New house

A story by Tim Ross inspired by the Frank and Eunice Corley House photographs collection currently on show in Home: a suburban obsession exhibition. Listen to his podcast.

They found half a dozen tennis balls in the thick spiny mess that was the bougainvillea when they cut it back on that sticky Saturday afternoon.

Graham lobbed them one by one into the wheelie bin, giving himself three points for each time the balls found their target. He scored himself a three. It was less fun digging out the arc-welded fence at the front. He was happy for it to stay and maybe grow a creeper over it but Linda thought it made their front yard look like a primary school, not a dream home. Also in the firing line was the prospering oleander and the less impressive crape myrtle.

The myrtle had taken a spill in a storm years ago and was still being held up by a piece of old pantyhose strung around a rusting star picket. While he spirited the chainsaw into life to finesse the limbs into skip bin sized pieces Linda started rolling white paint over the breezeblocks next to the front steps. It was solid but ugly her Dad had told them after the auction but they didn’t hear, they were ecstatic just to be in. 

When the tools finally went down a shade after 7pm and they clinked and demolished an overpriced local craft beer, they stood back and admired their impact on the deceased estate. 

“How good does the white on the breezeblocks look?”

He just nodded and walked inside to get another beer.

“It reminds me of Halcyon House down at Cabarita!” 

That night, exhausted they lay on the just assembled IKEA bed as the fan oscillated over them, giving them temporary relief from the still, thick air. She went first, her gentle snoring in weaving with the sound of the fan. As he drifted off there was a V8 silently floated out of the driveway. It was their house now and it was time to go.

Home: a suburban obsession exhibition ends 14 July 2019. Discover more about the exhibition at explorer.corley.slq.qld.gov.au. Find your home. Search the Corley Explorer.