A Coffee in the Country

Moving out of the city was a refreshing change for myself and Caroline. Not everyone is made up to live in a city, however great that city might be. And Melbourne is a great city! I've lived in a few, and Melbourne is fantastic as cities go. I guess upbringing will play a part in a person's comfort zones, and both Caroline and I grew up in a town environment, moving to cities later in our lives. We've now moved back to a small town surrounded by lush countryside, albeit on the other side of the planet. How things go around...!

Misty view of the Latrobe Valley

For all my talk of not being a city person, I still love a good barista style coffee, and I haven't been disappointed with what I've found in Baw Baw Shire. The Drouin and Warragul areas in the Latrobe Valley have plenty of cafes dotted around, and every small dot on the map has a cafe or bakery. It is too much to try them all, though I'll give it a go! I even lower my expectations when I'm outside of Melbourne, though there is really no need. I guess when you're just an hour's drive away from Melbourne's south east suburbs, some parts of the city are going to filter to country towns (pun intended).

We go over to Warragul quite often, because it is bigger and has more shops and retail outlets and it's only 8 minutes drive. We also have a favourite cafe, Earth Market Cafe. They have a great and varied food menu, catering to many different food needs including gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. I have a particular liking for porridge at breakfast and Earth Market's is excellent with a strong almond taste, and thick cut oats that you need extra milk with to break up and they serve it with banana or berries. However, check out the posts on their facebook page to see the quality and variety of food served.

Earth Market Cafe

The main reason for going to a cafe is the coffee, and Earth Market serve great coffee. They use Dukes coffee for those of you that like the Prahran hangout, or the Central Melbourne vibe, and my long black comes out full bodied, with a rich crema, and a mellow, slightly sweet, chocolaty/licorice flavour.

The Earth Market Cafe is a really chilled out place to hang out for a coffee. The staff are friendly and aren't hovering around you to see if you have finished your coffee (or to watch you wipe your eyes when you get to a particularly sad part in the book you're reading!). Its central location in Warragul makes Earth Market Cafe an ideal place to start off a days shopping, rest half way, or end up in to relax after shopping.

Chess Inspiration with Magnus

Today I was at the Australian Junior Championship in Melbourne. It is a fantastic event with hundreds of kids from across Australia playing, and the venue at Swinburne University is great. There is even an excellent cafe just across the road serving superb coffee, the Axil Coffee Roastery.

So I have been chatting to some people,and looking at some of the kids game, a pretty good way to spend some time!

The question that always interests me as a chess coach is how can you bridge the gap between teaching and engaging? How can you improve someone's game while keeping it fun? There has to be some inspiration to guide the education. For oldies like me, it can be difficult to remember exactly what I found inspirational as a child, or even a young teenager. And as times change, things that inspire can change.

One thing that is constant are the top players in the game, and talking about Wijk aan Zee and how the superstars are doing is a great inspiration for the kids. (I actually like when the Junior Champs takes place at the same time as the Senior Championship, such as kids in the morning, adults in the afternoon so the kids get to see the best players in the country in action after their own games) There is no bigger superstar at the moment than Magnus Carlsen, so he is currently the biggest inspiration to kids in chess. On my recent trip to NZ I saw a book about Magnus that I nearly bought...

I didn't see much chess, but I learned that Magnus is keen to ride a motorcycle and go punk!

I took a look at my life now that I live in the country, and I finally decided to switch clubs from Melbourne to Box Hill. I have entered the next Friday night Box Hill tournament, the Autumn Cup which starts on 26 January, and I'll start writing about this as it happens. I won't stop writing about MCC which I have a great fondness for, and I'll try to play a weekend event or two this year.

Anyway, I'll be back to chess blogging as well!

Cracked Pepper

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. I'm not sure who says it, but I suppose I could "google it", and come up with a reasonable answer. The problem comes when imitation is done in poor taste. Like a bandwagon of novelists writing about young wizards, cover bands who actually have the talent to create their own music, and right wing fascists pretending to be caring politicians.

Anyway, as most readers of this blog will know, the things I love most in this world are chess and coffee. (of course I love the beautiful people that surround my world the most, but I don't really like describing my friends as "things"). The chess world is pretty exciting at the moment with a host of top level events seeing out 2016, headed by the World Championship currently being played in New York. For me, though, the chess world has been a poor imitation of what is was 12 months previously as I have had a year of illnesses which have prevented me from playing much chess. While I enjoy watching and studying the game, nothing beats playing and competing. I have entered a tournament in a couple of weeks, and will see how I go because I've been in quite a bit of discomfort recently, and had brain fogs, but if I can play ok then I'll be happy.

Coffee is my other passion. I love sitting at a cafe, reading a novel, and drinking a long black. I've been asked why I don't buy a coffee machine. Well, the simple answer is I like sitting at cafes, reading a novel with a long black! I have been to hundreds of cafes around Melbourne and the quality of the coffee, service and food varies, but I don't mind, I keep going back to my regular favourites.

One thing I have noticed, however, is how some cafes seem to be trying to imitate their classier, chic rivals. I like the fact that you don't have to be in central Melbourne to get a decent coffee, but I sometimes cringe at some of the food options and service quality of places. My pet annoyance at the moment is cracked pepper. I'm happy to dine in an Italian restaurant in Lygon Street and have a waiter come to me when my meal is in front of me and ask if I would like cracked pepper on it. Sometimes I'll say yes, sometimes no, but the whole thing seems appropriate there. I've started noticing that more and more places have waiting staff hanging around with pepper grinders, ready to pounce on customers with their request to serve you cracked pepper. I've even had cracked pepper ground on to my food before I could stop the overeager waitress. I've seen looks of disappointment on the faces of waiters at cafes when I'm sat with a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and I've even had a young waiter edging towards me as if he was wondering whether I would actually like cracked pepper on my porridge. I kind of feel sorry for that young man who will probably never know whether I wanted cracked pepper on my porridge or not. Did he lose his establishment a customer by not offering cracked pepper as an option?

