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Throughout February I posted a story about my recent London holiday each morning with a local story each afternoon. It"s time to give local stories priority again in the morning, though I will post a few more London stories in the afternoon to complete the series. I was fascinated to learn recently that there has been a fruit and vegetable shop where the Vegie Connection now stands for far longer than I previously knew, as this photo from 1958 demonstrates.

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22 Feb 10 @ 01:31pm by Hamish Heard Anyone home? Melbourne City Council staffers and councillors are often out of town. GLOBE trotting Melbourne councillors and Town Hall staffers last year enjoyed more than 200 interstate and overseas trips.

A study by Victoria University in Melbourne has found most international students feel safe in Melbourne.

Melbourne Zoo says members of the public will be able to vote on the name of the new female baby elephant.

The French Quarter patisserie is one of my favourites in Melbourne, and it"s a lovely place for a casual lunch or coffee when you want to have a long conversation and linger over what treats to eat. I recently visited and had smoked salmon and spinach quiche for my lunch – divine.

I love the temporary summer garden party atmosphere at Federation Square with the deck chairs, umbrellas and cushions to sit on scattered around.

CII cafe / bar / restaurant is a secret that should not be a secret. Located on Abeckett St between Swanston and Elizabeth streets, CII serves breakfasts and Italian lunches with genuine warmth from the genial staff. I"ve had breakfast there a couple of times before or after picking up or dropping off my motorbike at a nearby service centre, and their bacon and eggs on toast is perfect for a winter morning.

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I"ve eaten at North East China Family on Flinders Lane before, and loved it, so was eager to return. When I did so with a friend we were both in an adventurous mood and so we ordered a dish purely out of curiosity – beef with orange. We loved it! It is thin beef strips in a thick savoury sauce that has lots of thin strips of orange rind in it. The orange flavour is strong but it"s not very sweet.

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The January lunchbox at Cafe Vue featured babaganouj with a sesame seed covered bread dipping stick (somewhat like a savoury lamington), beetroot salad and a ham and salad wrap, with a chocolate brownie for dessert. Cafe Vue has been reviewed many times, recently by My food trail, Nutmeg and Spoon fork and chopsticks. It"s good value for $15, and the coffee and service are of a high standard too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8449731.stm

An Indian man is in a serious condition in a Melbourne hospital after being attacked and set alight by a gang.

It comes a week after an Indian graduate student was stabbed to death in the city, prompting a travel advisory from the Indian government....Read Full Article»