There is a little corner of the world where I grew up, a house, no, no one would ever call that house a mansion, but man, is it a HOME!
I can see the main road of my little town in my minds eye, I round the corner where Quartedeck meets the main road and on your left is Dalebrook, a beautiful tidal pool, with as many memories as the house I miss! As my mind strolls down further I approach the pedestrian crossing and push the button. The building in front of me is the new-ish Community Centre, but in my childish mind it is still the public library, the library my sister fought with all her heart for, to keep open when she was barely a teen, but alas the meeting with the mayor was unsuccessful and our beloved library was shut down. I have many memories there too! My favorite being Saturday mornings we would colour-in in the childrens' section and there was an old box of mixed crayons and we would search the box for bits of pastels as they made the most delightful "click" on the page when you coloured!
I walk by the library, and cross Dalebrook street, the little hotel in the corner is no longer there, in its place is a film and media school. we used to climb those stairs on the way home from the beach walking just in a swimsuit and a towel and some days "sloffies" if the tar was hot. On my left across the street is a little patch of grass, as kids we would run races after a swim or wait on the bench there, now there is a strange looking round table there, I'm told it is art, I guess it must be.
I climb upon a little stone wall, about waist high, and try to balance as I walk the length, this was always so much fun especially when you had cousins and siblings all in a line, only many, many years on when my own daughter was walking this wall did it cross my mind that this was a cemetery and may have been considered disrespectful to be walking on its walls! The Anglican church, we knew the minister well when we were little, his son attended our school, his older brother was yummy and i think he had a sister too. My sister and I would go for walks along Quarterdeck road and pick wild flowers, we'd leave it on their doorstep and ring the bell and run, hoping they thought the faeries left them!
Edward Mansions come into sight, a cold shaded part of the main road, now used for shops, a good friend lived in what is now a jewelry store. Across the street are little curios stores and a nursery, these were real houses when we were young, there even used to be a flee market at one time in the vacant parking area.
My feet feel the cobbles of Rosmead road, so many neighbours and memories flood my mind as I cross the street, so much has changed and so much has stayed the same. The old man who used to live in this house comes to mind, what would he think of his house being an Art gallery now? I used to babysit for the owners of Aardvark, I used to babysit for so many of these people.
The old church that was shut down, and boarded up and we were convinced was haunted, now a theater and restaurant. The orange building comes into sight, like you can miss it, and I walk up Rouxville road, with Marie Video and Thompson flats in view, the crazy lady that used to live there pops into my mind and I laugh!
Then I see it, my park... Oh how I miss you! The swings that soothed broken hearts and caused broken bones, and you could pedal and reach the stars! The merry-go-round that I was one of the "fastest pushers" of! The little corner where the "parkie" used keep his things in his shed. The bench between the two trees, that bench heard so many secrets and lies, saw so many young friends become lovers and was a bed for many a bergie. The one tree was awesome for climbing while the other was dangerous as it had little red bits that would shake down onto you, get into your clothes and make you itch! There is a rock at the back of the park, two actually, we used to play "red rover" and the little rock was den. My mind wanders across the park and sees the wooden play structure, Oh how i miss the blue jungle gym where we played "on-on" for hours and hours! Where you could climb to the top and see the sea from, but it was removed as some locals decided it was dangerous. I remember kids breaking arms and legs falling from the top of the very high slide and falling out of swings and trees, but I do not recall a single incident on that jungle gym.
I pass our neighbours house, I still remember their front stoop, its been closed in now, our stoop is still there, our house is still old, people can say what they want, our house is still HOME, the best home I have ever entered. There is always love here, always a cup of tea and a plate of food for someone off the street or someone close to our hearts. The plumbing may be old, the roof may need mending but the things inside this house cannot be bought for any amount of money. This is a house that always has a bed for someone visiting or in distress. It always has a blanket for a cold person off the street. It always has time to help people from the community with everything from scholarship applications to making a will. Its a place where the Lord provides for our needs and not our wants. A place of Happiness and Joy where every room knows that everyone who ever passed through this house will remember this house. The house that helped them get on their feet, helped them build their mansion or fund the travels. The house that asks for nothing in return except that you take in your heart what you have seen or learnt here and perhaps visit once in awhile...