I'm not the only critic of cracked pepper offerings (Huffpost)

To be honest, the cracked pepper thing is beginning to die down. Just as well really, as it seems a bit of a contradiction to walk into a greasy spoon, order eggs on toast, and be offered cracked pepper and ketchup. There needs to be a sense of appropriateness, and I don't think any less of a cafe because it might not be as classy as those in the next suburb. As long as the coffee is drinkable, the food is ok, and the staff are friendly, there isn't much more you need. Except maybe some cracked pepper on your breakfast Muesli....

Wednesday on the Go

If this blog post comes out somewhat broken up today, it's because I'm writing as and when I can. A typical day for me involves going to a school at 8.00 am and running a class until 9.00 am. I then have a break till lunch time, but have to drive somewhere else, and then drive somewhere else for later classes, and then drive to our centre for evening classes. Wednesday is particularly mobile. The good thing is that I get the chance to see lots of Melbourne, and lots of cafes.

I'm currently sat in the Armstrong Street Foodstore where my first coffee of the day has been brought to me. I'm trying to cut down on the coffee I have, but I'll still have one or two a day. My preference is for a long black, which is like an Americano for those of you not in Australia, but I'll occasionally have an espresso. I like to spend 20-30 minutes of the day in a cafe, leaving the real world and getting lost in a book. I'm currently reading the Booker Prize longlisted "Hystopia" by David Means. I have to say that I struggled to get into the novel to begin with, but I'm so glad I did. It has become absolutely electrifying, with beautiful writing describing both the brutality and beauty that runs through the book. So that's where I'm off to now. I'll write more later....

...from the seafront near St Kilda and Middle Park, my next job takes me inland to Camberwell. Much like St Kilda, Camberwell has no shortage of places to grab a coffee. I'm currently sitting in Cattivo, which has a great range of food including plenty of vegetarian options. In fact, it's a shame I'm not hungry, because all the food looks delicious, especially the eggplant parmigiana. The coffee is smooth and mild flavoured with a slightly chocolate after taste. It is not as thick as I like, but it is still a good coffee.

There is just a week and a half left before I travel to Singapore with Caroline for a week holiday, and my thoughts are beginning to go there. I'm even following Singapore's fortunes at the Chess Olympiad (and Hong Kong for that matter!). Like many, my only experience of Singapore has been Changi airport, which is quite amazing in itself. Coming form the UK, short breaks to south east Asia are a luxury I'd never have dreamed of before moving to Australia. Now it seems like a short hop! I really don't know what to expect from Singapore, and am excited to be staying there. It seems a hotch-potch of cultures, Chinese, Indian, colonial British, Malay etc. The next week and a half I'll be open to suggestions as to what to do in Singapore from anyone that's been there.

I've moved east again and picked up a roll from my favourite bakery in Mitcham. The ladies in the bakery struggle with spoken English, so it's always fun trying to order something with misunderstandings going both ways. The best was when i asked for an egg and salad roll, and was made a hot pork roll. We all had a laugh about my funny way of speaking!

Of course misunderstandings are a daily hazard to most adults in first world countries. As someone who has to drive a lot for work I can certainly testify to that. The one thing I've noticed is how misleading car stickers can be. But I've learned to interpret their true meanings:

You might think this is a witticism for "I've got a crap car", but it in fact means "Stay clear of me because I'm a maniac driver behind the wheel"

You might think this means "Please keep your distance for the safety of my child", but it in fact means "Stay clear because I'm a maniac driver behind the wheel".

You might think this means "Respect braking distance" but it in fact means "Stay a fuck of a long way clear because I'm a maniac driver behind the wheel of a huge fucking truck".

I'm back home safely now and ready to settle down to read (no chess at the Olympiad tonight). I've always got more than one book on the go. I'm reading a thriller by Australian author Matthew Reilly which is an easy, page turning, romp. I kind of think of books like most people think of TV series. I can change books like changing TV channels, and then go back a bit later to catch up on the other book. It also means that I can read different types of books and have something to read dependent on my mood. Anyway, that's all from me today, it'll probably be back to chess again tomorrow.

A Typical Sunday

You go into work on Monday and it's always the same question.

"How was your weekend?"

The answer:

"Went out Saturday night, then had a typical Sunday".

But what is a typical Sunday? Get up late? Big breakfast? Afternoon stroll? Sunday sport? Roast dinner? Family meal? Get ready for the working week? I thought I'd try to sum up a typical Sunday for me.

First and foremost my Sundays are a time to spend with my wife, Caroline. That is typical for me, in whatever way we choose to spend it. Today, for instance, we went to the South Melbourne Market to stock up on food for the week, then it was housework, mainly washing. So a pretty boring Sunday when it boils down to it. Is this typical?

A typical Sunday for me involves being with Caroline

Last Sunday we went for a day out, driving to Phillip Island. It has been some time since I visited Phillip Island as a tourist, and I vividly remember a day out some 9 or 10 years ago, not long after I'd emigrated. We spent some time retracing our steps. Our itinerary:

Late breakfast at San Remo
Beach walk at Woolamai
Trip to the Nobbies
Views of the Southern Coast
Tea at San Remo before leaving

We arrived in time to see Pelicans being fed at Sam Remo before having coffee and a quick bite at Bean'd. I have to say, that the coffee was probably the best I've had outside of Metropolitan Melbourne.

Late breakfast at San Remo

One of the beauties of Australian landscape are the varied beaches and seascapes. Phillip Island's southern coast has great surf beaches, like Woolamai and rock features such as the Nobbies and Pyramid Rock.

World famous surf beach at Woolamai

Eastern view from the Nobbies

Pyramid Rock

It was a beautiful crisp winter's day, with great views and enough sun to warm the day up. It takes less than 2 hours to drive to San Remo from where we live in Elsternwick, and many of the coastal walks are easy with boardwalks to help the environment. At the Nobbies, little penguins and other wildlife live on the coastal lands, so these are protected and people are only allowed to walk on designated areas. We didn't stay for the Penguin Parade, nor visit the wildlife sanctuaries on the island. We were content to see wallabies, fairy wrens, Cape Barren Geese, Pelicans and a Nankeen kestrel. Unfortunately we only had phones with us, so didn't get wildlife photos, but it was wonderful to see these great creatures.

Now, let me think back to the Sunday before that. Oh yes, that was dominated by a 17 km run in my training for a half marathon in July. And the Sunday before that? I can't remember, but I'm guessing it was another typical Sunday.

