Festival of the West

Summer is the best, especially in the West. This year, I spent the majority of summer at home and I found our days were filled with all the west has to offer. We are so close to all the action. Day trips to Indented Head, Queenscliff and Barwon Heads; boat watching down at Williamstown; food trucks and ace picnics in Yarraville Gardens; bike rides along the beach or through new parks; and two awesome festivals: So Frenchy So Chic at Werribee Park and Portarlington Mussel Festival, both within a short drive from our suburb.

And it’s festival season in the inner west with Lunar New Year on our doorstep and my favourite local event, the Yarraville Festival, is happening this month.

Celebrating its 35^th year, Yarraville Festival on Sunday 7 February is certainly an event to make the journey to (highly recommend by bike, train or walking). The Village shuts off its streets to cars, making way for stall vendors selling everything from puppets to terrariums, paella to choc ripple donuts.

For the kids, Fels Park off Simpson Street is filled with storytime shows, petting zoos and performers all ready to put a smile on your kid’s face.

But I can’t get past the scents coming from the street. As a local, I can smell the aromas of the street stalls from my house from early morning, chargrilling their goodies, toasting up some kind of yummy seed to put into some kind of yummy bread.

Alongside the sweet smell of delicious food you can hear the super sound of bands warming up ready to play to the crowds. This year there are seven stages showcasing the best of the community including my favourite, the Yarraville Mouth Organ Band (you need to see these guys and Instagram the hell out of this gig) and Middle Aged Weirdo. There’s some fresh talent to discover as well including local school bands and rad up and comers on the Freeza stage (my pick is Shewolf – awesome new talent featuring 17 year old triplet sisters and their best buddy).

Over 18? Ace. Collect a beer from Dawsons Cellars and enjoy the main stage with your cold amber liquid. You might even see me busting out some moves in my Mom Jeans with my two-year-old.

Have a two year old? Get a front row seat at the hottest fashion parade in the west. The Dog Parade is a highlight every year with pooches dressed in their finest gear from diamante collars to Buzz Lightyear ensembles. It’s fun – with or without a two year old. Just make sure you share the love on social media to make sure your eastern suburbs buddies come over for the action next year.

The 2016 Yarraville Festival is set to be the biggest yet. Set yourself up for a day of awesomeness. Pack some sunscreen and water and text your pals. Find out more at www.yarravillefestival.com.au

Need to pump yourself up for Yarraville Festival? Here’s my top five songs for this summer.

1.       April Sun in  Cuba – Dragon

2.       Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship

3.       Daniel – Elton John

4.       Friday on my Mind – Easy Beats

5.       Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks

Would love to know yours. See you at the Festival!

xx

All of these fabulous photos are by the super talented Paul Large, fellow local Yarravillian.
This article first appeared in my column Spun Webb in the February issue of The Westsider. 

It's December, farewell November Rain

A work colleague got married secretly last week and to celebrate we held a super cute office party. We drank beer and ate Shapes and Samboys and watched YouTube clips on someone's computer.

The YouTube-ing got serious as we found ourselves playing songs from our youth: Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory (the song I sing to my colleagues every afternoon when I SHUT DOWN... in a Blaze of Glory), Kylie and Danni and then, Guns n Roses' November Rain. An epic afternoon all completed by 6pm.

November Rain. What an awesome way to send off Spring and welcome in Summer. I LOVE SUMMER.

Here's why:
1.  Pikelets
Our family gets up at Dawn's Crack every day, even on weekends. So we make pikelets. Pikelets are fun to eat outside in your jimmy-jams when the sun is getting up.

2. Correspondence. 
I seem to have so many personal Christmas Cards (heaps from Real Estate agents). But my favourite correspondence to receive is a surprise parcel to pop under the Chrissie tree or to get home to a beautifully wrapped prezzie that has come all the way from London from my buddy Tan. Not because it's Christmas time but because the item reminded her of me. Heart. x

3. Party time.
So many rad parties at this time of year. Since becoming a mum my social life has cut sick. Last weekend we had our parent's group party complete with jumping castle and Santa. This was followed by our street Christmas party complete with Pasito, tartan eskies and Milo branded cricket sets. Ace.

4. Sandwiches.
I don't know why I don't eat sandwiches in Winter. I just don't. As soon as December 1 kicks in, I'm smashing up curried egg like there's no tomorrow.

5. Towels.
There's something about Summer that makes me a kid again. Is it all the swimming, running, biking, skateboarding? Nope, it's the really cool head gear who can make out of a damp towel by rolling it down your leg. Nothing says Summer like a good towel blanket, especially if you've been running around a sprinkler in the backyard.

Welcome Summer. You have been missed. I want to hold your hand in SPF for the next three months and dance to Bon Jovi like there's no tomorrow.

Heather Dell High

When I was ridiculously pregnant and enormous, I had daily cravings for Neenish Tarts. The pink and brown pattern would wake me in the middle of the night and I would stare at the ceiling, counting the hours until Heather Dell Cakes opened.

There’s something so charming about Heather Dell. It represents your nanna, through its sweet smell, its window display, its tin canisters on the shelves, the curried egg sandwiches, the biscuits and treats, the photos on the fridge, right down to the local fruit and veg supplier calendar with its perforated months highlighting birthdays, anniversaries and special events.

Summer Dreams and Ice Creams

There’s something in the air and it smells. It’s not just the smell of teen spirit. It’s the smell of summer. But it’s different this year and it smells so good.

The smell is popping up everywhere I go. At a recent dumpling showdown with friends, an argument broke out about whether it is ‘Creaming’ or ‘Creamy’ soda and then it reached new heights on the difference between brown or red soda, then it went even further as to who made it better: Kirks or Tarax? (In my opinion it’s Creamy, it’s brown and Tarax did a ripper version in a black can with a gold stripe).

As a kid, my brothers and I were only ever allowed soft drink at special occasions. We would have Creamy Soda or Pasito at Christmas and it was such a treat.