Bonzer Words!: The Dunny Door
...The table was set up at the bottom of the yard overlooking the ocean. Our garden bench, also painted in fashionable mission brown, provided seating. It is to this little bit of Heaven that we retreat in the late afternoon. A bottle of Merlot and two glasses and all is right in our world. Here we can catch up on each other's day and relax before dinner. From our vantage point over the Bay we frequently see dolphins chasing baitfish. It is hard to say which is more beautiful, the graceful movements of the dolphins or the silver ripple of the bait fish in their anxiety to escape finishing up as someone else's meal. ..
Elaine Lutton paints a blissful scene.
Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au
Generally speaking I am not a great one for collecting material washed up on the beach. I leave that to my husband who cannot wander along the strand without bringing home a selection of hooks, lines and sinkers along with a variety of other objects that 'might come in useful'. However, when I saw a whole timber door washed up on the beach in front of us I knew that all those lifestyle programs I had watched over the years were about to pay off.
With great excitement and much huffing and puffing I dragged my booty home, expecting the husband to be equally delighted. Not so. I think he realised that this would represent work for him. Still, he must admit I supplied the inspiration and enthusiasm while all that was required of him was the brawn. The top and bottom of the door were sawn off, which removed most of the dry rot. A little sanding and some puttying followed by a generous splash of mission brown paint, and the table top was ready. Some wooden trestles on which to rest our masterpiece completed the rustic look.
The table was set up at the bottom of the yard overlooking the ocean. Our garden bench, also painted in fashionable mission brown, provided seating. It is to this little bit of Heaven that we retreat in the late afternoon. A bottle of Merlot and two glasses and all is right in our world. Here we can catch up on each other's day and relax before dinner. From our vantage point over the Bay we frequently see dolphins chasing baitfish. It is hard to say which is more beautiful, the graceful movements of the dolphins or the silver ripple of the bait fish in their anxiety to escape finishing up as someone else's meal.
The birds too are thinking of retiring for the night; just time for one last snack before roosting. The lorikeets indulge in noisy squabbling for the best position whilst the pelicans and ducks fly in formation back to the nearby lagoon that is their resting place for the night.
Gradually the sun sets and the sky turns to a rosy hue. We just have time to admire our beautiful surroundings when the mosquitoes and sandflies begin to arrive and it is time to retreat to the house.
We have no real idea as to where our door came from, whether it really once did have as prosaic a purpose as we imagine, but whatever its past we hope it appreciates, as we do, its romantic present.
For non-Australians, a 'dunny' is an outdoor toilet.
© Elaine Lutton