A Strange Saturday

I woke up this morning, and with it being a work day, prepared myself, and then went for a coffee before heading to the chess centre for my classes. I have found a routine on a Saturday whereby I get up a bit early, and find a coffee before work, read a novel for about half an hour, and then head in. Today, I unfortunately forgot to take my novel, but as a resourceful fellow, I had a smart phone with me and browsed through my Twitter account to see if there might be anything interesting

Interesting Fact Number 1:

As with most people I was appalled by the destructive earthquake that happened in Nepal last week. The last I heard over 6000 people had died in this tragedy, but the death count could still rise drastically, especially with the displacement of many people caused by the destruction of buildings, villages, towns. Organisations such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, and OXFAM can be donated to.

Just how powerful was the earthquake? Well, it was graded 7.8 on the Richter scale but besides the devastation it caused, that doesn't mean much to me. To put it into terms I understand, this article by the Smithsonian  tells of a region 75 miles long, and 30 miles wide that was lifted up by about 3 feet. Apparently, it caused Mt Everest to shrink by an inch! That is an unbelievable power of nature!

Interesting Fact Number 2

I love my multi-cultural city, Melbourne, and country, Australia. I'll admit that it is not perfect and that their is sometimes ethnic tension, and racial issues. Only yesterday there was a protest march in Melbourne, as there was across Australia, against the Abbott Government's proposed closure of indigenous communities in Western Australia.

Europe has it's fair share of racial tension. I remember this from my life in England, and with immigration being an issue that has right wing parties such as UKIP gaining popularity, I'm guessing these issues haven't disappeared.

So I was a little concerned to see Munich had opened a Nazi Museum in a building which used to be Nazi headquarters in the 1930's. I understand that we sometimes need to confront our past and ensure that we learn from the past to ensure the same mistakes aren't made in the future. I just hope that this new centre doesn't become an icon for right wing organisations, which certainly exist in Bavaria, and Germany and Europe.

Interesting Fact Number 3

Last, and possibly least in the strange new things I learned today concerned interesting historical facts about my secret food addiction, croissants. First, let me say that I pronounce croissant, "krwasohn", as in the French, rather than cross-ant, as in the Australian. But perhaps I'm being unfair, as croissant's pre date France by quite a margin. Apparently, a crescent shaped Kipfel can be traced back to the 13th century in Vienna, the Kipfel being the croissant's predecessor. But the croissant as we know it today is quintessentially French with puff pastry and oozing with butter. If the plain croissant isn't good enough, then you could go for the bigger artery clogger, the almond croissant which is my particular favourite!

French pastry basket from Rocley's Cafe, Elsternwick. Mine's the sugar coated almond croissant in the middle!

And it is especially good with a cup of coffee....damn, not only did I forget my book, I forgot my Saturday morning croissant

Incorrigible Optimists

Anyone that knows me will have no problems imagining me sat at a cafe, drinking a long black coffee (Americano for my non Aussie readers) and reading a book. While the coffee is always long black, the book could be anything. I almost always read fiction, but occasionally I'll read about history, or very occasionally, chess! Even the vast amount of novels I read can be about almost anything, and I usually have 2 or 3 books on the go at a given time. I find I can switch between novels depending on my mood, much like someone watching TV and switching channels until they find something they want to watch.

For example, I have recently finished a fantasy novel by Australian author Garth Nix. Clariel is a prequel to a series he wrote years ago which I really enjoyed. This new novel was no less enjoyable, in my opinion. While I was reading this, I was also reading an historical fiction novel set in Tudor times called Sovereign by C. J. Samson. Again, this is part of a series of books bringing mystery and detective genres into historical perspective, much like the Cadfael books did. I have yet to finish this one, and it is beginning to develop into a thick plot.

The book that I'm struggling to put down at the moment is called "The Incorrigible Optimists Club" by Jean-Michel Guenassia. Translated from the original French, the book is set in Paris during the early 1960's when France was embroiled in the Algerian crisis, and Europe was caught up in the Cold War. The book therefore has political issues weaving through it, but essentially it is about people, their relationships, their actions, and their stories. The main hub of the book is a teenager called Michel, somewhat of a rebel, around whom a series of fascinating characters revolve. One group of characters, and perhaps the inspiration for the novel's title (though I guess I won't really know this until I've finished the book), are a bunch of expats mainly from Eastern Europe, though there is a German in the group. This group meet at a typical Parisian cafe/restaurant where they socialise and play chess. They argue about almost every subject they can talk about, but it doesn't spoil their cameraderie (at least not yet).

While I can lose myself in novels like Clariel set in an imaginary world, or Sovereign looking into the distant past, it is novels such as The Incorrigible Optimists Club which resonate to me. I can't help imagining chess players or immigrants, or chess playing immigrants finding people of similar backgrounds, or who like similar interests, to make their new life in a new country happier. Here in multicultural Melbourne we have suburbs which may have a predominant ethnic background, while chess clubs such as the Melbourne Chess Club have a distinctly immigrant flavour running through its history even to the present day.

It is rare that I feel such an affinity for so many themes in a novel, from chess to cafe culture, time spent in Paris, immigration, and all the everyday feelings that a person goes through on a daily basis. Amazing! I could even be accused of having my fair share of incorrigible optimism.

Happy Days

Today it's Mother's Day! Well, at least it's Mother's Day in the UK where my mother is, even if it isn't Mother's Day in Australia where I live. In fact here in Australia, we celebrate Mother's Day the second Sunday in May which is when it was originally founded by US President Woodrow Wilson, along with a bunch of other countries. But other countries celebrate Mother's Day throughout the year, such as many middle eastern countries on 21st March (Vernal Equinox), South Korea on 8th May as part of their traditional Parent's Day celebration, France, Sweden and some others who celebrate it at the end of May/start of June to coincide with Pentecost and Russia at the end of November. It's somewhat bizarre that with all the worldwide days that there are for various reasons the World can't find one to celebrate mothers which is universally agreed upon (it's also pretty cool that different countries hold to their traditions and celebrate mothers in their own way).

