Ch-ch-ch-anges

There’s been a massive amount of leaves on my balcony every day, since arriving home from Lismore. There are some beautiful trees outside my apartment. For half the year they give me great pleasure, and for half the year they don’t, as they’re without leaves. It’s become a daily task to sweep up the leaves.

It’s that time of the year when people in my area can’t decide which season it is. You can see it in people’s clothing, as there’s a fairly even mixture of people who cling on to the belief that it’s still summer, those who believe the winter apocalypse has arrived, and those of us who dress accordingly.

Since arriving back, I’ve continued to notice further changes in my neighbourhood. The shopping space in my part of Surry Hills continues to “evolve”, as a real estate agent once commented on this blog.

There was a flurry of activity in the wake of the closure of the shopping village, which is due to re-open in a couple of years time, but that seems to have come to an end.

Construction work continues on the Surry Hills Village

There’s still quite a few shops in the area which have closed, and which are showing no signs of re-opening.

“There’s been a six-fold increase in milk sales since the supermarket closed”, the bloke at the service station told me a few days ago. Since the closure, I’ve started to buy my milk from there, or from the nearby Indian Supermarket. The Indian Supermarket was out of milk the other day when I tried to buy some there. “I’m sorry, we’re out of milk”, the guy behind the counter told me as I walked in the other day. Clearly I’ve come well-known for that purchase. So I headed to the service station, and the bloke behind the counter told me they were closing down for renovation for three months. #SurryHillsMilkCrisis.

For any real estate agents reading this blog, there’s definiately room for a grocery store in the area, selling fruit and vegetables, milk, and other daily conveniences. The market is calling out for it!

The “Woman’s Clothing Store” which was opening in February is now “FINALLY” closing down in May.

“That was quick” I heard someone say as we walked along Crown Street and noticed the closure of the Westpac Bank. I was hoping to grab some cash, as it was the only remaining ATM in our area. I called in to the pub and the ATM there was also offline. “That’s what everyone is saying”, one of the bar people, Sarah, observed.

A friend snapped these photographs on Friday, commenting in an email, “I was thinking last week how people at Northcott used to be able to pick up their pension from the bank and then go and shop at Coles. That’s all changed now.”

Since arriving back, I’ve also noticed the local Catholic Church is becoming more visible in the community, including some outdoor services/performances.

St Peter’s Catholic Church, Surry Hills, moves outdoor to Ward Park

The other major change in the last couple of weeks or so, has been news they’re planning to change/end some of the bus routes through this part of the world, particularly the 372, the 393 and the 395. I haven’t looked closely at the detail, but I would especially miss the 372. It’s always been my favourite, as it’s generally the bus route with the least number of people on board, and they’re generally the most friendly, being those most likely to get up for older people. Though it’s a complete generalisation, those on the other bus routes are the ones most likely to keep staring at their phones, or with their headphones on, and who never look up, and who never get up for older people. Thankfully, we now have the light-rail, so its not so bad.