Hi Leanne here. With our new room and reconfiguration of our spaces we are now looking at our general programming … and also starting to think about what we will run next semester. If you have a great idea for something to run here please give us a call or send an email. We really love new ideas. We’ll finalise things in the next few weeks, before the school holidays.

Excitingly, we have lots of great things on our radar already including:

• new meditation/mindfulness classes

• another introduction to podcasting short course starting at the end of July - this time with Ben McKenzie who is a very experienced teacher

• another mosaics workshop with Lee (she’s loved the first one)

• a new evening art group where we will keep costs down by sharing skills and knowledge

• a street/neighbourhood photography course on the weekend suitable for families

• our winter art exhibition in mid August (artists start thinking about what you could enter!)

• Alphington Open Studios at the end of the year

• our Christmas Makers Market at the end of November

I am going to start putting some of the links to these activities on our ‘enrol’ page this week, so keep an eye out if you are super keen to book in. As I get them organised I will make sure I add the direct links into the newsletter over the coming weeks.

We’re looking forward to getting settled after a period of chaos … and of course offering a great range of events, courses and programs throughout second semester that engage a wide range of people from our local community.

We had six people at preserves this week.

We made beetroot relish and had a lovely chat … and coffee and a bikkie while we waited for the relish to cook and thicken.

And … imagine … we could all stand around the kitchen bench to chop And grate. Amazing!

Our jams and preserves group meets on the third Tuesday of the month from 1-3pm. Our next session will be on Tuesday 18 June. We’re thinking about onion jam and marmalade, preserved lemons 🍋 or maybe drying some citrus … 🍊 so, if you have any excess oranges, lemons, cumquats etc. in your garden we’d love to make use of them! Just drop them into the office. Thanks.

And of course … you’re welcome to join in. Let us know you’re interested and we’ll add you to the What’s App group.

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!

With the kitchen all organised, we are getting back to our monthly preserving and jamming activities.

If you like cooking (and talking while you cook!) we’d love you to join us this Tuesday 21 May from 1-3pm for preserves group.

This month we are celebrating autumn and making beetroot relish. If we have time we may also make some preserved lemon.

Bring your apron. We should have everything else here.

Also … if you have excess fruit or veggies growing in your garden we always love donations … we can use them for our community lunches, for preserving and jamming and can also pass them on to the community or the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.