Pi Pie

What really got me thinking about this was yesterday being Pi Day, a celebration of mathematics. I'm beginning to think the World has gone a bit mad when we have to attribute a day to an irrational number, but then again it probably isn't the most bizarre day there is. I mean, chess has a international day (July 20th) and we in Victoria have a public holiday for a horse race (first Tuesday in November) and celebrate the birthday of a Monarch of a different country (not sure what will happen when that Monarch passes away).

If you really want to see some excellent day of the year go to a site like this one and check some out. My birthday is October 18th and that day will see the celebration of 'no beards', 'toy camera's
' (a shifting holiday, so I'm honoured this year) and 'chocolate cupcakes' (an American national day, but one that might deserve an international flavour).

Caroline's birthday is December 20th which is the day of celebrating going carolling (the Sunday before Christmas so this will change yearly), 'Games Day' (predominately UK) and 'Sangria Day'.

December 20th, Sangria Day!

Of course, there are plenty of serious days which raise awareness of various issues, or celebrate events of historical importance. But then again there are the bizarre ones. So today, Mother's in the UK share their day with:

True Confessions - this holiday is copyrighted so don't try to move it or use it for your own ends!
Brutus - another copyrighted invention to celebrate the art of the back stab!
Buzzards - limited to Ohio, USA (though this might actually be next Sunday)

And seeing March 2015 is, among other things, Caffeine Awareness Month, I feel the need for coffee. While I'm having my coffee I am going to start celebrating my own 'Think of a thing to have a day to celebrate day'.

Impressionability

The events in France over the past few days have made an impression on my middle aged mind. I can understand struggles that people have for freedom, equality, self determination etc, but I'm becoming more and more disgusted with what I consider to be wanton violence in the name of the cause. It doesn't matter who's inflicting the pain, whether it be soldiers from a foreign land invading, or suicide squads infiltrating foreign countries, or anything in between, it always seems to be innocent people, who suffer. And to me, that's wrong.

A strong image in the aftermath of the French terror killings

I guess when I was younger and was impressionable in a different way, trying to make sense of the World, I'd have tried to show more understanding with the terrorists. I grew up in England during heavy IRA activities, in a World polarised by the Cold War, in a time of Apartheid in South Africa and Communism in Afghanistan. I'm not saying that things are any easier now, especially with the amount of information and misinformation that is available especially on the internet. I'm just trying to remember that time when my idealism would argue with my sense of right, and I would become a devil's advocate trying to understand circumstances that would allow for people to commit terrible acts. Like I said earlier, nowadays it doesn't matter whether those acts are state sponsored, or anti-statist  in nature, all I see are the sufferings of the innocents.

Funnily enough I very nearly had a run in with my past recently. Actually, it turned into a very surreal experience. I was contacted via facebook by someone who I hadn't seen in over 25 years, who said they were in Melbourne briefly and could we meet up. I agreed and we arranged a meet on Friday night in the shabby-chic suburb of Fitzroy. I went to meet my friend Ian with Caroline and at one point she asked me what was he like? I have lived with Caroline for the past 22 years and she has never met Ian, which goes to show how long ago it was I knew him. I thought for a moment and then replied that I didn't know what he was like because I hadn't seen him for at least 25 years! Actually, I know very little about Ian except that he enjoys diving, but we spent quite some time as friends when we were at university in Hull in the mid 1980's. I assumed that like myself he would be an older version of what he had been like at university.

Waiting for a friend from 25 years ago in Baxter's Lot

In a bizarre twist of fate instead of meeting someone for the first time in over 25 years on the other side of the world, Ian was caught out by internal flights and while I was sitting in Fitzroy waiting for him, he was sitting in Sydney waiting for a flight that had been delayed. We never did meet up, as he had to fly to Cairns early the next day, but hopefully we will one day.

In the meantime, I had a very pleasant evening out with Caroline. First we had a meal in Joe's Garage, then went for a drink at the Little Creature's Dining Hall, and finally found ourselves lounging in the comfortable surrounds of a bar called Baxter's Lot. I had the pleasure of trying a Japanese whiskey for the first time in my life, and really enjoying it. Long gone are the beer swilling days of my youth! In fact, I'd usually prefer a coffee to alcohol these days, and I recently had one of the best coffee's I've ever had.

Waiting in The League of Honest Coffee for an excellent long black

Last week I went to Melbourne CBD for the first time in a long time and went on the look out for a good coffee. I found a place called The League of Honest Coffee on Little Lonsdale Street near Exhibition and I was taken to coffee heaven. Selling and using Padre coffee, they somehow made a long black that was sweet in a liquorice way, was smooth but earthy with a very subtle fruity flavour, possibly blackcurrant or plum. The only coffee I've had that rivalled this over the holiday period was just before Christmas at the Maling Room in Canterbury though that coffee had more of an apricot flavour.

It's interesting trying to compare the person I was. say 25 years ago, to the one I am now. And probably impossible for myself to do it. I would hope that my outlook on life hasn't changed too much, though perhaps it may have modified somewhat. Although in some respects I am more vehement now in my beliefs and feelings than I was when I was younger. In the end it really makes little difference. I am what I am, the sum of my life experiences up to this point. Although I still keep in touch with a few people from the past, I am the sort of person that doesn't go out of their way to maintain friendships, but rather I move on from one place to another. Saying that, I am always happy to renew a friendship , or at least to try to renew a friendship that has lapsed over time. I've moved a fair bit in my adult life, and have become adept at finding friends in new places. I guess a sense of adventure and exploration are in my bones, which is another reason The League of Honest Coffee appealed to me, as it was situated on the corner of Exploration Lane.

Senior Moment

At the in between sort of age of 48 I still feel pretty young, except when I've just been for a run when I feel nearly dead. I guess my life has slowed down compared to what I was like in my 20's (playing chess on average 3 times a week is too much for me nowadays!) but I'm still pretty active and positive in my thoughts.

Just before Christmas I was sat in a cafe having my favourite long black and croissant with the radio playing in the background engrossed in a novel. Well, engrossed is a bit strong as the book wasn't particularly good. Let's say I was getting through the book as best I could with a dogged determination to finish it no matter what, typical of the British 'stiff upper lip spirit'. (Since then I've finished the book and I now wish that I'd listened to my reason and stopped reading early on. I'll admit "The Miniaturist' had its moments, but I really didn't enjoy it and essentially that is why I read novels!) Anyway, I had zoned out of the novel for a moment when I thought I heard the words "Bobby Fischer" from somewhere.

