What is it about these prime time soapies that gets us so captivated?
Yearning for community I reckon.
Here are some great tips to make your home comfortable in winter, reduce your energy bills and your greenhouse gas emissions.
Most of us lament for that “Village” atmosphere that we grew up with. Low fences to your neighbours so that you end up having a cup of tea with Sally next door or when the victa’s are purring away on a Saturday afternoon, a beer with Barry who is doing the same thing on the adjoining house lot was mandatory. Meanwhile with all those low fences or no fences at all between houses, the kids were running riot somewhere in amongst the neighbourhood enjoying their own adventures and not of that of the latest video game.
Has technology and improved “modern living” actually delivered the goods? Let’s have a look – we live in bigger more grandiose houses now with back yard blitz private courtyards – I wonder how Barry and Sally are going haven’t seen them for a couple of years?!
We have got mobile phones, blackberry’s, emails and we all catch up with our friends a lot, digitally, but we don’t get to see them that much.
The new regional shopping centre is fabulous but is a half hour round trip in the car which, incidentally is new, comfortable and very stylish.
Remember the corner store where you used to walk or send the kids down to get those top up groceries. Good exercise on the way, bumping into the locals, that familiar face of the shop owner. Do you remember as a kid riding or walking to school?
Bring back the Village!
You can see where I am going now – bring back the Village! Coffee, cake and camaraderie in our backyards. Walking and riding your bike to the corner store and to school, actually knowing the neighbours, sharpening the mower blades in Jacko’s shed – blokes need this as do girls the hot local gossip sessions.
So I advocate BRING BACK THE VILLAGE IN OUR SUBURBS. Design the new estates and retrofit our existing communities with ways for our locals to connect.
It takes a Village to raise a child, so they say and maybe it takes a Village to save a marriage – a mum and dad trying to bring up a child without neighbourhood support is just madness.
Is this taking you back in time and does it touch the deepest human yearning – connection and support with your mob.
So what can we do to right this modern wrong? PULL YOUR FENCE DOWN!
Symbolically make a stand to do something, metaphorically make an effort to connect with your fellow locals and literally rip down the palings and say a wonderful hello to your neighbours.
