Cottage Life

Judging from a sale posting down the street, our neighborhood was built out sometime in the 1950’s. Quite unintentionally, we’ve landed in the same era housing-wise that we left on Vistamont Drive. In this little corner of Brighton, many of the homes look a bit as if they could have been transplanted from England. I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise, given that Australia is part of the Commonwealth and has a long history of association with Britain. In newer neighborhoods, the houses have a much more contemporary design.

Regardless of architecture, though, there is this mix of tropical with a touch of old country styling. Plumeria are in bloom and citrus trees can be seen in backyard gardens. There’s a lemon tree that hangs over our back alley a few houses down from ours, loaded with fat, yellow fruit, and I’ve seen pomegranate shrubs. Rosemary and lavender have been planted in spots between the road and sidewalk, growing well in what looks like the worst possible gardening space.

Our house is a one-story, yellow brick cottage with a small front and back yard. Most homes have a wall or fence built around the entire property; in our case, the front yard has a 3-foot open-work fence while the back has 7-foot metal walls between our yard and those of the neighbors. Many homes, though, have the front yard completely walled off up to 6 feet, except for a slot for the postman. Somehow not being able to see makes me all the more curious about what those gardens look like.

8 Lewis Street, Brighton SA 5048

The inside of the house leaves me wondering about the history of it. In layout, the original floor plan seems to have included a front sitting room, combination dining room and kitchen, and 2 bedrooms. A third bedroom and a backroom were added at some point. The backroom is a large open room with glass windows looking onto the back patio and yard. There is also a curious little bar space built into it against what would have been the original back wall of the house. The most curious feature is that the toilet that one enters from the hallway by the bedrooms has an extra door that leads directly into the bar. Handy for the barkeep, I suppose.

The back yard is a small grassy area and includes some palm trees and flowering shrubs. The shrubs are great for attracting birds - we've had New Holland honey eaters flitting all around. Our neighbor has a wonderful tall gum tree that seems to be a favorite spot for rainbow lorikeets. And we've learned quickly that the palms we have drop an incredible number of palm nuts - it is a near-daily task to pick them up before they have a chance to get too mushy. (If you've ever been in Africa, you remember palm wine? I think we could easily start making a batch of it, although the results would not compare very well with the local Australian wines.) The back yard ends with the high fencing and a small garage shed that exits into the back alley.

All in all, pretty comfortable digs with enough space for having friends and family visit. This week brings our first friend's arrival with others to follow soon. We'll be excited to see some familiar faces from home!