My first reaction was to think I was going a bit bonkers and secondly I sniffed my coffee just to make sure there was nothing funny in it. Surprisingly, "The House of Bread and Pastries" on Martin Street in Gardenvale do a very respectable coffee for what is essentially a bakery. I've certainly been to cafes which have served worse coffee. The coffee is smooth with a rich texture and a slightly roasted flavour. It isn't brilliant, but if it was the worse coffee I ever had I would die a happy man. At least in terms of coffee.

Ok, back to my senior moment. Hearing the name of a chess player for no apparent reason was a bit worrying, but then I heard it again, unmistakably on the radio. So I strained my failing hearing and there it was.

I think like Bobby Fischer.

I was so happy that I wasn't going a bit loopy, and that I wasn't going to have to call in work claiming I needed a mental health day off, that it didn't even register how crap the song was. At first. I had no idea who it was or even how to find out, but my smart phone and google were my friends and I now know that the song was "Cosby Sweater" by the Hilltop Hoods. See what you think. Am I getting old?

How Busy Am I?

I was talking to my friend Alex on Tuesday and he said that he'd seen this blog and really liked it. I thanked him and said he could tell when my life is busy and less busy by the frequency of my blog posts here. He was understanding as a busy person like himself would be and the conversation moved on. Well, my life has been very bust recently and as a reflection, this blog has died down. Saying that, I think I'm getting to grips with my new role at work, so I guess that means I can start blogging again.

Before getting into any chess, I just wanted to talk coffee. I may have found my favourite coffee in Melbourne, thanks to my wife, Caroline. Caroline works in Richmond and when I occasionally give her a lift to work it gives me a chance to try cafes in an area that I rarely go to. In Church Street, Richmond there is a cafe called The Fair Foodstore which I will be going out of my way to go back to because the coffee is simply fantastic. The coffee has a rich texture and fruity flavours, with a definite hint of apricot, and though I've not tried any food, the menu has plenty of interesting things on that I'd like to try and anywhere that does pulled pork can't be that bad! Go check out this review which also loves The Fair Foodstore.

For the past 6 weeks I have been so busy that the World Chess Championship seemed to slip by without me really noticing. I was aware that it was closer than last year, that Anand made more of a fight for it, and that Carlsen won, but what with a busy schedule, and a terrible time zone for watching the match, I really didn't see too much of it. And the high level chess has continued unabated with the Qatar Masters and Russian Championships on at the moment. Sorry, but I just haven't got the time to follow this much chess. I hear the results on Twitter or somewhere but don't seem to see many games or positions. It's just too much like hard work! Which is a shame because I've agreed to play in the IM section of the Australasian Masters starting next week. I am horribly unprepared, and badly short of match practice, but hopefully it will be fun and I'll get the chance to bring my game back up to scratch.

There'll be more blogging and some pictures during the Australian Masters but I'm keeping it short for now, as I'm just get back into this bloggin thing. I will be less busy after next week, so expect the blog to pick back up, at least for a while.

Things That Passed Through My Mind Today

The first thing was waking up with a song going round my head. This morning I woke and immediately started humming "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles. A bit of a random song seeing I can't remember the last time I heard it on the radio and I don't have it on any music in my collections. Apparently the term for this is an "earworm" and there are hypothesis for why this occurs. Here's a nice article about the subject at the Daily Mail, which explains in terms that even I understand what the issues are. For me, it is always the morning when I get that tune stuck in my head, so I guess it is something subconscious. So now all I have to do is start remembering my dreams. Which brings me to my next question

Why do only some people remember dreams? I have virtually no recollection of my dreams. I have often woken in fits of laughter and had no recollection of what I was dreaming about. It's a bit frustrating, while my wife, Caroline often remembers her dreams in vivid detail. To be fair, if my dreams are anything like hers, then I'm glad I can't remember them :D

This article has some pretty good explanations, and in the case of Caroline and I, she definitely wakes more during the night, whereas I tend to sleep solidly through so that part of the theory is borne out by our behaviour. I also like the part about dream recallers being more responsive to outside stimuli during wakefulness, like when their name is being called. It seems therefore only natural to me that husbands like me, who rarely respond to their name being spoken during wakefulness should not recall dreams much!

Maybe to recall dreams I need to drink more coffee, and drink it later in the day?

I have limited myself to coffee early in the day, and 2 coffee's a day (usually!). I was toying with the idea of buying a coffee machine, an espresso maker or cafetiere or something, but I realised that what I really like is having coffee at a cafe. I enjoy the Melbourne cafe culture (I enjoyed European cafe culture when I was living there) and sitting at a cafe, people watching, and reading a good book....actually, I don't mind whether the book is that good or not. I've recently started reading more than one book at a time and I very much enjoy this. It's a bit like following your favourite TV series week after week, and I dip into books as and when I feel like it. Besides books about chess, I'm currently reading a set of fantasy novels by Markus Heitz, "Perfect" by Rachel Joyce, the follow up to the magnificent "Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", and "Narrow Road to the Deep North" by Richard Flanagan which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize a few days ago. They are very different books, which place different demands on their readers and I enjoy being able to pick a book up, or put one down as I fancy. I do find that at some stage in a novel there is a point where the book has to be finished to the end, while the others are left for a while. But this is ok, and I have no trouble picking up the books that have been left. Next on my reading list is the book with one of the best names I've seen for a long time:

I've just found a really nice blog which has a post on exactly the subject of reading more than one novel at a time. Check it out.

I wonder if reading before sleep will deter people from dreaming? I guess not, because Caroline also reads before sleep. The only other external factor that we don't share is a love of whiskey. Actually, Caroline does like single malts, but she doesn't drink much, whereas I....Well, I don't drink much, perhaps a shot or 2 a couple of times a week and I tend to drink more in the winter than in the summer. As I drink so little over the course of the year, I tend to treat myself to whiskey's that are quite expensive and that I enjoy. I have a copy of Ian Buxton's "100 Whiskey's to try Before You Die" on my bookshelf, and I'm surprised by how many I've already tasted. Today I went to look for a whiskey, and came away with one I'd never heard of, let alone tried before. According to Whiskey Exchange, Glen Moray 16 Year Old is "Sweet, full and exceptionally well rounded. The flavour is initially of toffee, progressing to mint humbugs and barley sugar and followed by a hint of smoke and peat flavours." I have to admit that I love the blurb on whiskey bottles, and can be tempted into buying a whiskey just based on the story and descriptions of their products. Try it. Go to any whiskey site and you'll find  no end of descriptive prose about their products and their history. One of my favourites is Laphroiag!

