Our home in Suburbs was built in 1956 which means its pretty much as old as HeeHoo and I are!! Its undoubtedly the most perfect home in all the world in spite of the fact that, like us, it is a 'bit frayed around the edges'!!
The house was built for Beryl Marks, her husband Kulu was a doctor and they built a beautiful home which was sold to to Dolf Levy of the local Macys Stores. Dolf in turn sold to Tom and Saranne Pinkney who now live on the South Coast.
It is the most perfect home and is also Feng Shui perfect!! Built around a massive Ficus, this magnificent tree dominates the skyline from the air. It also drops literally tons of ficus berries twice a year!!! Our gardeners despair of ever clearing away the knee deep berries, which sadly cannot go into the compost heap as they are very acidic.
This tree is legendary. Its majestic arms were used for beam routines by our gymnastic daughter. Much sought after by tree climbers in the neighbourhood, it has been known as the Magic Faraway Tree by three generations of happy children, who to this day, peer into the canopy looking for Dame Washalot and Mr Saucepan Man.
Annually a determined pair of Hammerkops, busily inspect us as a potential nesting site, but our determined gardener religiously chases them away as they are considered unlucky. Indeed the two years during which we allowed nesting to transpire, were particularly ill omened for the family.
It is home to hundreds of birds, dozens of Fruit Bats and during a particularly storm recently, we sadly collected no less than 35 dead doves from the debris at the foot of the tree. Gymnogenes, Grey Louries, Birds of Paradise and pigeons all covert this immense dense condominium and White Browed Robin Chats, Woodland Kingfishers, Hurricane Thrushes and Red Billed Wood Hoopoes forage busily under the vast canopy.
Over the years the garden has been transformed into a park and the wide lawns have hosted countless birthday, Christmas and office parties. Probably the most striking aspect of the house is the Atrium, a giant glassed-in indoor garden, exuberant in its growth, providing an aura of wonderful love, light and laughter.
Despite its venerable age, the house is as solid as a rock, in spite of the truculent attempts of the belligerent Termite Colonies that haunt the Suburbs underground where the Root Queen lives!!
Over the half a century that we have resided here, tasteful modifications have been made, hopefully Mrs Marks would have approved... and right here is our Happy Place where our hearts will always be at peace.
'Some things, and some people, are written in your soul in permanent ink' - J.M. Storm