Monday, June 14, 2010

165. Lean and green


Hughie had not regretted for an instant his move to Roselle five years ago. It was as though the man upstairs had given him the grace of a second start.

He had a two bedroom weatherboard workman’s cottage built in 1911 and renovated in the early fifties. By the time Hughie came upon it at auction in 2004 it was in need of another makeover. It had survived the developer’s bulldozers only because of it miniature size and crazy shape. Hughie shelled out the $350 thousand of (mostly) the bank’s money and set about doing all the work himself.

He was nearly finished and as he cycled around the Glebe foreshore, and past the fish markets each morning, he thanked his lucky stars that he had grasped the second chance with all his might. As he cycled across Pyrmont Bridge, he had a grin on his face a mile wide.

1 comment:

Joan Elizabeth said...

$350K in 2004 no wonder he's smiling.