17/12/21 Let's Go to the Parks

Enough about the cat.

We are staying in Stanmore, just a couple of streets away from the suburb of Newtown, about 4km as the crow flies from Sydney City.  In a masterful stroke of dumb luck, we're on the happy side of the regulated parking area which means we've been able to find a spot in the street for the car and we don't have to race out and move it every two hours.  We're very reluctant to move it at all, in fact, given the difficulty of parallel parking a car with a reversing disability.  Instead of driving, we've been exploring the area on foot and by bike.

The local area is chock full of old terrace houses and grungy shops; human and avian bin chickens ferret through the rubbish every morning;  walls are covered with street art, graffiti, and often an arresting blend of the two.  

There are a surprising number of parks for such a densely urban area.

Avian bin chicken to the fore.  Human bin chicken to the rear.  At least he's wearing a safety vest.

The Camperdown Cemetery is surrounded by a wall, and functions as a de facto dog park.  Children drip from the branches of its big fig tree and couples picnic and canoodle on the green lawns between the gravestones. Outside the walls is the Camperdown Memorial Rest Park which is larger and has big swathes of green lawn, but is nowhere near as interesting as the Cemetery.

Marrickville Park is much more formal, with a rose garden and a tennis club; the grass and trees are tidily trimmed into submission.

Henson Park exists to further the gentle art of cricket (aka watching grass grow).  The gates are imposing, the grass is green, the park is deserted when cricket is not in play.

Ryan Park is a little secret splash of green through which you pass on the way to somewhere else.

Petersham Park has found the balance between cricket and gardens wild enough to attract small children to grub in the dirt and leaves looking for treasures.  In addition to this it has grand and inviting gates and an avenue of trees.  Petersham Park is my favourite so far.

Eventually we found our way to Sydney Park:

Sydney Park has two prominent hills which give a great view of the city.  This part of Sydney used to be a rubbish heap, hence the hills.  They're covered with nice green grass now.

From the top of the ex-rubbish hill you can see the airport, almost.  See the tails of the planes?

Sydney Park was an industrial area as well as a rubbish dump.  The old brickworks buildings are still in place, and provide shelter for innumerable pigeons and lesser numbers of homeless persons.  The chimneys have been restored to prevent them crumbling and falling on unwary heads.

Brickwork chimneys over Sydney Park.

 

In breaking news,  the last couple of days have seen significant development on the George front.  George has joined us on the couch at night and allowed us to scratch her on the chin and feed her treats.  She has sauntered casually out for food in the middle of the day.  On two occasions when startled she fled beneath the couch and not the bed.  We are making friends with George.

Hello.