.... and the lovely chatty librarian asks if I made my cute crocheted clip (thanks Holly) and I said, 'no but I made my necklace.'
and she said, 'you have to go to this cafe in North Adelaide it's just lovely.'
and so I did, because librarians know stuff and you should always obey librarians - they are a little like police.
E for Ethel is in North Adelaide, which is still part of central Adelaide just at the north bit. Who would have guessed! Which meant I could catch the free bus and a short wander.
If you're a kiwi who shops on felt, it is just how I imagine a felt shop would be. Shelves of beautifully displayed lovely things that feel a little like they could be examined for many hours without coming to the end of them. Some gorgeous big things but also lots of very small things, like the necklace I bought, ahem!
When we left Christchurch I knew I would miss The Make Cafe (hello, best hot chocolates in the world) and The Addington Coffee Co-Op. Both cafes have a good vibe, cool but not pretentious, and they both have shops as part of them.
E for Ethel scratches my itch in that regard. It's not matchy and it has a homely feel (maybe it's the large assortment of mismatched and handmade that makes me feel particularly at home!). Amanda and Dan who run it have the same kind of vibe, they are 'beautiful people' (as in, they look actually cool) but also genuine and warm and friendly.
We ended up taking the boys there the next day and they gave them some lucky dips that were left over from a party they had. And Bounce smashed a plate, and they were super nice about that too. (and they had the abacus and UNO in the toy box which gives them maximum street cred with Flip).
This is the kind of place you meet bloggers and while away the afternoon crafting and purchasing (you know because we want to support handmade and stuff!) and mainly doing a lot of talking and some loud laughing. So NZ bloggers - when you want to come to Adelaide I have the perfect place for us to spend an afternoon.
Actually the day I went in there was a lady/girl crafting on her own at a table - I wanted to pull up a chair and say hi but I had to do the awkward approach counter and ask if they mind me taking photos, 'because I am a blogger', which always makes me feel totally naff. So I used up my quotient of bravery on that instead of ruining her quiet morning of crafting by herself, maybe for the best?
Also though, which made me particularly happy, there was a group of 6-8 older women (like, my great Aunts age) sitting around a table having all sorts of conversations. One of which included a warning not to go and see the Wolf of Wall St - 'oh the swearing and nudity.' Just the kind of warning I am happy to heed.
So if you're in Adelaide and you like a cafe that is more than a production line of shiny, new, soulless, I can wholeheartedly recommend E for Ethel. I'll be going back again soon.
** In my neighbourhood, recording our journey and writing the kind of posts about living in Adelaide I wanted to find before we left NZ**
love you more than a scheduled in, definitely happening, coffee date xxx
