The Cottage

The story of our cottage in the bush.

--Purchased 2004--

In an Estate Agent's Window

A quaint cottage caught my eye,

I felt its call right then I knew

I could not pass it by.

Needing hard work love and care,

A bargain it would seem.

Nestled among the gum trees

A renovator’s Dream.

It seemed that nature had reclaimed

Every inch of garden space,

As though the forest hugged that house

And held it in its place.

To the door up rickety steps

You’d think about your chances,

Holes there in veranda's floor

The handrail made of branches.

The front door creaked as it swung wide

A sweet but musty smell.

It took me back to childhood days

Now under the cottage’s spell.

What treasures on the inside wait?

There was so much to explore,

Just as the owners left it

Some twenty years before.

 From bits and pieces firmly built

Each a second handed prize

Every beam and wooden stilt

Each window a different size.

The doors were from a hospital,

Each one still bore a sign

Beside the knob the bathroom door

Still reads “Six Beds Ward Nine”.

Old gas lamps on every wall

No power was connected

Taken by its beauty and charm

Much more than I expected.

The  kitchen table made of wood

Each dent and scratch a story,

Six unpainted wooden chairs

Far from their former glory.

A whitewashed kitchen cupboard

Colored lead-light in the door,

Full of wondrous old wares.

Such temptation to explore.

Mary’s statue sitting  on top

She’s watching what I do,

Does she know I own it now,

Or would she have a clue?

My anticipation rising as

I carefully pull the handle

Right in front with old matches

Of course I lit the candle.

There sat a row of children's books,

A Mecano set complete,

A fountain pen with two spare nibs,

A baby’s bottle with its teat.

 Cups on hooks and many plates

A set it’s certainly not

Hand beaters and an earthen Jug

An old fry pan and iron pot

Knifes and forks all bent and worn

Clustered in the drawer below.

A brooch, cuff links and old tie pin

For someone dressed to go.

The lino on the floor so thin

Old newsprint showing through.

A brand new Chev Two Fifty quid

Back in nineteen fifty two.

We had so much work to do

Every single treasure packed

All were placed in cardboard boxes

Then to the shed and stacked.

Each weekend for next three years

We worked to modernize.

We polished up that wooden floor

Now on show before your eyes.

The timber beams were sanded back

To reveal their natural grain

Ceiling boards were all replaced

Finished off with timber stain.

So proud we were of what we did

It came up as just a treat.

Now a gorgeous little home

Looking prim and very neat.

With the renovation finished

Using money that was lent

In order to appease the bank

We let it out to rent.

But nature unleashed her fury

A bushfire had its way.

Infamous in our history

The name ‘Black Saturday’

A tragedy like none before

The day Victoria cried.

Two thousand homes were burned that day

One hundred and seventy died.

Heartbroken now our cottage gone

But indeed our loss was small

Great sadness spread across the state

Deep sorrow felt by all.

Proudly sits a replacement house

Worth way more when we sell.

But in my heart I miss that cottage

Much more than I can tell.

--2007 Renovations under way--

--2008 same angle finished--

--2008 finished ready to rent--

--2008 the baltic pine flooring gleaming--

--7th Feb 2009, nothing left--

'Black Saturday'

2000 homes burned, 173 lives lost.

--Saturday 14th September 2013 

We received the keys to the replacement building--

Every tree now gone no longer a bush block,

now a paddock.

-- The Black Saturday Story--

http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/blacksaturday/#/stories/mosaic

Author's Note

We spent 3 years renovating it, but then lost it during the February 7 2009 'Black Saturday' bushfires in Victoria. We just received the keys to the new replacement house last week.

See http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/blacksaturday/#/stories/mosaic

Reviews

[Azure Montessa (Blue)]

Normally, a lengthy poem such as this would repel me from reading til the end. But this held me captive and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions and interesting narrations. Every line served its purpose. And grief had me as well when such a lovely cottage was devoured by bush fire. Such a tragedy. And I know it must be heartbreaking since you renovated it for three years and it all ended up in ashes in a blink of an eye. The rhyme scheme is exceptional and the rhythm was great, too. Truly a masterpiece. :x

[Keith]

Thank you so much for that very flattering review. we did indeed have many fond memories and wanted to preserve them in this poem, all of those details are real. That cottage oozed character.

[Dr. Wood ?]

great story my friend...an enthralling ride....and the pictures?

wow

[Keith]

Thanks mate. Working there right now hanging blinds in the new house. I hate hanging blinds! But cheaper than getting someone who knows what they are doing.

