THE GREEN GREEN GRASS OF NEXT DOOR

Dried leaves have fallen onto the lawn from the weeping myrtle. Summer is here. The lawn itself is a miracle. Our neighbours had a few jigsaw pieces of turf left over from landscaping their backyard and offered them to me. In time honoured fashion I didn’t do anything properly. I didn’t pull up or poison …

Advertisement

SUCK IT UP

When I was a boy, Mum had a sure fire, annoying response to all of my valid boyish whining. ‘Mum, there’s nothing to do,’ I’d moan. ‘Go outside and play in the sunshine!’ ‘Mum, I’m hungry.’ ‘Grab an apple and go outside and play in the sunshine!’ ‘Mum, can I watch something on our black …

THE CATHOUSE AND THE DOGHOUSE

We’ve had two houses for the long weekend, and I quite like it. I can see why rich people have a house in the city and a house in the country, or down the coast. You can leave one version of yourself behind, dishes in the dishwasher, bills to pay, brats in private schools, and …

TAKE A SEAT

Something odd happened in the garden today. No, not meadow lovemaking. It’s too cold. Rather, I sat on a garden chair to do the weeding and to plant seedlings. I’ve never done that before in all my wild days, my mad existence. Normally I get down and dirty on my knees or bend from a …

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

We’re doing our bit to share the sudden, ten year old, energy crisis. We’re turning the lights off to keep the lights on. We stumble around in the dark, with no heating, cold and frightened like old people should be. We had friends staying over the long weekend and in the dark I went to …