Secret Sydney: Houses with no street

If you were to think about moving to Sydney you might have to rethink some of your "must haves" when it comes to housing. Much of inner Sydney is built on steep headlands that jut into Port Jackson. For some residents the idea of a garage is just fantasy. Level access? what a joke!

More well to do property owners solve this with inclinators. Or complex cantilevered garages.

But some of the home owners in our area don't even have a road going past their property -just a steep footpath. Their car would be parked on the nearest road 70-100 meters away. Imagine carrying your groceries down this path. I'd be shopping light.

But then they do have the advantage of being so close to the city. And yet worlds away.

In their own little mini rainforest.

And a short walk from everything the harbour has to offer.

Sponge baths - could you do it?

Before Our Time author Alison is taking up a 1930s depression-style challenge this week. Can she survive a week of no showers? Alison is attempting to get through the week, hygienically, on sponge baths alone.

Is she the ultimate Recessionista?*

This is something that I would find very difficult. I love my showers. That's where I do all my thinking. However, increasingly we are being told that we over-bathe here in Australia - not to mention the impact of our long showers on our meagre water supply.

Go over and check out the bathing challenge here.

Alison will be posting her reflections on a week without showers regularly over the next 7 days. Not to be missed! Luckily we don't have smell-o-meter in the blogosphere.



*thanks to Le at coldpeas for this one!

Garage Sale

Yesterday.

A letterbox drop was done. An ad went online. Signs and balloons were put out at 6.30am.

Three families. Two garages. One street.

We all sat here for six hours, chatted to loads of people. And did quite well really. No-one even haggled. A surprisingly relaxing way to spend a Sunday.

We now have far less clutter and $365 to put in our "bikes for Christmas" fund.

Jacaranda

It's Jacaranda month here in Sydney. Jacarandas are probably my favourite tree. Close behind are various species of Eucalypt and the beautiful Aspen tree (preferably surrounded by snow).

This Jacaranda is in my garden. I can view it up close from our second storey.

What are these two felines bristling at?

Oh, right, this noisy little bird.

And his wife - who is enjoying whatever it is she gets from this tree.

Exam Stress

As I pressed publish it is exactly 7 days until Blossom's first Clarinet exam.

We are still learning our scales, all 16 of them.

Our list pieces are coming along well and we have had three sessions with the accompanist.

Being sick with bronchitis this week doesn't help. One needs to be able to breathe (and not cough) to play woodwind. So we are "playing" without air - like air guitar, but not.

We are not known for our grace under pressure. If this is any indication of the future, God help us when she does her HSC*.

I may need to leave the country for the duration.

*final high school exams