telly somewhere...

26.09.09 2:30
Im closing the shop. Its
been crazy busy then
babg, dead.
Go saints!
E>D

The weather was wild, the roof of the store leaked in 3 places
I was in constant contact with those I knew at the match..
The die hard fans of St.Kilda....

26.09.09 1:04
Hmm nice. We r on our
way to the G. S
excited! go Saints!
ambi>E

26.09.09 3:49
News from the front,
R u wet?
E>ambi

26.09.09 3:52
Technicalities! Massive
call! Right one though
D>E

Nada and I watched the match
by the warmth of Nada's fire
eating cheese and mustard on toast and drinking ginger tea...
Yep, we are hard core!
Tony was at another party around the corner
but we couldnt leave the warmth of the fire
to get there..
Jacqui was in Fiji, she doent live over this side of the hood!
We were all in constant contact though..

26.09.09 3:39
31/31
wow
E>T

26.09.09 3:47
43/43
OMG
Fo fkn gr8
E>ambi

26.09.09 4:18
51/49 geelong
T.>E

We finished our toast and began to think about the others but
The scores were pretty even, we couldn't make a break for it

26.09.09 4:31
57/58
I love it!
E
26.09.09 3:57
Plus 6!
D>E

26.09.09 5:08
Did u see that. Give
number ten a medal
E>D

26.09.09 4:58
Nice point
E>abi

26.09.09 5:01
66/64 stkilda
T>E

26.09.09 3:59
Fucking unbelievable!
Ambi>E

Nadas Mum had arrived and the ladies began to yell..
we were all so excited...
Perhaps we after all those years and years and years of never winning
perhaps...

26.09.09 5:12
Holy shit
E>D

26.09.09 4:52
Geelong r a bunch of
brutes.
E>D

26.09.09 5:40
Hell.
Ambi>E

26.09.09 6:18
Oh poo
E>k.B

26.09.09 5:17
Oh so sad!
E>ambi

Perhaps, not..we lost, in the rain, we lost...

26.09.09 8:25
it is sad, those poor
boys will be wondering
about meaning in their
lives...
R>W>E

Nada and I donned our umbrellas and walked down into St.Kilda
past the store to eat some chocolate covered almonds as a pick me up.
It began to hail, I worried about the roof
and looked up into the heavens..
Ahh! Saint Kilda's revenge, Hail !
I suddenly was overcome with a sense of beautiful sadness..

26.09.09 6:04
Me too. Go saints.
Blessings on st kilda.
Praise be our
gorgeous team, u me
and our possie. X
Ambi>E

and walked into the wet streets of our town hugging and helloing
people as we did so.
How lovely to be apart of Elwood and St.Kilda town.