Glen Moray 16 Year Old with it's attractive case. 

It's getting a bit late here now, so I'd better try a shot to help me sleep! Now that I think about it, does alcohol help you sleep or not? I'll go find out and report back on whether this whiskey should be one of the 100 to try before dying in a later blog post.

Catch 22

I was thinking about books that I'd like to read or reread and Joseph Heller's amazing, absurdist novel, "Catch 22" came to my mind. I remember being about 17 or 18 years old when I first read the novel, and when I finished it, the first thing I did was start reading it again. Over the years I must have read it 4 or 5 times though I probably haven't read it for 15 years. So I went into my local bookshop today and bought it. It is such a unique work that it goes down as one of those things that you either love or hate, there is no middle ground with Catch 22. I personally love it, from the first line "It was love at first sight", through the bizarre characterizations and incidents which can be funny, tragic, absurd and shockingly close to the bone. I will be reading this again in the coming days. It was the 50th Anniversary edition of the novel and this brought a few things to my mind: words, catch 22's, and anniversaries.

A catch 22 situation has become part of our everyday language, but before Heller's 1961 novel, it was an unknown term. The term Catch 22 describes a situation where the only logical solution is denied by something which is part of the problem. The novel's absurd principle sees the main character trying to get out of the war he is in by claiming to be insane. The catch for him is that the army doesn't accept that people who are insane can see that they are insane, therefore anyone claiming to be insane, must be sane!


We now use the term more broadly for a no win situation, or just a situation with no apparent solution. A simple example of a catch 22 situation is when we lock our keys in the car, or the house (yes, I'm sure this has happened to most of us!). The catch is that we need the keys to open the door to get to the keys, but the keys are behind the door that we can't get through because we don't have the keys....very frustrating!

I've recently written quite a bit about words and it interests me how languages develop, and keep developing. Some words are used forever, some become antiquated, some obsolete while new words and phrases are adopted into our vocabulary. It seems to me, for instance, that computer jargon has completely revolutionised our language, with people using acronyms, and textspeak in their daily conversations. However, it's all about communication and while I'm not a fan of some phases that I hear (lols...OMG, makes me want to barf!) I'm happy that our language is developing and not stagnating.

A similar phrase to catch 22 is a Hobson's Choice. This is a situation you are offered a choice with only one option. Apparently, it derives from a Thomas Hobson who owned a stables and offered his horses on the basis that anyone who wanted a horse had to have the one nearest the stable door, or none at all. Thomas Hobson was alive in the 16th and 17th centuries, and this was a phrase that was still used a fair bit in the south of England when I was growing up in the 1970's. Unfortunately, I haven't heard it much recently, so I guess it is falling into the rarely used, antiquated, or even obsolete categories.

One thing I do find odd is how quickly we adopt these words and phrases. I mean, 50 years isn't really that long in the scheme of things, yet the term Catch 22 seems somehow much older. There are 2 anniversaries coming up in my life soon. This year I will have been married to my beautiful Caroline for 20 years, and not long after that, it will be her 50th birthday. To me, there is an odd feeling about our relationship as I can't believe how quickly those 20 years have flown by, yet at the same time, it seems as if I have known Caroline for much longer. It is simply that time moves swiftly while feelings grow deeply.

While we were in the book shop today where I was buying Catch 22, Caroline bought me a present.

Knowing that I enjoy a snifter (see last Sunday's post for the meaning of snifter) of whisky once in a while, she bought me a little book on the subject. I've tried quite a few in the book, but still have some to go, and the book deals with whiskies from around the world, whereas I tend to go for Scottish single malts. I thought I'd have a quick look across the internet to see if there are any 50 year old Whiskies around, and of course, there are. For instance, a Master of Malt 1964 vintage will cost a mere $675 a bottle (not sure if that includes shipping). But I guess if you were really to go for it, then it would be a Dalmore 50 year old decanter, coming in at a cool $7,500 from whisky exchange.

And another anniversary coming up is 10 years of living in Australia. We arrived here in early 2005, so by this time next year, we'll be in our second decade of life in Melbourne. Again the time seems to have gone quickly, and perhaps the biggest change to my life has been the move from English publife to Melbourne Cafe culture. While I still enjoy a tipple of whisky once in a while, I now drink coffee daily. I have regular haunts that I love but I'm always on the look out for new places. I've found a cafe which seems to connect with me so I think I'm going to give it a try: Husband in South Yarra.

A Day of Rest

Currently my only day off is a Sunday, and I'm even doing an early morning lesson on a Sunday, so my weekend starts about 10 am Sunday morning and lasts till I go to bed. No matter, this state of affairs will right itself at some stage, and I can't really complain about the work. However, it means that Sundays will be chess free days until I have another day off (ok, I know that's a bit ambitious, so I'll aim for a half day).

So what do I do on a chess free day, beside twiddling my thumbs, or sweating and hyperventilating because there is something missing from my life? I couldn't really get on with too much today as the weather was abysmal, so there was no day trip into the country. However, sitting around the house isn't an option, so Caroline and I went out for lunch and then found ourselves at the South Melbourne Market. I'm going to reminisce for a bit here, so if that irritates you, then skip to the next paragraph. I first went to the South Melbourne Market about 8 years ago, and thought it was shabby and uninteresting. There was a lack of selection, and the quality of the produce I felt was pretty poor. I can't really remember what time of year I went, as that may have contributed to the bad impression I got. However, I was lucky enough to try the South Melbourne Market again a few years later, and in that time there had been a transformation, with many new stalls with interesting produce, and even the food stuffs seemed to be more varied and of a better quality than I'd thought when I first went there. Now I enjoy wandering around the market, with my favourite stalls probably being the hemp clothing stall, and the specialist potato stall.