[Dr. Wood ?]

cheaper than getting ME and that's for sure.....Bloody travelling expenses and all

[Keith]

Dunno, can you do this s**t? And are the straight, and don,t fall down?.

[Dr. Wood ?]

Yup and yup

[Keith]

man, that harder than writing poems.

[Dr. Wood ?]

I do both at the same time....Nah..just joshing

[Phantom Heart]

Wow, I am glad I read that through! I am happy that in the end there was a home to go to! Home is always where the heart is and plants can be replanted! Good visuals. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Keith]

Thanks you for dropping in again Morgan. Yes our nasty dose of nostalgia is pale compared to those who died, lost loved ones, were injured or spend many hours in sheer terror. Keith.

[Barbara Walker]

A great story told in poetic form with great imagery, rhythm and flow. I could feel your emotions in this piece. New is nice, but oh, the charm and character to an old place! You can't manufacture that and it is priceless. Now, you will have to add character and warmth to the place through the love of it and your spirit rubbing off in many ways. Years from now, someone will see it and they won't be able to pass it by.

[Keith]

Getting the keys to the new place kind of brought on the sense that the last shred of evidence of the cottage would be erased forever. So i guess the muse kicked in at the right time to help preserve the memory. Thank you very much for your thoughtful review Barbara.

[Baby Ricochet]

Great descriptive poem Keith. Sorry for the old place and congratulations on the new place

[Keith]

Thanks BR, we have actually come thru OK compared to the neighbours and those injured/lost family etc. We actually ended up with a pretty flash new place, but miss our cottage.

[kublakhan27]

The organic and celestial vibes I took from this piece were more than palpable...I'm so sorry that this happened, but you've infused it with immortality in an absolutely epic piece...awesome work.

[Keith]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review KK, much appreciated. Cheers, Keith.

[kublakhan27]

My pleasure :)

[David Lewis Paget]

How sad, Keith. All that time and effort to go up in smoke. I remember those fires, though luckily my vantage point was from South Australia, not Victoria. You've done a massive job on this poem, it's the best I've seen from you yet. Great rhythm and rhyme, and certainly drags the reader along helplessly in its wake. Thank goodness you had insurance my friend.

[Keith]

Thank you so much for the kind review, I would like to think that I am starting to catch on to the concepts. Might I remind you that it was your own excellent help and guidance that pointed me in the right direction some time back. My early attempts were pretty rough before that. Of course your input and tutorials did not end there, I am influenced by and/or learn from every one of your marvellous pieces. While I am a long way short of reading all of your work, I reckon I am well into the hundreds now, including the first few dozen pages of ‘Pen & Ink’. At the moment it sits in my bottom draw as I am working locally in, so not flying interstate much these days. But I think in the new year I will flying lots and again it will once again become my travel companion.

[FlatLineBeauty]

I'm sorry for your loss. :( Beautifully written though.

[Keith]

Thank you WinterRose, I appreciate you dropping by.

[Lydia Shutter]

I so enjoyed the before and after photos here. You worked so hard to make that cottage beautiful. What a tragedy to lose it the way you did. There is something very special about renovating an older home. My husband and I did that when we moved here. Your descriptions of what you found in the old home gave that place a heart and soul. It was a labor to renovate....but a labor of love! I feel like you shared an important part of your history here. I enjoyed reading this one, Keith. Lydi**

[Keith]

Thank for that lovely review Lydi. Sorry for the delay responding but I spent the weekend mostly on the tractor spreading soil planting seed (spring here) and cleaning up so we can rent the new place. We plan on moving there in retirement tho, which is why the cottage was special. As a veteran of a renovation yourself I know you will understand that while we are a little excited by the flash new home twice the size and now with magnificent views with trees gone, our only part was to sign the contract and get the keys. I spent 2 days kneeling on those gorgeous Baltic pine floorboards with rows of old nails holes showing where they had been used maybe over a 100 years ago , then put into the cottage approx. early 1950s

[Lydia Shutter]

You have much to be proud about. It was obvious you worked very hard to make it into a showplace.

[Keith]

Thank you.

[Marie]

What a tragedy--spending so much time building, only to lose it all in a fire. Lovely description of the cottage when you forst saw it.

[Keith]

Thank you Marie, yes we fell in love with it. Now its got a beautiful new house twice the size and wonderful views with the trees gone, but we miss the cottage. About to go and throw some grass seed around the new house.

[Sue]

What a lovely poem and how poignant :)

[Keith]

Thank you for calling in Sue, I appreciate your review. Keith.