Saturday dawned bright and well, cloudy. And a little bit cold. It was forecast to be sunny and warm up in Ballarat though, so I put on appropriate summer atire (light dress, thongs, sunnies and a hat) and went on my way. Jes and I met some of his friends at the station and the V-Line left on time, which was a great omen, although it felt wrong to be considering beer at 8am and 9am in the morning!

There was a shuttle bus just about to leave Ballarat station, so we jumped on board and headed down to the oval, arriving not long before the gates opened. There was a queue with some people who had obviously planned ahead and brought folding chairs and picnic rugs with them. I had briefly considered bringing mine, didn’t want to carry it there and back and forgot about it by morning anyway. It would have been nice to have later on, but that’s something to remember for next time.

The glasses on lanyards was certainly a smart idea, especially being able to unclip them to be filled and drink from. There have been several tasting events where I’ve put my glass down to make notes or take a phone call and walked away! The tokens became frustrating though. We had five included in our entry fee, but the rest could be bought from a tent in the centre of the oval or from roving sellers. Unfortunately, these roving sellers seemed to be mythical creatures, although occasionally spotted out of the corner of my eye in the queue for the tent. A real shame, as they could have made the day run very smoothly, avoiding queues and people pushing back and forth through crowds.

Onto the beer though! There was a decent selection of breweries, including a handful of newbies.

The regular faces also had some great offerings.

Kooinda Red Ale – a smooth and tasty beer, but didn’t stand out for me like the Prickly Moses Red Ale did the first time I tried it. It is worth taking into account that by the time I got to Kooinda’s tent, I’d tried many an IPA and had potentially destroyed my tastebuds.

Mountain Goat -
Rye IPA – a beautiful Rare Breed from them. As soon as I see it on sale, I’ll snap up a few bottles!
Cider – I was interested to see that they had brought out a cider. It was always pleasing to see Napoleon Cider in their fridge at the brewery, local brews supporting other locals, and a change from all of the very full-flavoured big beers they’ve been releasing recently. Given how popular cider is quickly becoming, it was only a matter of time. I didn’t get to try this, and have heard no feedback, but I’d be keen to give it a go.

At Red Duck I had a sip of the Honey Porter, which was very honey-like, but far too sour to be a porter in my books. I really didn’t like this one, but it is good to see brewers experimenting (see: Perverse Sexual Amalgam).

As for the new brews, there was nothing particularly inspiring, but some good efforts with a lot of potential. First up was Coldwater Creek pilsner. A refreshing brew with a bit of a fruity edge, they’re definitely on the right track.

King Valley Brewery had their first offering as well, the Yowie lager. Again, it has a lot of potential and some very enthusiastic brewers, so I look forward to trying things from them in the future.

Many of the brewers only had their most popular offerings on – such as Bridge Road Brewers who only brought the Australian Ale and the Pale Ale (the latter of which suited the weather perfectly). I can understand why, given it’s an unproven event and it would be a lot of effort to bring everything out. Perhaps next year there’ll be more! For someone who is familiar with the local brewing scene, there wasn’t much new to try, so it became a pattern of having those that we knew we liked to refresh our memories, and by the end of the day, just relaxing and drinking pots in the shade.

The day itself was very enjoyable. It became sunny and warm, and being sheltered by all of the tents kept the cool wind away from us. There were plenty of barrels and tables around, but as the day wore on, there wasn’t enough shade or seating and many people (including us) left the oval to sit beneath trees on the edge of the oval. The security men were trying to be strict in keeping us away from the back of the tents (and all of those beer-vehicles that were parked and no threat to anyone), so it often became a battle of pushing through the crowds in front of the tents to get around. There was a great selection of food (I went for the paella) but some was running out by the end of the day. I have a feeling that much of it was local produce. There was a reasonable number of wine stalls as well, which I think were mostly local, but I didn’t try any. It was a good idea, particular for groups of friends who may have some who don’t like beer.

Unfortunately, by the end of the day there were 10-15 people queues for all of the stalls, which were hard to tolerate and get around. The toilets had queues too, and most had run out of toilet paper. The space in the field was very crowded, especially around the stage (I didn’t pay too much attention to what was going on – I just know there was some depressing and bad music with intermittent chit-chat). Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the day. I tried some new beers, sampled some familiar flavours and chatted with many people. However, if this is to be an annual event, there is a lot to improve on for next year.