I have thought about this quite a bit today, I mean the fact that we get comfortable with our way of life and then don't like to push the boundaries, or leave our comfort zone. But life, to me, is all about trying new things and complacency is something to be avoided. I'm not saying routine is bad, but life would be very dull if one didn't try new things, or retrying things to see how they've changed. I suppose as an expat I've experienced a huge change to my life, but one thing I have not experienced is being a parent. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets on that score, but my brother's, wife's daughter had a baby yesterday back in the UK and I wish Sam, and her family much happiness.

Because of this, I've spent a fair bit of time checking and rechecking my Facebook account today, to keep up to date with events back in the UK. It really is amazing how technology has allowed me to keep in touch with my family, seeing their pictures and reading their daily trials and triumphs from across the globe. The internet has certainly made the World a smaller place in terms of communication. I must admit, that I do have a regret this year, and it's not being able to get back to the UK to see my niece's wedding which will be happening in August. But by the power of webcam, I've been invited to the wedding, and I will most definitely be attending. (I just have to convince Vanya to rearrange her wedding for 4 am GMT which is a better time for us in Australia!)

Did you ever have a book that you intended to read but never quite got round to it? Or an author perhaps? For me it was Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I once even had a book out of the library, 100 Years of Solitude, but for one reason or another, didn't even open the book before returning it. It is a shame that it took his recent death to remind me that here was an author who I'd wanted to read for many years, but never had. Today I bought 'Love in the Time of Cholera' which I will start soon after I finish this blog post. (Here's a nice tribute about him on the Huffington Post) I also bought Dan Brown's 'Inferno' which takes me back to when I first came to Australia, a bit over 9 years ago. I took a Cathay Pacific flight from Heathrow to Melbourne via Hong Kong, and on that flight I read 'The Da Vinci Code', or at least most of it!


So I guess I'm saying in this post that 'new' is good, but so is 'familiar'. Finding the right balance for each of us, is the key to happiness. I'll be writing more non chess posts on Sundays, and hopefully giving my opinion about some coffee which I haven't written about for a while. That reminds me, it's a while since I've been to some really good cafe's that I must try again, and then there are plenty out there that I haven't tried, though my regular haunts are pretty good.

Not Chess...Well Not Much

Well, actually there might be some chess, but not a lot. First a big thanks to Paul Cavezza who has mentioned this blog in kind terms on his blog. Knowing that the stuff you're doing is having even the most minuscule influence is a great thing.

Now, on to matters which are nothing to do with chess! The first important thing is coffee. This is critical, as next week I will be going to Canberra which doesn't have the same pedigree as Melbourne when it comes to coffee. However, I remember I found some decent places the last time I was there so I have some hope. Meanwhile, I have recently been fortunate enough to have had Egyptian and Greek coffee. The Egyptian Coffee I had in Hong Kong at an amazing Restaurant in the Central District. The food in Habibi was unbelievable and the coffee was delicious. It was a typical thick, sweet, syrupy drink with a slightly spiced flavour, probably from cardamom. Soon after I came back from Hong Kong I went to a local cafe where they had brewed some Greek coffee and were dishing it out free to regulars. Again, it was thick, sweet and flavoured although I've found that Greek coffee is generally chicory based. Both drinks were excellent, although a bit too sweet for my regular taste, and it makes me want to try some other types of coffee.

Greek coffee, looking rich and syrupy and tasting sweet and spicy

Ok, why is it that when you have holiday one of 2 things happen? Either you get sick, or the weather goes lousy. Well I have been pretty tired the past week, but the biggest thing in the way of my enjoyment is the torrential rain we've been having in Melbourne. Last week was great and I did manage to get out on Sunday, to the tourist hot spot of St Kilda. St Kilda is a suburb that I can't stand to be near in the summer. The crowds are unbearable, and too many of them have an aggression about them that comes from the amount of alcohol they've consumed. Look, I've got nothing against people having a good time, but I just don't feel the need to be near them when it's happening. However, in the colder months, St Kilda reverts back to being a bohemian, arty hang out that I really enjoy. Last Sunday I strolled along the crafts market, walked along the beach, into the community gardens (one of my very favourite places), had cake in Acland Street and walked around the botanical gardens.

St Kilda's "Espy" venue

The ethos of St Kilda Community Gardens

Fabulous cakes in Acland Street

And now I'm going to sign off and continue listening to alternative 80's music, taking me back to my student days when I would sit inside on rainy days listening to alternative 80's music (though it was more current then). I will resist the temptation to grow my blog by posting cute animals, naked women, licking arse on social networks or joining google+, whatever that is. I will, however, go back to chess for one last time. When I was in St Kilda I saw a great tee-shirt but it was unfortunately not in my size. I'll be back to get one in the right size in the future and will choose the right person to wear it against :)

Summer's Here!

While the USA and UK are under severe polar conditions, here in Melbourne we are in for a week of soaring temperatures. Today is a pleasant high of 35 C, but from tomorrow we're due 4 days which are likely to top 40 C. While the daytime temperatures are searing, it is probably the nighttime that is difficult for an expat from the UK to get used to.

Fabulous photo of Niagara almost frozen at night (Donna Brok)

Funny that the heatwave here in Melbourne should coincide with the start of our Australian Open Tennis Championships. I was wondering today how many players would be happy for an early exit rather than having to play in 40 C conditions later in the week. The temperatures are also likely to play havoc with my exercise regime and my eating and drinking habits. I've managed to get up to about 30 km running a week at the moment (3 x 10 km runs), but I'm prone to heat stroke and wary to run much this week. If I do get out it will be very early or very late as it appears as if it may be reaching high 20's C by 7 am, and staying up to 30 C through till midnight.

Of course, hydration is important and so it is vital to get the right diet for this kind of weather. Unfortunately, this means coffee should be drunk sparingly, if at all (and it will be drunk!). It'll be plenty of water, fruit and salad for me this week. I'm thinking of trying some new food stuffs but some things seem to put me off, even just the name...

I'm not sure I could bring myself to eat something called Knackwurst!

