Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Cabin fever

Christ, it was good to get out of the house this morning. I've been holed up in here for a week fighting off the flu and the heat. Clear as a bell yesterday but the rainclouds came rolling in this morning. Pretty warm today and the last few days. Summer's not giving up without a fight.

Lion Island & Barrenjoey Head from Umina Beach

I started at the beach. Lion Island looked very close in the morning sun and the lighthouse on Barrenjoey Head was visible (large version). There were the usual dog-walkers and tourists lazing in the sun and a chubby bloke in a tight tee shirt gazing out to sea and scratching his balls in a meditative manner.

Nelson Street Umina
(Big version)

The streets behind Whatsit Street (West Street) are rich in fifties houses. Not all of them are terribly exciting or in original nick but there you go. This one had a comforting sort of blockiness. Also note the fridge lurking against the right corner of the house.

Nelson Street Umina
(Big version)

This one I like, not least because it's closer to the original condition. When fifties places've been clad it takes a lot of their charm away. The charmless seventies windows are not as obtrusive as on other places. They'd look better with some of those metal awnings Writer is after but at least they're in the original spots.

Neptune Street Umina
(Big version)

Couldn't get a clear view of this one but it wasn't bad. It had that angled wall thing happening at each end of the veranda.

Neptune Street Umina
(Big version)

This one was barely visible. Nearly walked past it. A pretty ordinary example.

Alexandra Street Umina
(Big version)

This one was in fairly good nick and I quite like the shape. Can't see much of it here. No idea if pink is an original fifties colour.

Alexandra Street Umina
(Big version

Crying shame there was no clear view of this one head on but it's still a nice-shaped place. Pity about the shadecloth but there's a welcome absence of cladding. The paint looked a few decades old but I don't know that it was original.

Afters

Some excellent Mardi Gras photos up at Flickr, Al-Fatiha, a Canberra support group for Muslim queers and scroll down here for the Salaam/Queer Muslims email.

2 comments:

Inexplicable DeVice said...

Hello Spike.

A beautiful pic of Lion Island - thank goodness Ball Scratcher wasn't in it!

Unusual houses - we don't have anything like them around here.

Thanks for visiting and for the link : )

Spike said...

Totally. I waited (im)patiently until he'd scratched himself out.

You guys didn't get the fifties houses? Bummer. They're the best part of the fifties.

Yer welcome.