A confirmation email and a dispatch email come through without issue. The items arrive together in a few days, without issue. Until I check the invoice. I notice that the price next to one item is $19.95, whereas a sticker on the actual item says $14.95. I check the emails I have and they state the same, so I email David Jones to ask them to check the details and refund me if appropriate. I hear nothing, so I contact them again with the same message. Both of them stated that my preferred contact is by email. Late last week, I still have no response so I send another message stating that I will not be using their shop again due to lack of customer service and I would like to be contacted promptly regarding the original issue.

Within half an hour, someone has called me. In an irritated way, she says that she replied to both of my emails within a day of them being sent and perhaps I should check my junk email folder. While on the phone to her, I log onto my email and check the junk email (nothing there) and perform a search for ‘David Jones’ but only the order and dispatch emails come up. Instead of moving on and resolving my issue, she says that perhaps I put in the wrong email address and I should be more careful.

Now, I’m sure we all have bad days. Hell, I’ve had a bad week. But if you’re in customer service, sounding irritated with the customer and blaming them for contact problems is not the way to do your job, I’m pretty confident of that.

As an aside, my browser of preference is Firefox, which has a handy habit of keeping data memorised for certain fields on certain sites. David Jones is one of those websites. When I filled in my contact details, Firefox remembered that I had already filled them in when I ordered, and the email address, name and phone numbers were there. Now, I had already received two emails confirming my order, so presumably, that email address was correct.

After I tried to push through the communication failure of the customer service rep, we finally got talking about the actual issue: the fact that I had been overcharged. But that was my fault too! I had misread the terribly formatted emails and invoice, which had put the prices out of line with the item. The $19.95 I thought I had been charged for the $14.95 item was actually for a different item – it’s just that they didn’t understand how to make things appear in a straight line on the computer.

I stated that due to the terrible customer service (and general formatting incompetences) I wouldn’t be shopping with them again and to apologise for wasting their time. This seemed to irritate the customer service rep even more and she said that next time I contact them to make sure my contact details are correct and to confirm there is an issue before proceeding.

Quite honestly, I’m appalled that this store, which attempts to pride itself on top quality service and products (over neighbouring Myer), could employ someone so rude to resolve customer issues. It’s now clear that I have another store to avoid at all costs: David Jones. Given that Myer is already on this list, Bourke Street Mall is becoming ever-more redundant to me.

—
Now, think back. Before Christmas time. My usual Christmas method of buying presents online continues: I get on the computer and start looking.

For my housemate, I settle on two items from Red Balloon – a macaroon making set and a chocolate tasting kit. When I order, both items are in stock, and I receive an email stating they will both be dispatched ASAP, so I assume they will be coming together. Wrong.

In the break between Christmas and New Year, a large box arrives from Red Balloon, which is reasonably heavy, so I figure they are together. Again, wrong.

My housemate opens it and is thrilled to find a macaroon making set – a large recipe book and a set of fancy tools. Given the size of the box, I’m shocked to see there is no chocolate. So I contact Red Balloon. They inform me that they are unsure what has happened and will get back to me. A week later, I email again. They say they are unsure what happened and will contact the supplier. This week I’ve been told that they have contacted the supplier to dispatch it again for me – but without any further details.

I’ve responded stating that it’s unacceptable to display an item as in stock, and send a confirmation email detailing it dispatched with a courier then for it not to arrive. If it doesn’t arrive by the end of the week, I will be requesting a refund and to disregard the order.

I only hope that this item arrives, or I will have to attempt to get a refund from them which I doubt will be easy! Taking into account the issues so far though, I won’t be using them again.

The number of competent Australian online stores seems to be quite restricted, and I’ll have to focus on those that do work. So, here is a positive account, as a pleasant change.

Readings.

A wonderful, independent bookstore. In Carlton, they have survived Borders opening across the road, and then closing due to money problems. Given that they do not have Mega Sales (with capital letters) constantly and books are not perfectly segregated, they do very well. They have a huge range of stock, including music and DVDs, with a strong focus on local authors and artists. They also have regular readings (geddit?) and discussions – particularly for children. I’m very happy that they are keeeping kids interested.

