When I was a very little bloke, one of my greatest joys was to run out and open this gate so that my dad, who rode his bike to work every day, could ride effortlessly through and into the yard without having to step off his bike. I had already unlocked the side gate so he would sail on through to the shed in the back yard where he stored his bike. I’d be diligently closing and locking gates behind him as he went.
It seemed like an important job to me at the time.
Dad arrived home at about the same time every night. Working men did that back then. He was a union man and that meant that you gave the boss a good days work and when it was time to go home, you went home!
A few years after my dad took this shot [this is an enlargement of a larger, wider shot] he pulled this fence down and built a shorter, more ‘modern’ fence. Personally, I like this one, and as fashions go, a lot of the houses in the area are putting back the original fences………. everything changes, everything goes in cycles………. and everything stays the same.
If you look very closely, you can see that one of the horizontal wires on the gate has been bent down. That is probably because I liked to swing on the gate when my dad wasn’t looking.
The house is still there but my family no longer owns it. It is now about eighty years old.
Every couple of years I drive up that street just to remember what it felt like to live my younger life. Every year it changes and becomes less and less like the street I remember. This is not a bad thing. Everything has its time.
Number twenty Erin street will always live in my heart.
I’m glad.
I try and restrict myself to fleeting visits [unless I’m writing]……….. I like the present and sometimes it feels like the past might not let me come back……….. that awesome line ‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’ ………. is so true.
Thanks for taking the time.
Terry
Terry, I love that kind of nostalgia. I saw where the wire was bent. And opening and closing the gate was an important task. Especially in bad weather. I am sure your father appreciated it. So nice you can go back and look at the original house where you grew up. Thanks for the post.
It’s funny how things work out….. it was only supposed to be a photo with a sentence or two to put it into context……. I’ve been in a strange mood for the last couple of weeks…….. a mixture of all sorts of stuff, and as I’ve said elsewhere, I try not to look back unless it benefits a story because I could very easily get stranded back there…….. the present is fun [but a little strange] and the future looks bright.
Thanks, as always, for your comments.
Terry
I really liked this. I got it, especially since I used to swing on the gate too, but in Brisbane. My father used to beep his horn outside the closed gates to get me to come and open them, then he would drive in. Pretty selfish, now that I think of it. But it seemed ok then.
Thanks for reminding me of the old days! My dad came home every night at the same time and we ate dinner together as a family. Wow, that must make me *really* sound old. *sigh*
araneus1 
Erin street, eh? I’m guessing there were lots of homesick Irish there at some point in its history.
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Oh my yes…………. quite a few in those days.
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You made me revisit 6304 South Ryan Street and 218 North Maple Street and…it was good to go there! Thanks!
Kathryn
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I’m glad.
I try and restrict myself to fleeting visits [unless I’m writing]……….. I like the present and sometimes it feels like the past might not let me come back……….. that awesome line ‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’ ………. is so true.
Thanks for taking the time.
Terry
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Terry, I love that kind of nostalgia. I saw where the wire was bent. And opening and closing the gate was an important task. Especially in bad weather. I am sure your father appreciated it. So nice you can go back and look at the original house where you grew up. Thanks for the post.
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It’s funny how things work out….. it was only supposed to be a photo with a sentence or two to put it into context……. I’ve been in a strange mood for the last couple of weeks…….. a mixture of all sorts of stuff, and as I’ve said elsewhere, I try not to look back unless it benefits a story because I could very easily get stranded back there…….. the present is fun [but a little strange] and the future looks bright.
Thanks, as always, for your comments.
Terry
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I really liked this. I got it, especially since I used to swing on the gate too, but in Brisbane. My father used to beep his horn outside the closed gates to get me to come and open them, then he would drive in. Pretty selfish, now that I think of it. But it seemed ok then.
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Glad you enjoyed it…………. everything seemed okay then.
Terry
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Thanks for reminding me of the old days! My dad came home every night at the same time and we ate dinner together as a family. Wow, that must make me *really* sound old. *sigh*
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It’s a big club………. plenty of room.
Terry
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