I went for a walk on Johnston St

And I liked this barber’s shop window.

Having never previously meandered along Johnston St by Shank’s pony, I had thought it to be one of the world’s most ugly thoroughfares. I found the details I spotted on foot charming. It has other things going for it once it arrives in the ‘wood too: Ilk Bar, which used to be a milk bar and the emblem of which is an elk, and Kooshi (formerly Good Morning Captain). Back in Abbotsford proper is this nameless place, which I think must be the one that the Abbotsford psychiatrist I met at a party the other day swore was a perfect but overlooked place to have weekend breakfasts. Some other photos from the walk are here.

Sean D: photographer laureate of Fitzroy and the world of coffee

At Books for Cooks last weekend, I bought a Sean D photocard of a 1950s Gaggia coffee machine, a beautiful thing. Anyone who’s spent a bit of time wandering down Brunswick St of a weekend has probably bumped into Sean, his card table, and his photocards. He takes beautiful photos of coffee and cafes (and other things), and his website has pages devoted to Indian Coffee Houses and Cuban Cafe Culture. Blogging makes you google your day’s events, and I googled Sean D only to learn that he has these twin plans: to cycle from Oslo to Cape Town, and to walk 3700 km from Prague to Santiago de Compostella, the great pilgrimmage mecca for European Catholics. He is an eccentric, and a likeable one, and one whose grand amibitions I am delighted to finance in a minimal and occasional way.