Their website is still growing and becoming easier to use, but in the mean time, it’s quite easy to search or browse categories. The prices aren’t the cheapest, hardly surprising when you consider the country we’re in, but postage is free and fast. They also have a very, very broad selection of items. I always prefer to use this over the Book Depository, simply because it’s Australian.

Dear Bob,

That’s right, I’ve dropped your official title. I don’t feel you deserve it, and I certainly didn’t vote for you when I did live in the City of Melbourne area.

First of all, you tried to open Swanston Street to traffic. Obviously, that was a silly idea and you finally came to your senses, and a wonderful alternative has just been opened around LaTrobe Street. It leaves space for cyclists, which are using the blue hired bikes which I recall you supporting, as well as promoting public transport (the trams) and increasing space for the pedestrians. I love it.

However, after this recent spat with Shane Warne and an unnamed cyclist, you have vowed to take on these rogue cyclists. Now, I won’t argue here, there are rogue cyclists. Just as there are stupid pedestrians and unsafe drivers.

I have seen pedestrians on their mobiles (or just not paying attention) trip over cracks in the pavement and walk into bins. I’ve seen cyclists safely, albeit it illegally, cross with pedestrian lights without dismounting (and not getting in anyone’s way), as well as zoom down a footpath and nearly knock people over. I’ve also seen cars speed past stopped trams, run red lights, try to cut between pedestrians on crossings to turn a corner and ignore their indicators. Take into account all of the possible repurcussions from these events. I do believe that cars would be the most dangerous, especially if they’re the four-wheel-drives that have never left the city. But that’s another issue altogether.

Instead of declaring war on an entire group of people, perhaps encouraging safety and acceptance by all groups for all groups, we could learn to share. Drivers and cyclists may respect each other, and pedestrians may learn some common sense (keeping to one side of the path would be ideal!)

As some of your previous ‘declarations’ have shown, nothing is to be done. There are no repurcussions for law-breaking or irresponsible behaviour; the police department would do well to regularly monitor traffic (of all forms) at major intersections, in unmarked vehicles, and hand out fines or demerits for the inappropriate actions of a minority (from all groups – cars, bikes and pedestrians).

A bit of common sense and we can all live together with respect for each other and the differences we have.

Yours,
Jacqueline
A Brunswick Resident

—
20/1/12/

Dear Jacqueline

—
Dear [name],

I appreciate your prompt response.

It may also be worth considering that ‘action’ is not a verb. You may do, perform, watch or see a blitz, but one cannot ‘action’ something.

I look forward to hearing the next hilarious quote from our dear Bob.

J

—

I apologise, the bad grammar was my doing.

Kind regards [name]

—

Correct use of the English language is a start, although I very much doubt that it was a typo that would have been picked up by a proof-read. Sharing and caring will come later I guess.

There is a certain truth in this, however, in context, this is completely wrong. This is taken from an article on The Age about the TV show “The Biggest Loser”, which is focusing on singles this year, who need to love themselves (ie. Become skinny and acceptable in the eyes of the media, you will love yourself and you will find the love of your life).

As far as I know, they have so far done shows of individual people, families and couples, so this seems like a natural progression. In a lot of cases, people ought to lose weight – from a medical point of view. Blood pressure, circulation, diabetes and many other illnesses become more common when weight is high. Some of these people have always been big, some of them have put on weight recently, but both ways can cause issues. I currently work in a ward which has many diabetes patients, and the issues they face are quite confronting.

However, in the way that The Biggest Loser are using incentives as a weight loss, this is all irrelevant. They are focusing on people who are currently single or have always been single, with poor self-esteem and those who do not love themselves. By playing the card that being slim will get you a partner, they are instilling the media’s propaganda that slim is good and fat is bad and we all must conform.

Fat is not bad. Fat is a size, as is skinny, or moderate, or tall, or short. It is important for everybody to learn that no matter what size you, as a person, you have not changed.

Time for some truths.

