The Mechanic worked from home but seemed to spend an enormous amount of time wandering around his front yard, pacing up and down the street smoking his cigarettes, watching everyone who came and went. Gradually he started to wander across to the neighbour on the opposite corner to pace up and down outside his house.
This was the house of strange comings and goings, people on bikes, in cars and on foot arriving early in the morning and very late at night. A house of high fences with many cameras.
The School Teacher would always greet the mechanic as she passed by and have a chat before going home.
“Those bloody cops won’t leave me alone, “he said. “Oh, why is that?” asked the School Teacher.
“Three times they have searched my cars and strip searched me! “He cried.
“Bloody cops!” They said they had a report from a neighbour down the street that the strange man on the corner is selling drugs! Do I look strange? Do I look suspicious to you? “
The School Teacher managed to control her laughter long enough to murmur reassuring words to the Mechanic before rushing home to tell all to the family.
Weeks later when chatting The Electricians Wife,  the conversation turned to the activities at the end of the street. " Oh yes", said The Electricians Wife " The noisy neighbours next door  have complained to the police about the man on the corner selling drugs, but nothing seems to have changed!"  "Hmm" said The School Teacher, " Maybe next time she needs to say which corner, the number of the house and maybe describe the man." Why?" asked The Electricians Wife. " Because every time the police arrive they see The Mechanic wandering around  on that side of the street and they speak to him, search his cars and strip search him!! The Druggy is is probably inside his house laughing himself silly!"
The  neighbours agreed they had not seen  the Mechanic wandering along the path outside his house for some time since....
 

The house of strange comings and goings continued to intrigue the street. “What can those people be doing in that house?” wondered #1 School Teacher to herself.
“That end of The Boulevarde is always busy with parked cars, motorbikes and even bicycles congesting the flow of traffic. “
She mentioned it to her husband who shook his head and said not to worry about it.

Several times The School Teacher drove down the street only to have her way blocked by cars parked in the middle of the road.
One day when this happened she honked her car horn and indicated to the cars they should move out of the way. She was very cross that people could be so inconsiderate especially when she had such a lot to do before picking up the children from school.

She did notice after the cars had moved and she was driving down to her house one of the cars  was slowly following her down the street. As she unpacked the car she noticed the car come back around the block and park opposite her house. “Hmm, strange”, she thought to herself.

That night at the dinner table she complained to her family about the amount of cars congesting the flow of traffic at that end of The Boulevarde and the strange car that followed her home.
There was a sudden silence and the family sat at staring at her strangely.
 “What’s wrong?”, she asked them.
“Mum you do know that is the the Druggies’ house don’t you?”
“What Druggy?”
“Oh the guy that sells drugs to people.”
 “Well, why are the cars stopping in the middle of the street then?” she asked.
“That’s when they exchange the drugs and the money.”
“ And you know the guy that rides up and down the street on his bike every day?”
“Yes, it’s very annoying because he goes up and down so many times....”
“Mum, that’s because he’s waiting his turn to pick up his drugs!”
“Oh”, said the School Teacher who had suddenly lost her appetite.
 
“Did you know about this?” she asked her husband.
 “Yes love, everybody knows about this.”
‘Hmmm, but I didn’t know”, she said.
“Well now you do!” he replied.
The School Teacher was silent for the rest of the night as she mulled over the implications of having a druggie in the neighbourhood and how this would affect her family.
That night she awoke with a start from a deep sleep with a sudden thought about the car that had followed her down the street and parked outside her house that day.
For the next few months the School Teacher only entered and exited The Boulevarde from the other end and she banned her children from walking past the house of the druggie!

Neighbours had noticed bikes arriving at the house  in the Boulevarde and had seen the young man who was leasing the house coming and going over a period of time. The bikes were loud and some neighbours were heard muttering under their breath about it. Mrs. Jessup was the most vocal of all. She saw several of the neighbours stop to say hello and asked what they knew about the man but no one could tell her because he never said much.
Mrs. Jessup became very visible in the street often working in the garden and popping up and down like a Jack In the Box to check the goings on!

