17 August 2013

Maling Road Shopping Village - On a Rainy Day

Here's another weekend and it looks like it may rain today. But the sun is still shining for now, so what can we do today and where can we go for lunch?

Maling Road! It has been quite a while since we last went there, like eons ago.

Well, most large cities have streets or districts which are known for their shops and cafes. Maling Road is one such street. It is promoted as one of the top 5 shopping destinations in Victoria, hidden in the shopping precinct of Canterbury in the inner eastern suburb of Melbourne.

It's a great little area for cafes serving quality coffee, of which I can attest to and good gourmet foods. There are some interesting shops to check out too. Maling Road combines long established shops mingle with the contemporary.

The Maling Road shops start at the intersection of Canterbury Road - right next to Canterbury train station. This station is just 15 to 20 minutes east of Flinders St in the city. All Lilydale and Belgrave trains stop here.


This quaint street, since its humble beginnings in 1800s has preserved its old time Edwardian look. Its proximity to Melbourne’s CBD, makes Maling Road shopping village both a nearby destination and a "Back to the Future" time traveling opportunity of sort.

Maling Road has currently over 70 shops to entice you over. So if you are looking for some place different to go or something to do, even on a rainy day like today, here is one destination to consider.


One of the shops we took an interest in is the 'Maling Road Antique Market'. What once used to be an old theatre is now a bursting antique shop with all sorts of antiques and knick-knacks. The beautiful old decoration of the theatre and the ceiling forms the grand backdrop to the treasure troves you can hunt through; porcelain, china, glassware, old medals, old maps, even pieces of jewellery lock in glass cases. At the back where the stage once was, there's even a small collection of books and clothes.


Other places of interest is Tim's Bookshop located next to the community bank or just across the antique red post box. There is also the Darriwill Farm where we go a bottle of red wine with a recipe to make mulled wine; said to be a good tonic drink for a cold wintery night.


It is at this point that I noticed across the road, Bambaleros Freshly Roasted Coffee. This cafe roasts its own beans in a roaster positioned proudly at the back of the small premises. They also serve food and as it was about lunch time, I had to try some and it was good .....coffee and food.


The other shops at Maling Road sell all kinds of goodies; gifts, boutique clothing, fine art, china and crystal, books, beauty therapy, and interior design. There is even a sweet shop for those who have sweet tooth. Of course there are more everyday shops too, like the pharmacy, post office, hair salons and grocery shop.

Notable absences from this street are the multinationals and big chain stores. Apart from IGA and Bakers Delight (both Australian and locally owned), all the shops and eateries in Maling Road are independant one-offs.



05 August 2013

Prayer For Leaders


May you have the grace and wisdom
To act kindly, learning
To distinguish between what is
Personal and what is not.

May you be hospitable to criticism.
May you never put yourself at the center of things.

May you act not from arrogance but out of service.

May you work on yourself
Building up and refining the ways of your mind.

May you learn to cultivate the art of presence
In order to engage with those who meet you.

When someone fails or disappoints you
May the graciousness with which you engage
Be their stairway to renewal and refinement.

May you treasure the gifts of the mind
Through reading and creative thinking
So that you continue to be a servant of the frontier
Where the new will draw its enrichment from the old,
And you never become a functionary.

May you know the wisdom of deep listening,
The healing of wholesome words,
The encouragement of the appreciative gaze,
The decorum of held dignity,
The springtime of the bleak question.

May you have a mind that loves frontiers
So that you can evoke the bright fields
That lie beyond the view of the regular eye.

May you have good friends
To mirror your blind spots.

May leadership be for you
A true adventure of growth.


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