Update - Various

Ok, I know I've been neglecting Marrickvillia a little lately. But I have a good excuse - the manuscript for my book about cosmetic surgery is due in on December 1 (actually I'm aiming for the end of next week) . So, a few updates, without photos I'm afraid.

Hugh recovered well physically from the attack but did suffer some anxiety about seeing the kids wot done it on the street. I can't write the details here but let's just say that one of them was picked up by the police and after a lengthy process "has been brought to Justice". There was also a completely unexpected and spontaneous apology - I think that was what finally put Hugh's mind at rest. We took him to a martial arts class & he did seem to be into it, but then wasn't keen to go back. I don't think the vocalising and bowing were really him. We thought a skateboard would give him a bit of speed and confidence in the streets of Marrickville so my brother sent him skateboard wheels (and something called a truck?) and we took him to Fox Studios to get the board (it's called a deck)... It was interesting for me to witness the very blokey business of choosing the design (some of them are amazing works of art).

Vegie patch - lettuces have gone to seed, cabbages got attacked by snails (the insides are still ok) and we have tomatoes galore. We put in a "Black Russian" which will be beautiful I think. Corm and sunflowers should be tall soon.

Beer!! The second batch was a huge success and we're planning the 3rd.

Chooks!! We're on a waiting list for 2 chooks and a portable chook house. This is necessary for protein as Ruby and I no longer eat meat or bought eggs (I wrote about it at Sarsaparilla).

Fish!! The sad and lonely goldfish has a friend at last. They swim about next to each other.

Ratties!! Getting tamer by the day. They come out of their penthouse & sit in my hands. Their long delicate whiskers twiddle around all the time. They have lovely round dark eyes.

Sailor!! Snoring.

Shop of the Week - Danas

Danas opened in 1962 and for forty years was run as a specialty Greek delicatessen by Agatha and Dimitrious Danas. They raised their four children here, living in the apartment above the shop. When I first moved to Marrickville in 2000 this was my local for fetta, olives, taramasalata and dolmades. My only problem with the area was that there was nowhere really close by for coffee - I had to walk up to the Post Cafe on Marrickville Rd, which despite its many awards I find a bit impersonal. So I was really pleased when I heard in 2003 that Agatha and Dimitrious' two daughters, Tina and Olga, were planning to renovate the shop and turn it into a cafe. However, I was a bit sad about losing the deli.

I've ended up with both cafe and deli. With some clever interior design the deli remains intact in the back half of the shop while the front has become a charming cafe space. The girls didn't go for anything trendy or slick in the redesign - instead there's lots of Fedeterranean blue - including the crockery - and Greek flags and posters.

Dimitrious still looks after all the fettas, olives, oils and other Greek specialty lines. He also distills his own vinegar and red wine from fruit he grows on vines in the backyard. "I get a lot of pleasure from making the vinegar" he tells me, "looking after it, watching it ferment. It's a natural medicine - it reduces cholesterol and clears the veins." I left there yesterday morning bearing gifts from him - a bottle of his homemade red wine and one of the vinegar, which is the most amazing ruby colour.

Agatha still cooks pasticcia, spanakopita, soups and pastas to sell in the cafe and the two daughters run front-of-house. They serve great coffee, beautiful fruit salad, a fantastic dips platter, Greek salads, etc. The deli section has five different fettas - Australian, Bulgarian, skim milk and two Greek ones, Peperati and Dodomi. I'm not sure which of these are made from sheep's, goat's or cow's milks but I know they sell all three. Dimitrious cuts them with a piece of fishing line. There are nine types of olives: the tiny ones from Samos, three different sizes of Kalamata, green cracked ones, the round fleshy ones from Volou and those salty dried ones from Thassos. The jar of olives is unheard of at Danas - they're kept in big metal tubs of brine, strained and scooped out to order.

Danas Grocer and Cafe
416 Illawarra Rd Marrickville
9591 1589

womit

My daughter used to announce "I'm going to do womit!"

I've written a little piece on vomit & its cultural significance over at Sarsaparilla - have a look & add your comment. Although I've previously blogged chewy in Marrickville you may rest assured I have no intention of doing the same for the pavement pizzas occasionally spotted along Illawarra Rd on a Sunday morning.

Bless the Beasts & the Children

I heard on ABC news radio yesterday that a 14 year old girl had successfully fought off an abductor in Dulwich Hill in the morning. In Herbert St he had grabbed her around the waist and tried to drag her into his white utility vehicle. She escaped and ran to a nearby school. It turns out she is in Hugh's class...

Teach your kids, especially the girls, to fight dirty with whatever they've got - teeth, nails, fists, feet - and to go hard for his balls & eyes. Teach them to scream "Fire!!" and then scream and keep screaming. Teach them to be on the lookout. What else is there to do?

Farewell Dero Dog

The RSPCA rang this morning to tell me that Dero Dog has been assessed "not suitable for adoption" as he's shown signs of aggression. He will be put down today. I feel sad about that and will think of him all day. But I'm happy that he's been given antibiotics, pain medication and a warm place to sleep for the past few weeks. Perhaps he wouldn't agree? Maybe he'd rather be free and alive. When I put it that way there's really no question, is there?

The RSPCA is really wonderful. The people there did their best to find his owners - via a breeder's tattoo inside one of his ears - but with no luck. They spent a lot of money on medication and housing for an ancient dog that they knew would probably end up being euthanised. And they kept in touch with me and were very understanding about my feelings that they told me have a name - "rescuer's bond".

Good Dog.