Treats

Corner IGAs are a constant source of delight. When Josh and I lived in Hawthorn, the Riversdale road IGA was actually normal supermaket size (perhaps normal by standards in the 90s. Hello supersize 2000s). It stocked properly seasonal and organic produce as well as these incredible iced cupcakes made by a local woman. In Prahran the High street IGA was much smaller, but never seemed to close and stocked interesting beers as well as my favourite petit ecolier chocolate biscuits.

Today Wolf and I are both pretty sick with combined colds and throat infections, so we only managed a short walk with Wolf stickily cuddled up to me in the sling to the our corner IGA. But untold delights lay within!

Baby-Mum-Mum rice rusks have an admittedly stupid name, but Wolf adores them. I was kind of dubious about them initially cos I used to eat a lot of spicy rice crackers made by the same people. But after seeing the massive Worldwide online fanbase I thought I'd give them a go. They've been especially good for Wolf's seemingly unending teething and his refusal to eat solids when sick. They don't taste of much, just faintly sweet and they dissolve on your tongue. $3.90 for 18 is pretty good, considering a lot of rusks are about $6 a box of 12. Admittedly they don't last nearly as long, but they certainly don't leave that disgusting crumbly newspaper grey mess everywhere and he very rarely doesn't finish one so there's no waste. Here Wolf is trying get more out of the box. Not very successfully.

But even better, Little Golden Books! They had absolutely loads just sitting there in the magazine rack (amongst all the Ralphs and Sports Illustrateds. Charming.) all of them with beautiful illustrations in very old school style. No modern titles or Disney character versions at all. Sweet! I remember having Tenggren's Tawny Scrawny Lion and Richard Scarry's Good Night, Little Bear when I was a kid. Color Kittens we had to pick up because it was written by Margaret Wise Brown who wrote Goodnight Moon. They were $4 each, which wasn't too bad. Did they used to be a dollar when I was a kid? I can't wait to read these to him! Maybe when I get my voice back. Most of my Little Golden Books were last minute pick ups at supermarket check outs. Better than chocolate bars. It's awesome we can just wander down to the IGA and see what we might find next time. If Josh is good we might even pick him up a copy of FHM. Joking. He's much more likely to get his jollies from a classic cars magazine.