23/12/21 The Dinosaurs of Newtown

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Some time in the months before Christmas, somewhere near Newtown, a shop had a sale of inflatable Christmas dinosaurs. Lots of people thought that a large inflatable dinosaur was just what they needed for their 2021 outdoor festive decor, so they bought the dinosaurs and then discovered that, once inflated, they were very big. Not as big as a real dinosaur would have been, obviously, but certainly big enough to be inconvenient if you happen to live in a trendy little terrace house with a handkerchief of front lawn and second story verandah almost the size of half a vegemite sandwich.

 

Dinosaur #1: taking up all the available verandah space

I imagine that at this stage the dinosaur purchasers may have considered the size of the dinosaur (inflated or otherwise) in relation to their rubbish bin, but were likely prevented from this course of action by children who, enamoured of dinosaurs, had welcomed the creature into the Christmas fold and called it something festive like Rudolph, or Santasaurus, or (suggestions welcome).

Dinosaur #2: Dominating the front lawn handkercheif.
 

Thus it is that my walks around the Newtown area have become dinosaur safaris. Every morning I prowl the streets and lanes of Newtown, seeking to capture glimpses of dinosaurs before they succumb to deflation for the day.

Dinosaur #3: even a bigger front lawn looks small with a dinosaur in it.

 All this walking around taking photos of inflatable toys is not because there's nothing to do in Newtown in particular, or Sydney in general.  Newtown is packed with interesting places to go, lots of fascinating shops, and heaps of pubs and cafes in which to eat.  Problem is, I don't want to jinx my Christmas celebrations by inhaling other people's nasty germs (and if I have nasty germs myself I don't want to share, thank you very much) so long walks and hunting dinosaurs is my new inner-city entertainment.

Dinosaur #4: The rare SDD (semi-deflated dinosaur) in the wild.  I'm proud of myself for spotting this one! 

If you're looking for Santa, he's AWOL with Dinosaur #5

I've conducted extensive research and determined that the dinosaurs can only be found in the immediate Newtown/Stanmore area and they are very shy, inflating and deflating at odd intervals to flummox the unwary hunter.  Sometimes it is best to go out hunting after dark, because large illuminated inflated dinosaurs are very easy to spot.

Dinosaur #6: last but definitely not least, and just down the street too!

I'd like to wish everyone a relaxed and happy Christmas from the wild streets of Newtown, where I will continue to seek random dinosaurs with every walk I take.

Merry Christmas!


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