Recent posts

We are not f**dies

I’m not alone: From Chocolate & Zuchinni: “At this point, I feel compelled to state that I am vehemently opposed to the use of the term foodie, a word that makes me cringe so deeply my fingers refuse to type this combination of letters and I have to copy-paste it.”

Hair essentials

From Henry (Henry Bucks’ magazine) A good shave and a haircut can leave you looking sharp and feeling great. It’s that stage in life. Things are looking a bit thin on top. And to be quite honest, the heat and the pollution on Collins Street are not helping. But Leo Di Valentino has just the thing for me: a snip, a head massage and a shave. A hairdresser Leo is not. Rather he’s a proper, old-fashioned barber. The word “barber” […]

How to build a multi-million dollar property portfolio

From The Australian, Wealth: Building a portfolio of multi-million-dollar properties is easier than you might have thought, Ed Charles writes | July 18, 2007 WHAT can be better than owning property? All you need to do is to know how to navigate the mortgage maze and have a sense of timingfor the peaks and troughs of the property market to build a multimillion-dollar portfolio, according to experts. It also takes self-discipline and nerves of steel, as you will need what […]

Multiple loans or one-lender

From The Australian, Wealth: Ed Charles | July 18, 2007 ONCE upon a time it was difficult to borrow money. The major banks required a 20 per cent deposit and some evidence of financial prudence. Now, thanks to the influx of smaller lenders known as the non-banks, it’s possible to borrow more than the value of an asset. The trouble is choosing the best product and which lender will give the best service. “Because there are so many loans, low-doc, […]

FAMILY IS A BIG BOTTLER — ANGOVE’S

The Australian, Entrepreneur: Victoria Angove continues to push her family’s heritage further, Ed Charles reports. BEING the fifth generation of family to enter a business founded in 1886 doesn’t preclude Victoria Angove from being entrepreneurial. At the age of 29 she is charged with developing the Angove’s wine company’s international markets to diversify export risk and build sales, which is like building a new company itself. That said, there are also many benefits of selling an established family business abroad. […]

Branch out to survive

BRANCH OUT TO SURVIVE By Ed Charles From The Australian, Entrepreneur: AGRIBUSINESS Finding new ventures can help grape growers improve their profitability, writes Ed Charles THE lot of the winegrower is one of feast or famine. After years of bumper harvests and over-capacity, there’s a drought. While this will address the supply imbalance, says Mark McKenzie, executive director of Wine Grape Growers Australia (WGGA), the industry still needs to radically restructure. It needs to be entrepreneurial, finding other sources of […]

Tuesday cheese porn

Oh yes, bring on the runny Camembert LaClarines and stinky blue Roquefort. As steve says below it’s a bit like vacherin although a bit more creamy. Somebody sold me this while using Camerbert in the same breath. Hmmmm.

A new smell?

The freshness of oxygen, nail polish, flash of metal, cellulosic smell, pure air of the high mountains, sand dunes, fire energy, ultimate fusion, washing drying in the wind, burnt rubber, mineral intensity of carbon, flaming rock. What on earth am I? I couldn’t resist.

Art flow chart

Photo pinched from Lost at E Minor. Sorry.  I just couldn’t resist this, found via Lost at E Minor, for the wall of the Tomato offices. It’s a limited edition print from UK designer Jamie Wieck. He says: “This menu design grew out of my hatred for the number of rules eateries impose on their customers. Using the East London restaurant Bistrotheque as a foundation I rationalised all the reasons why someone would go to a restaurant. By taking into […]