I am 22. I am a borderline size 16-18 at the moment, but have gone down to (a small) 14 at times. During all of this time, my name, my age, my personality, my job and everything that makes me me has remained the same (apart from the obvious: age etc).

At the moment, I am the heaviest and biggest I have been. Ever. I know this because my clothes are starting to dig in, not because people won’t date me and not because I live with a friend as opposed to a partner.

I am keen to drop some weight, but not because of other people or television, or what people tell me. It is simply because I cannot afford a whole new wardrobe. I know that I’ve become idle and that I have been eating more takeaway, so I will change this and make sure that I can fit into my clothes.

Recently, my blood pressure has risen. It is at the top level of healthy, and I am noticing the effects. Exercising more, and in the process losing some weight, will help to bring it down and maintain a level which doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Size-wise, I am happy. I look good. I check myself out in the mirror most days; I strut down the street and get people checking out my (large) butt; I emphasise my shapely figure.

Regardless of what size I have been, I have always tried to be positive about myself. This hasn’t been easy.

On my 11th or 12th birthday, I had friends around for a sleepover and, being silly teenage girls, we took photos of each other’s butts while pretending to catwalk across my room. My mother happened to see these and her only comment was, “I know whose is the biggest”, with anger in her voice and disappointment in her eyes.

When shopping for clothes at around the same age, I was a fan of the shop Tammy (the young version of Etam, both French stores). The clothes here were labelled by height and age – so 12/140cm or something. I would always be wearing a size matching an age older than me, and taller than me. All it takes is to line up a class of young people to see just how wrong this sizing system was and is.

However, as I grew up, I began to resent all of the bad things said about my size, and the size of people who weren’t model-thin. People I saw all around me were different sizes and shapes, and I knew that none of us could ever be the same, even if we tried.

My body takes after my mother’s side. All of the women (and most of the men) are big. Short, but wide, and the women all have small waists but ample child-bearing hips. Even if I do lose weight and become slim like The Biggest Loser wants, I’ll have bony hips – which I’m sure my partner who loves me for being skinny won’t enjoy! On top of this, even when I do lose weight (at my smallest of a 14), my chest was still the same size it is now. There are minor changes in size, but the cups of the bra are still full, and I’m still A Big Girl.

With my size comes other problems as a result of the media. My small waist and larger chest means shirts that button up properly are hard to find. My large thighs means pants are difficult to fit properly. If you know where to look, there are options though. I have shirts and jackets that fit me correctly, I have swimwear with a built-in bra, I have skinny jeans that fit perfectly and sometimes even make my own dresses so that they cling to me. A rant is on the way about the label of ‘plus size’ and all that goes with it.

It has taken years, and is still happening, but I am happy with my size and shape. I love my small waist in proportion to my hips and chest, and wear a corset to emphasise this. I have a big booty that shakes when I walk quickly or run. My thighs rub together and wobble, but at least I know they’re strong and healthy (I have thighs of steel). Even my fingers are round and resemble sausages, but I know certain rings suit me and others don’t. This is me. I value my health, but love my size and shape and wouldn’t have it any other way now.

The media is doing a wonderful job at making people of all ages insecure in themselves. I have a slim, slight grandmother who constantly criticises my size. She is mostly alone and is heavily influenced by the television and gossip magazines, and says that I am too big and therefore unattractive. My mother, as I’ve already pointed out, has similar views; she tried to put me on a diet at 8 years old and, as a growing 11 year old, paid me 1GBP for every lb I lost. With these influences on top of the media criticising people slimmer than me for being too fat, it’s no wonder that self-esteem is a difficult thing to develop.

The Chub Republic is an amazing Melbourne group which is working on body-positivity. It’s a group of self-confessed fatties, who love themselves and want everyone else to love themselves too. An event coming up this year is a Fat Burlesque and Cabaret show. Some people are small, some are big, gay, straight, mentally ill, physically ill but all know one thing – they love themselves and want the same for everyone else. I’m very much looking forward to this show, if only to prove to myself how far I have come from nearly developing an eating disorder in my teens.

Spread the love.

