Paint

 After two days afternoon torrentials in Melbourne, the days are early summer blue and cloudy. Steve comes over to paint the west side of the house. Last summer was the north face, the one with the most chips and peels and crumbles, but now we all get into giving the west a lift for the first time in twenty years. Builder’s Bog goes into unfortunate crevices. Cecile Brunners are cleared back, giving Steve access to surfaces. Fixtures are unfixtured. Moss dirt is sanded from railings. All the prep, before the [paint] layers are lavished on the timber, gleaming and handsome.