The Husband of The School Teacher came home one afternoon to find a work colleague sitting on his front lawn.
“ Hello, what are you doing here?’, he asked.
“ Oh I’m visiting my mate, he lives down there.”
“Oh, the Bikie?” said the Husband.
“Yeah, we’re members of the Plaster-Cast gang and he‘s the President. We’re just helping him to move out of the house.”
“Is that right?” said the Husband smiling to himself.

Mrs. Jessup was most upset the next day when she realised the Bikie had moved out. She was even more put out to have someone else in the street tell her the gossip about him.
 But what really upset her the most was the fact that the Husband of the School Teacher actually worked with a member of the gang and had never shared that information!.
 Mrs Jessup was not seen in her garden for some time after the Bikie moved and neighbours quite enjoyed the silence from that end of The Boulevarde!

​The young mother and her husband were looking
forward to the birth of their first child and so was Mrs Jessup!
On the day of the birth things took longer than expected by the doctor and the young mother was in labour for so long she was cared for by 3 different shifts of nurses. In the final shift there was a young midwife who was a great support to the young couple and was involved with the delivery of their first child. During the after care of mother and baby it was discovered this young woman grew up in the corner house at the end of The Boulevarde and prior to moving out had been a neighbour.
Upon arriving home and receiving a visit from Mrs Jessup the young mother retold the story of the midwife who had grown up at the end of The Boulevarde. “Hmmm! “said Mrs Jessup, “her mother, that poor woman, she arrived in The Boulevarde’ a newlywed and spent the first six years of her marriage wearing maternity clothes. She was never out of them, once she had one baby she was pregnant with the next. Shocking it was and then nothing!! How does that happen? She has had a terrible life raising all those children with a husband always at work!! “
Rather shocked by the comments the young mother tried to change the subject but Mrs Jessup was just warming up and started to tell stories about the family. The Young Mother listened for a while and then while Mrs Jessup sipped her tea managed to share her feelings about the matter. “My husband and I are very grateful to the midwife for her support and kindness during the birth of our child. It seems to me Mrs Jessup that the mother of that young woman did an amazing job raising her children if the gentle nature, kindness and respect she displayed towards us are anything to go by. And I think now Mrs Jessup the baby needs a feed so I will see you to the door!”

Later that week the Young Mother bumped into the lady who lived in the house on the corner and proceeded to tell her about her daughter who had been the midwife who had helped to deliver their baby. The mother beamed with pride and joy and thanked the ‘Young Mother ‘ for her kind words and then wandered happily off down the street. Until the day she moved out of the The Boulevarde the lady from the corner house always stopped for a chat to share stories of her children and grandchildren and to ask after the Young Mothers firstborn child.

​Just down the road from where Mrs. Jessup lived there was another house with a pool in the backyard. The couple living there were quiet and kept to themselves but could often be seen walking their small dog. Over time they began to chat to neighbours and it became known that the dog was like a child to them. He ate, walked and slept with the couple, their world revolved around him.
One day the woman announced she was pregnant and as the months passed people began to wonder what would happen to the dog. “What do you mean? “ asked the woman, “The dog will be fine.  “But where will it sleep?” asked the neighbours. “With us of course”  she replied. “Nothing needs to change! “
 Came the day of the birth there was much excitement in the street. Once the baby arrived home neighbours noticed that all was not well in the house with the pool. The dog was unhappy because it could no longer eat and sleep with the owners and their attention was focused on the baby. The mother was unhappy because she was unprepared for the amount of attention a new baby demanded and the husband was caught in the middle.
As the baby grew older it became apparent the pool which took up the whole back yard was  unsafe for a little toddler exploring her world and so the decision was made to sell up and move on.
The new owner was a young woman who became the second teacher to settle down and call The Boulevarde home!