We both checked the menu online, as my friend is a vegetarian, and both of us were fine with the selection of dishes available. On arrival however, I found the décor and atmosphere much more different to what I had expected. The website gives a very different idea of what the place will look like, and to find it upstairs, with fabric hanging from the ceiling, a relaxed atmosphere and staff areas based in the room (clean cuttlery etc.) was unexpected. However, it was a pleasant place, with more room than you’d find in a standard Asian café-style restaurant.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beer list, which included Holgate Pilsner, Hawthorn Pale Ale, 2 Brothers Growler and Holgate Temptress. Given the warmth of the evening, I was keen on the Pilsner, but unfortunately they were sold out, so I settled with the 2 Brothers Growler instead. My friend chose a riesling, which she said was great.

The food was also wonderful. As she was a vegetarian, we chose a selection of tofu dishes, including one which, on the menu contains duck, but which they can change to tofu. This one was salad based; we also had a tofu hot-pot with mushrooms, snake bean and sweet potato won tons and caramelised eggplant. I left her most of the latter, and chose to order the soft-shell crab for myself. This was delicious, with a tangy sauce and sugar snaps.

For dessert, we kept on sharing and had a chocolate pudding and a sugar and vanilla panna cotta, splitting both. I preferred the chocolate pudding (although a huge fan of panna cotta), mainly because it came with a whisky custard and was slightly spiced (similar to a mince pie). The panna cotta was also very good, especially with the mint and strawberry on the side.

After we had settled up (and were grateful for the discount), we headed upstairs to the cocktail bar. This area was much darker, and I suspect, not as well decorated (it was hard to tell!) I was barely able to see the menu and was glad to have a light just above my seat to read by. After much umming and aahing, I settled on a Sand’s Cocktail, described as containing gin, cherry liquor and citrus juices. This was really quite tasty, with the cherry being a nice addition. After this I went for something more subdued – an Italian Sour. This is a combination of Campari, Galliano and Strega. Definitely not for the sweet-fans and I really loved it. I’m now tempted to buy all three and mix my own at home!

Overall, it was an expensive but enjyoable evening. The staff were all friendly and helpful (although a little absent-minded in the cocktail bar), and service was always with a smile. The food and drink was all delicious and I will definitely eat here on other occasions.

I made it down there last Thursday night, a bit later on in the evening as I didn’t have work the next day. It was quiet at this time, with just a handful of people each in the bar and in the smoking area. There was an upstairs, which I didn’t get to, but a large crow emerged from later on, so I assume there was a function happening. The décor was slightly outdoors-comes-in, with huge windows and statues throughout, and very high ceilings. Everything was brick or stone, including the sink in the bathroom. In daylight, I imagine it’d be pleasant to sit in the window and watch Sydney Road.

The bar had a reasonable selection of beer on taps, including a special lager brewed just for them. The Bridge Road Stella IPA was still on tap from their takeover, so of course I started with this. A range of bottles were lined up behind the bar, and on a menu, separated by type. The girl behind the bar indicated that she usually got as far as a pale ale (from the lager end) before disliking them – definitely not a fan of the Temptress Porter or Jameson’s Beast IPA! However, the guy who seemed to be in charge was much more passionate and had tried most of them and liked the stronger flavoured beers. At least the staff knew the beers they were serving.

They seemed to pick a few from each range from each brewer rather than having a full selection of, for example, Bridge Road Brewers or Prickly Moses. So while I could have the Stella IPA on tap, there were only two or three other Bridge Road beers in the fridge. By the sounds of it, they are working on extending their ranges, but given relatively small fridges, I’m unsure how this would work.

Food-wise, I decided on two dishes : goat cheese and potato dumplings, and haloumi. The menu seemed fairly short, but with a decent range of dishes (just not for the vegetarians or vegans amongst us). The dishes were much fancier than I had expected for what seemed like a nice bar, and I’ll definitely be returning for both food and beer here.

The haloumi was served with roast capsicum mousse and topped with slivered almonds. The cheese itself was thick, fried to perfection and very tasty. The roast capsicum had a slight spice to it, and the smooth cheese contrasted well with this. The dumplings appeared to be hand-made, and cooked well. The goats cheese wasn’t so noticable, but the slight flavour it had was nice with the potato. This was served with a Thai-style salad of sweet corn, bean sprouts, chilli and some greens.

