Good and bad noise at home
We awoke very early this morning to strange sounds. We have not long ago moved house and we are not quite used to our new place and its nuances and peculiarities. Each day we are discovering more and more. Those who have read our earlier posts know that this was a ‘big’ move for me especially, as I left my home of 20 years, which I loved. I knew every one of its quirky characteristics, its mood swings and its playfulness. It was hard to move but a decision that we both knew was the right one to make and that I was now ready for.
I had my worries though. This is an apartment and not a freestanding house. It appears smaller than our large house but actually with the outdoor areas and the garden, it actually translates to a lot of very good space. We purchased this apartment because of the beautiful views mainly and the fact that it will be easier for us and we get older. It is near a park and the beach.
I love having the laundry on the same level, yes a little thing but a biggie. I love the fact that someone else does the gardening and the lawns. I don’t like my new stove at all. It is electric and I am gas. That will be changed. Ants seem to hold public meetings here and I am coaxing them to find another venue. It is noisier here but it is a vibrant noise, people exercising and playing in the park, music being played, a bit more traffic but that is all good.
We moved here in February, stayed 3 nights and then went overseas for 5 weeks. This was deliberate so that I could dissociate myself from my old home and give our new home a reasonable chance. After we returned we again were only here for 3 days as we had to go to a family party down in the snow (no snow, but the party was at a lodge there). So since then we have been manically trying to get everything done to make it our home and one that we are happy with. I think that we have done a great job, hence Gordon smiling constantly.
Our bubble however did burst a few weeks ago when we received a letter. It was a bad noisy letter and It burst in a big way when we found out that our local council is proposing to put a commercial building on the green park across the road from us. This is right where we look across the green park and to the sea. It is where the entire community can see the main green space, our cities primary village green. Where we and everyone else can walk, cycle and relax in a pleasant environment in a busy city.
After crying, as you do, we decided to look at what was going on. This development proposal reeks to high heaven and we are fighting it. It seems that something is “rotten in the state of Denmark” but it is Wollongong and that is what we have been working on with many concerned community members. Talk about finding out a lot of stuff that I am sure that the local Council would not expect us to know. The good that has come from this is that we have met many of our neighbours, not just in our complex, but from around the area and actually people from outside of the area over this combined grievance and concern. We have met many good people, and some very intelligent people who have been able to assist us all to put a very strong case to the council in opposition to this ridiculous and quite dangerous proposal. Some will stay our friends after all of this is done. We will see what happens and whether council does the right thing and that we all reach a fair compromise. At this stage, this is not good noise at all.
We have had some good noise though. Strange sounds. While it may be autumn here and getting closer to winter for us Down Under, we are still enjoying stunning sunny days and balmy nights. We know that we are lucky and that we have a great climate. Even our winters are quite mild in comparison to other countries. Today we woke up early because of a strange noise. We went in search of the noise. It was the waves crashing on the beach near our new home. We saw them across the beautiful green park and we went for an early morning walk to face this very good noise.