Probably the best thing to do is find a cool place to sit quietly and just read a good book. While it might not be easy to find a cool place, there are no shortage of good books on my to read list, and I'm going to be spending some of time off this week losing myself in a good novel. So what will I be reading? It'll come from these choices:

I've recently read some amazing novels (in my opinion) and am always looking out for more, so if you think there is a novel that I should read, then please tell me. I'm open to any genre. For instance, I've recently read a Lee Child thriller, Isobelle Carmody young adult fantasy, Booker Prize winner Elizabeth Catton's historical mystery The Luminaries, and the cutting English comedy, The Yips by Nicola Barker.

And while I'm sitting around in the heat my thoughts might stray to things which I plan to do in the future. The most immediate of these is a trip to Hong Kong in March. Apart from catching a connection at the airport, I've never been to Hong Kong, but I'll be there in March. I can't wait to experience a new culture, and travel to a place I've never been before. I'm not too sure what Caroline and I will be doing there, but some sightseeing will definitely be on the cards, and especially checking out the cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

Can't wait to experience Hong Kong's cultural heritage

Road Trip Surprises

I had absolutely no intention of writing about today. Caroline and I had planned this to be a day of one long drive with little interest along the way. The thing about a road trip is that you really don't know what to expect. I mean, things that you were hoping to be amazing can turn out a bit of a let down, while things that you never even realised existed, become interesting parts of the adventure. A main part of what makes a road trip exciting is discovering new things along the way. Today was just like this.

We started off in Fresno and drove north towards Sacramento and somewhere on the road we stopped for some breakfast at a Denny's Diner. We love American diner's but this chain are a contributing factor to the obesity problem in the Western World. The portions were enormous, and there seems to be no end of places where you get free top up's of fries, pancakes, soft drinks etc. of which Denny's Diners are one. I must admit, though that American coffee has been fine, on the whole. Strong filter coffee that certainly helps one get through the day, and unfortunately keeps one awake through the whole eating experience.

Historic Auburn was a great find.

The drive today was about 7 hours and we needed to keep breaking it up and stretching our legs. It was a day of many short breaks. One of these was in the historic Gold Rush town of Auburn. We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in this frontier town, which has remoulded itself culturally, supporting arts and tourism. We had a good coffee in a cool little cafe called Cabe's 958 which is in the background of the picture above. Perhaps the most famous person to have come from Auburn is Olympic Pole vault Champion, Stacy Dragila. Her star is on the pavement in Auburn.

Auburn, California's walk of fame

The road then rose to over 7000 ft and into the Alpine regions of California. I said to Caroline that it reminded me of the roads in parts of Germany with the pine forests bordering the freeway, and almost immediately we passed the town of Weimar! Moving towards the Nevada state border the road follows the beautiful Truckee River and the historic route 40. While we were driving through this landscape we talked about future road trips along historic routes, and we spoke of how fantastic it would be to travel the silk route, and how sad that with the troubles in Syria, this has become virtually an impossibility.

Marker on Historic Route 40

Anyway, we finally arrived in Nevada, drove straight past Reno and have stopped for the night in Winnemucca. Where? I hear you ask. Well, we were exactly the same, and Winnemucca was only supposed to be a place to stop for the night before heading closer to Yellowstone. However, it is actually a buzzing little town, albeit with every second building being a Casino! The terrain on the road from Reno to Winnemucca was stark, the road being flanked by bare hills/mountains which changed colour in the sunset, from brown to orange, pink and finally their natural green. It was a wonderful sunset that I'll not even try to describe in words. Then, all of a sudden, the wilderness lights up, and Winnemucca just appears, a smaller version of Reno, which is itself a smaller version of Vegas. Anyway, there seems to be so much around that we might just delay our departure for a few hours. I have to take a photo of the Sundance Casino, no doubt named because 113 years ago today, Butch Cassidy's gang robbed the First National Bank of Winnemucca!

I wish I could do this sunset justice. Just believe me, it was amazing!

Chess Story - Stefan Zweig

Coffee and a good book

There is nothing I like better than sitting at a cafe, drinking long black (or Espresso), reading a good book and watching people walk past. The quality of the coffee helps, as does the quality of the book, and I suppose the interest level of the people walking past. Yesterday I finished my last class before my break, and shortly after went for a coffee with a good book. I'm currently reading a strange novel called The Rook by Daniel O' Malley. I picked it up because of the chess connotation, and the write up on the back looked intriguing. It has been a great read up to now (I'm about half way through) and I'm hoping for a strong finish.

I have to admit, that I'm going through a phase of reading novels with a chess theme. Before The Rook I read Stefan Zweig's "The Royal Game" which is also known as "Chess Story", or just "Chess". As a chess player it was a fascinating little book portraying 2 extreme types of chess player. Zweig painted a bleak portrait of a professional World Champion, a man with no intellect outside of chess, and no imagination. Being a professional entails that the result and the prize is more important than the game itself. Challenging this is the talented amateur, driven to the extremes of sanity through constant thoughts about chess. This player imagines games in his head, splits his mind in two to play games against himself without a board and shows his emotions openly during the games. This small novel, or novella, is a lightweight read, but thought provoking. The major themes that run through the book deal with mental characteristics and the different outlooks of amateurism vs professionalism which are also portrayed in the different intellectual qualities of the 2 players. The background stories of the 2 main chess players allow us to sympathise with only one.

Stefan Zweig's "Chess Story"

The other factor which is addressed in this novel is the atrocities conducted by the Nazi's during the second World War. Zweig was an exile from this regime, leaving his native Austria in the mid 1930's to avoid persecution which would inevitably come from his Jewish parentage. Sadly, the novel was published posthumously after Zweig and his wife committed suicide in 1942. Apparently, Zweig despaired of the situation in Europe leaving a farewell note including the words "I think it is better to leave on time, with head held high, an existence in which intellectual work has always been the purest joy, and personal freedom the highest good of this world." It is no accident that the hero of "The Royal Game" is an intellectual who is then starved of interaction with his fellow man, and with anything to stimulate his mind. The chess games that he learns from a stolen book add a welcome distraction to his empty life, but eventually the mental fatigue caused by playing imaginary chess games in between Gestapo interrogations drive his mind over the edge. I sense that Zweig felt an affinity to this character in some ways, starved of his ability to publish novels in his homeland and driven to explore new ways of life in emigre fashion. I thoroughly recommend this short novel to both lovers of chess and lovers of literature.