All of the food was delicious, and great value for money. Chatting to the bar staff after dinner, I found out that the chef used to work with the Courthouse Hotel in North Melbourne. The food has always been great there, so it’s no wonder. They serve a number of sharing dishes, so ideally I would return here with friends to try a few of those (instead of pigging out on my own!)

All in all, a great place, and somewhere I will definitely return to. It’s worth the 10-15 minute tram ride up Sydney Road (plus my 10 minute walk at the other end), and the food is worth every cent. It’s an odd location, but given the changing population of Brunswick and Coburg, it’ll suit the new students and hipsters moving to the area.

On entering the shop, she was asked if she needed assistance and she said that she was just looking at the skin care products. The shop assistant said that she would gladly help and offered to show her the anti-wrinkle creams first, as, I quote, “your eyes could really do with some”.

Now, despite being against so much of the cosmetics industry (although a user of some products), skincare is a particular issue close to my heart. I have had eczema since a young age, which at times can be so severe that it hurts to apply cream to it. I’ve used a variety of steroid creams, immunosuppressant creams and, all the while, a very basic moisturiser. No scent, no colour, otherwise my skin breaks out in a painful rash. The idea of anti-wrinkle cream, cleansers and toners (whatever they might be), scares my skin.

This particular colleague is only a few years older than me and although she has pale skin, looks like she has barely stepped outside without suncream. Her skin is lovely, as are her eyes. I am shocked, appalled and insulted on her behalf for this comment. If I were in her position, there would have been some strong words spoken to this shop assistant.

Then again, the majority of this industry relies on low self-esteem for their sales.

Case in point the recent cover of the Australian Women’s Weekly of Deborah Hutton. A nude photo of a 50 year old lady, supposedly natural, to help women of that age feel good about themselves and their imperfections. Apart from the issue that her skin imperfections (but only those from the sun) were removed.

She still has some wrinkles, but she confesses to having a fake tan and extensive make-up applied before the shoot. Sure, it was a special occasion, as she says, but if she’s claiming to help the ‘normal woman’ with their self esteem, then that wouldn’t have been done. In the average day before I have photos taken (granted, just happy snaps by friends), I’m lucky if I shower, let alone style my hair (HAH!), apply make-up or preen my skin. I certainly wouldn’t air-brush out blemishes. I have some small moles, and light freckles across my nose and forehead, but I like them. They’re me, even though they’re exacerbated by the sun. I get pimples too. It happens.

I think it’s disgusting that while claiming to accept ‘getting older’, she won’t accept the fact that the sun was included in that life. We all make mistakes, but that’s part of growing up. I accept that I’ve gone out without suncream, and that my skin has suffered from it – and I’m just 22.

A shoot of Jennifer Hawkins nude is actually more honest. She is sitting in a very honest position, showing ‘unsightly’ bulge and causing uneven skin on her thighs. I think it’s beautiful. As I do with this image – with more bulge and more honesty. There’s also some great photos linked from this site.

This leads in nicely to Dove, who are known for their body positive campaigns. They do well praising all sizes, shapes, skin types and colours. However, I was frustrated when they launched fake tan creams, with no mention of the body positive campaign. If we’re all perfect with the colour we have, then why do we need fake tan? Despite this, I have used some of their products, and other fake tan brands, mainly from curiosity as to how it would look. None have lasted long so far.

I’m unsure where I’m headed with this, other than to complain about the fact that the media and some people have distorted views so widely that even body positive campaigns can have little impact anymore. As someone who, most of the time, is happy with size, skin and shape, I feel I ought to speak out and tell other people to try to accept themselves.

I’m pretty happy with how much I’ve read here, all things considered. I’ve been busy with work, study and play but still managed to read a substantial amount.

There was a lot of rubbish this year, mostly picked up second hand, but I’ve also broadened my horizons a bit more. Books that stand out are “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Sex Life” (which repaired some of the despair caused by Ms Dines) and “The Night Watch” and “The Day Watch” (I haven’t yet bought the last in this triology).

This year I also received a no-brand e-reader as a present. Initially, it appeals to me, in the same way that an MP3 player is better than a stack of CDs (or tapes) with a portable music player. However, books hold a special place for me. As with music, I like to own the hard copy of anything, but unlike with music, it’s hard to obtain free downloads of books (the ones I want at least).

