Tuesday 25 August 2015

Curiosity - The Radley House


As Harper Lee described it, "The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it. Rain-rotten shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away. The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard - a 'swept' yard that was never swept - where johnson grass and rabbit-tobacco grew in abundance."
"To Kill a Mockingbird", Arrow Books (2010), P.9

The drizzle persisted as I slipped across the road, keeping in the lee of the old gum. He did not appear to be aware of me, simply propping the rapid rail against the gutter, turning slowly on his worn, leathered heel, and disappearing through the slip-rail. He was non-descript, in the way that long-in-the-tooth academics of a classical bent could be said to favour: beige slacks, creme, grandfather shirt with narrow navy-and-grey stripes, buttoned to the throat, with the flimsiest whorls of mock-pearl. I followed, at a respectful distance, but was stopped in my tracks by the hot-house: a new structure, of shiny aluminium, and unstained shade-cloth. This was unexpected; I stepped back onto the crumbling footpath. Beyond the lychgate, and through the louvres, I could just discern, through the gloom of the afternoon, the most glorious, pristine-white Cymbidium ...
Robert Street, Willoughby Sunday


6 comments:

William Kendall said...

It does have the look of a house people would start telling ghost stories about.

Joe said...

A lot of life has been lived behind these walls I suspect Julie.

diane b said...

My guess is that a tired old lady lives there and she frets because she no longer can keep the garden looking its best. Nor does she have the strength or funds to maintain her beloved home where she feels safe and comfortable but sad that she can't anymore. That will be me soon.

Joan Elizabeth said...

OOo Diane's story gets to me. I wonder if we will choose to stay in our beloved home past the time when we have energy and funds to keep it looking smart. Spending winter in a single room with our chairs pulled up close to the fire because we can't afford to pay the heating bill any more and can no longer tow our van north for the winter.

But let's be cheerful, the house has been allowed to run down under those circumstances before and brought back to life. There is a house of the era of your house up on the highway at Wentworth Falls that was run down and sad and is getting a lovely face lift at the moment.

Julie said...

Hah! This one will be demolished and a lumbering, rendered, grey monstrosity will replace it, with a three-car garage fronting the street.

Lynette said...

Intriguing post and photos to go with it.