My great-grandfather built his own house (or at least, he constantly expanded an old fishing shack he'd won in a game of poker) in Lucinda, North Queensland, and raised a family of four there. The front rooms were indeed enclosed verandahs, and I remember being fascinated by the beautiful hand-made wooden louvres that he had installed there. They were made with thick-ish pieces of timber painted a distinctly 1950s blue, and were opened and closed with a wooden rail set into the louvres themselves. They were remarkably effective at capturing any available breeze, each window being able to be positioned just-so. Not so effective, however, at keeping away mosquitoes. There were always gaps, and in the evening you could almost be carried away by mosquitoes, Lucinda being little more than a reclaimed mangrove swamp.
The house is still standing, though was sold many years ago. Last time I checked the louvres were still doing their job. Here's a pic from when my Aunty Audrey was still alive and living in it. This charming little ancestral shack would be worth a fortune now, being only a short walk from the beach.

1 comments:
Hi Walter.
Found your walterblog the other day while googling "buddhist nuns" and have just had a few moments to read through some of your postings.
I hope you don't mind - I know many people don't advertise their blogs, and feel kind of private about them.
Anyway - I appreciated your beautiful flow of language, and the insights, and steady eye on the world.
I'm a canadian and an old lady of 53! But, have also lived with buddhist practice for a long time, since I was 18, though without any special "place" in that world socially until the last few years.
I shaved my head Saturday, and Sunday went looking for pictures of other shaved heads to normalize! It was great to see all those different faces of women with shaved heads. I found your images of the nuns on the Dalat HIll at the Kwan Yin temple, and the writings around when you posted re. the kitchen god and his wife.
I felt drawn, and wanted to say hello, and thank you for a look at so many beautiful photos of religious iconography, and your words on how you live in relation to it all.
Peace 2u, Ani (not a nun, despite the head gear)
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