In January we came back well rested, eager to learn, and with a definite bang as we opened shop at The Little Mule in the CBD and at the People’s Market in Collingwood!
We started the month off with an evening of Tea with Sarah Cowell of Teasense and Cryptic Crosswords with Antonios Sarhanis of the DA Trippers.
Sarah guided us through the wonder of how one single type of plant can create thousands of teas and explained the difference between black, white, green and even oolong tea.
Tony then got us scratching our heads as he posed cryptic clue after cryptic clue, and, with pointers and hints helped us to decode the crosswords, and look rather clever.
The following night was our debut at the People’s Market. This began as a bit of a rollercoaster – quite literally as Michael Patterson took us on a ride through the Science of Roller Coasters. Starting with the world’s first roller coaster, that started life as an old railway line, we twisted, turned and looped the loop through the different aspects that make roller coasters exciting.
Michael was a one-man show as he then taught us all about wind resistance, lift and everything in between in Aerodynamics – I believe I can fly. Using balloons, custard and paper planes Michael debunked the theories of how planes fly and whether an F1 car can drive on the ceiling…
The following week we got a bit creative, starting off with Screenwriting: A Hitchhiker’s Guide. Local writer and editor Alexander D’Aloia helped us analyse the various screenwriting tools out there, look at potential character relations, narrative styles and how to get it all down on paper. Phew.
Hot on Alex’s heels came Laura Smith and her class on Urban Armour: A Chainmaille Workshop. With heaps of ideas and inspiration from full chainmaille suits to exquisite jewellery and accessories Laura taught us how to ‘knit’ chainmaille weave and get us on our way to full medieval glory.
Back at the People’s Market we had a double double whammy with back-to-back Next Level Cupcakes and Urban Beekeeping.
The wonderfully multi-talented Maria Yebra had us out under the ‘trees’ with fondant, food colouring and lots of fun, to learn how to create visually stunning – and delicious! – little masterpieces. From bows and roses, to dragons with dummies.
Running alongside Maria and her cupcaking companions Robert Redpath of Bee Sustainable brought some of his bees out for an evening excursion. We learnt countless facts and fascinating details about these wonderful creatures and all went away yearning to start our own little urban hive.
I don’t know whether I want to put these on display or just eat the lot!