So in princple, I like it. In practice, it’s a little different. It could just be the one that I have (I haven’t compared to others), but the text is difficult to read at times – due to size or the fact that it’s a screen. The buttons are badly placed on this model so that it frequently turns on in my bag and has run out of battery by the time I get to it to read. The one-handed aspect has it’s obvious benefits, but it’s quite difficult when buttons are placed in odd places and you open other applications or turn pages when you don’t mean to. It has however, been useful for loading PDFs from university onto in order to go over on the tram.

Recently I read some reviews of some of the big-name e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook, and they appeal to me. Some even offer wi-fi connectivity or newspaper downloads, as well as free libraries, on top of loading any txt, pdf, doc etc. files. I am attempting to use this e-reader more before spending so much on a new piece of technology that I’m not 100% keen on, but do find myself resorting to paper a lot of the time.

This year I aim to read many more classics, and try out new genres that I haven’t properly considered before, such as sci-fi, historical and fantasy novels. I also feel I ought to be more careful of my charity shop picks so that I don’t waste time on more rubbish!

First of all, beer bread. Not something ground breaking, sure, but after the first attempt with Mountain Goat Steam Ale, I was interested in trying other beers. I used Holgate Temptress Porter, which was about as far as I could get from the Steam Ale! The colour was immediately different, but not as dark as I thought it would be. The flavour was also not as strong as I expected, but there was definitely a cocoa hint. Friends of mine who tried this, as beer and food appreciators, commented on how wonderful it tasted, particularly warmed up.

My next effort was much more experimental. Given that my place is often too warm to bake in summer, I looked into non-bake biscuits, most of which involve a chocolate base. I wanted to make brownies, so this wasn’t an issue at all. I had two beers I was thinking about trying for this – the Ninkasi’s Angel or the Bridge Road Smokey Breakfast Lager. I settled on the latter because I knew what flavours to expect and was curious for the smoke vs chocolate.

I did some research on non-bake biscuit recipes, and combined a few to come up with this:

8 tbsp butter
2/3 cup beer
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 packet Arnott’s Nice biscuits, ground in blender
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place butter, chocolate, vanilla and beer in pot and heat until rolling boil.
Mix with ground biscuits and oatmeal. Place spoonfuls on waxed paper and put in fridge.

The biscuits are in the fridge at the moment, but the first signs are good. I tried the last of the mixture and the smokey flavours go perfectly with the sweetness and chocolate.

More to come on the final product and opinions of others…

After work, I headed up to Brunswick and walked over the afternoon warmth. The brewery was easy to find in a fairly industrial (and construction-plagued) side-street off Lygon Street. It seemed an odd shop-front, but inside it was clear they had done well. The entrance comes into the main bar, which is concrete, glass and shiny. Straight ahead you can see through to the working brewery, with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The windows to the front are heavily tinted, so although patrons can sit and watch the world go by, it’s very difficult to see in and tell if the place is open! Upstairs is another bar area, and the walkway to the toilets overhangs part of the brewery. It’s tempting to stand and watch the staff rather than going to the toilet – but common sense tells you to do it after!

The menu is quite interesting, although not very extensive. Bar snacks and larger portions are available, although I didn’t eat there. Free samples of Temple beer bread with melted cheese was a welcome snack though, and a great example of how to use beer other than for drinking.

The range of beer is substantial, with something for everyone. The Brunswick Bicycle, a light wheat beer was flavoursome enough for a light beer, and a pleasant change being a wheat, but the flavours don’t seem to have fully developed yet. The Soba, a buckwheat beer, also didn’t appeal to my tastes, with too much buckwheat and not enough of something I like.

The other three beers were all favourites, and I can quite easily see myself swapping between them when I next visit. The pale ale is an American style and reminiscent of 3 Ravens’ 55, very hoppy and fruity. The Saison is a very basic one, with a slightly darker colour and flavour than others I’m familiar with, but refreshing nonetheless. Lastly, the Brunswick Draught is a basic brew, but solid and flavoursome, a very easy drinker.