Okeefereport: Delights of Darlington

Now settled and reasonably confident that I can published there seems no reason why I can't continue to berate you with the miniature of my life as before.

The block through which no pregnant woman should be led least her soul be stolen is just that a block, not even as exciting the television one, more like that vacant one with its crop of paspalum and scotch thistle west of Jiggi. Aspirational home buyers and Chinese immigrants have seen to that. Isn't it obvious that to diffuse any racial conflict (listen up Hutus, Tutsis, Palestinians) get yourself some Chinese. There's billions of them. They have nothing to do with your problem and no comprehension of it. They'll pay higher rent. They don't make waves and best of all will eventually leave for Epping, North Ryde and Eastwood, remaining only as landlords. In no time your argument is lost in a sea of indistinguishable faces with the same name. Jobs done.

It's certainly worked for Redfern. Can't even find an original but for the odd beggar and even she's clever enough to beg elsewhere where there aren't so many Chinese. No it's the real estate industry - "Domain Rules" - (graffiti I look forward to) in charge here. There are no homes here, just portfolios. No one expects to live here and raise a family. It's just a foot/toe hold in the market. I'm not sure anyone believes in home as anything more than somewhere to renovate nowadays. Perhaps we are turning back to nomads always looking for another cave. My pad is a clever example.

The home I regard as ancestral is Aintree 'the farm' but I spent less than seven years there. No I haven't spent more than that time anywhere else but who among you have. I haven't even spent longer in a suburban area. Alice has spent more time in a society of school and suburb than I and may claim northern beaches origin but It doesn't compare to Jamie Packer's belief in Bellevue Hill does it?

Chris and Sue held out in Engadine long enough for Kelly to become a desirable 'Shire Girl' but they could not sustain it and after aimless wanderings have set seed once more in Goulburn where Kelly may have been conceived? Even born? They have demonstrated conviction but it's hard to identify home here. Dot was well established in cleverly brick clad fibro at Collaroy till she moved to the hillside of Elanora where she clings like a stag horn till when? Do Luke and Gabby regard themselves as of Collaroy? Elanora? or simply Northern Beaches like Alice. Hugh has probably out stayed anyone in both Bellevue Hill (with Jamie) and In Kings X But who will call these home? Melanie? I don't think so and she will have no children any way.. I won't even mention my youngest sibling here. A gardener' tenderer of roots'. Ross and Anne with their brood at Castle Epping are our last hope but it's a big ask against the Mongol hordes being bred in Darlington.

Never mind I'm finding myself quiet comfortable, always warm just like the caves of old. It's a bit dissapointing to find the closest open pub, The Shannon, over 150 paces away where mud brown exterior on Abercrombie Street gives way to dismal white and grey, aluminium and glass modernity inside. Some back lit mandala of Irishness and framed covers of albums by Seans and Marys do little to raise the feeling of oppression. It's a great shame that the Thurles Castle, named no doubt after the town in North Tipperary and possibly closer by a couple of paces has been partitioned into offices and a restaurant. This along with the closure of the Berkeley, with too many e's, not eight paces across the street, and rumoured to be out of action only for the Underbelly series, is a trend I intend to devote myself to reversing. I can cope with living in a stock market but one without pubs, no!

The Glengarry Castle a small move away from these Irish dominated establishments and well more than two hundred paces away is the first hole in which a gentleman might take a dram. Here one feels he can ruck in with football loving Aussies and their Anglo immigrant cousins for a warm hearted night of ruckus. So far I have not gotten past bolting a beer but the ambience and impolite staff do show promise. A few hundred paces further up Abercrombie is the non denominational Royal. Unfortunately any report I could bring to you of this establishments would be clouded by the fact that on my only two visits I was blind drunk. I can report that their steak was excellent but who wants the recommendation of a drunk.

How many of you are aware that the Glengarry is the name given to that foldable military style cap much favoured by crackpot American paramilitaries and Mussolini. For some reason had it been a Tipperary I would not have been so surprised.

Of course there are countless more establishments close at hand some of which I have found on recent Sundays to present acceptable if not exceptional entertainment. Too many some would say given the closeness of the old Newtown stomping grounds and now the CBD with all its delights. This leads nicely to the next avenue of discovery 'new morning walks' which I shall mainly present photo journalistically. Some of the highlights though were climbing to the top of that hill in More Park that has always intrigued me. Nothing really apart from the incredibly steep straight track down, probably worn by BMX and other daredevil cyclists. Finding all the splinter Christian Cathedrals in Redfern upon which Hillsong is inevitably advancing from its base in Waterloo. Discovering some of the more grand legacies of Dr. William Redfern's hundred acre land grant from Lachlan Macquarie. Discovering the scale of NSW public housing's grant to the sometimes deserving underprivileged, maybe a rival to Lachy's 100 acres. Discovering private enterprises massive developments more than equal in scale and a literal stone's throw away from this degradation. Whew.