Join us for lunch this week on Thursday at 12.30pm. $15. Book in on our website here.

Last week we had potato and leek soup with crusty bread, and cookies and coffee, and immersed ourselves in drawing for an hour.

We started with a piece of broken willow pattern crockery and extended the picture out from it on paper, using markers and pencils.

It was low key and chatty and very relaxing!

This week we’ll be eating a pasta bake and using the easels. Take a break from the every day and come along!

Our AAA Arts group is having a great time on Fridays this term, working together on an outdoor timber sculpture to brighten up our garden beds on the corner.

The project is utilising scrap timber offcuts, and there has been lots of painting, followed by drilling and screwing going on.

It is fabulous to see participants being so creative, learning new skills and gaining confidence to do new things. We’re very fortunate to have great support for this program with Corrado and Hazel volunteering weekly. It makes such a difference to what we can offer activity-wise.

Keep an eye on our gardens over the next few weeks if you are passing by - to admire the results!

Last year we got a grant from the Community Bank on Queens Parade, and with it we built a playstation - a bit different from the tiny ones on our fence - but just as fun!

This one stands by itself - and it includes doors and peep holes, and features famous art, and little bags of treasures, along with spot the difference games … and more.

We had it out for our end of year market last year, but with our backyard complete it has found a new permanent (or semi-permanent) home under our verandah.

Next time you are here with kids pop and out the back and take a look. It is super creative (thanks Lee)! And provides hours of cute fun.

What is the key to friendship?

Add your thoughts to a key tag on our fence this week.

We love quirky community art experiences … and creating opportunities for casual community interactions.

Darebin City Council is collaborating with Seniors Rights Victoria and Housing for the Aged Action Group on the Warm Safe Home Project.

The project is a mechanism to build awareness of elder abuse, and will be showcased at Preston Library in early June, for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day that takes place on June 15th each year.

The project asks people in the community to decorate a small house and talk about what it means to them to have a warm safe home.

If you are feeling creative and/or would like to help build awareness of this important issue, you can collect a cardboard house from us. Drop it back once you’ve finished. We’ll then pass the completed houses back to our Council colleagues for them to include in the exhibition.

Note, we should have the kits ready by the end of Monday!