Old Lil’
 
Old Lil lived halfway down The Boulevarde in a small house with her husband. She was a gentle lady who like Mrs Jessup watched the comings and goings of the neighbours.
Old Lil could often be seen walking down to the bus stop and on the way stopping to chat to the locals. Many times she could be heard saying she had asked her husband to repaint the house. In anticipation the neighbours waited for the painting to begin but as time passed and nothing happened they gradually lost interest.
  All except Mrs. Jessup who was most vocal in expressing her disappointment that nothing was being done by Mr ‘Old Lil’, to maintain the ‘Look’ of the neighbourhood.
Over time he became ill and Old Lil took on the care of her husband. She could still be seen wandering down to the bus stop and would still greet her neighbours but she no longer had the luxury of stopping to chat.
 “ I must keep moving you see because I can’t leave him alone for too long,” and off she would go.
Mr Old Lil’ passed away and Old Lil lived continued to live on The Boulevarde, stopping to chat once more to the neighbours to inquire about their health, their gardens, their children and to share her plans for the future which included having the garden redone and the house repainted.
 
Old Lil became ill and after some time passed away. Her sad garden and unpainted house stood empty for a long time before a new tenant could be found.
 
The Young Mother who had often chatted to Old Lil loved the old unpainted house just as much as she had loved Old Lil. Every time she passed by the house she would remember the the gentle lady who had welcomed her into the street all those years before, who always had time for a chat and who never gave up on achieving her simple dream of repainting her house.
For the Young Mother it was a lesson about the power of belief and hope, of never giving up, of always believing that anything is possible.
 

The Retired Couple moved into The Boulevarde and quickly made friends with their closest neighbours. The wife was a lovely cook and every weekend would cook soup for her husband to eat throughout the week. Each weekend The Young Mother would smell a delicious aroma wafting over the fence.
One particular day the aroma was amazing and she called over the fence to ask the name of the soup being cooked.
“Oh that’s Cauliflower soup, one of hubby’s favourite soups. It smells quite strong as it has mainly cauliflower and onions in it but it does taste really nice.” she replied.
“Could you share the recipe with me?” asked The Young Mother. “I’m always looking for new recipes and I think the family would love this one!

A few weeks later The Young Mother woke early one Saturday morning while the family were still asleep. Realising she had a busy day ahead with the children attending their different sporting activities she decided she would prepare dinner.
“Hmm I think I’ll have a go at that Cauliflower soup, " she thought to herself.
“I have all of the ingredients and it will be an easy meal to serve at the end of the day.”
So in between putting on loads of washing and cleaning she set about preparing the vegetables for the soup. Eventually with all the ingredients in the pot she set the soup to simmer.
“ Hmmm it does have a rather strong smell. I suppose that’s to be expected with cauliflower and onions not to mention some garlic.
It’s the same smell as when Mrs. Retired Couple makes her soup. Maybe it doesn’t smell as strong then because it’s wafting over the fence. I’m sure it’s okay. I’ll let it simmer a while longer. “

As she set about cleaning up the kitchen she was startled by the sudden appearance of her daughter who was looking very distressed, pulling at her hair while sniffing at her armpits.
“Whatever’s the matter? “asked The Young Mother “What on earth are you doing? Are you sick? What’s wrong with your armpits?”

Just then the other daughter scrambled into the kitchen looking confused and pulling at her clothes.
Both of the daughters started wailing at the same time, “Something’s wrong, I must be sick, oh my God it’s terrible. I can’t stand it! The smell, the smell it’s terrible!”

With that they both ran for the bathroom pushing and shoving in an attempt to be the first into the shower.
The Young Mother followed them wondering how both of her daughters could have lost their minds and gone crazy at the same time.
“Just stop both of you, everything is okay, slow down and tell me what’s upsetting you.”

“It’s the smell, I woke up and my bedroom smelt terrible,” said the first daughter.
“Yes, I think I must be sick because my bedroom smells awful, I thought I’d pooped my pants,” wailed the second daughter.
“ I need a shower,” cried the first daughter.
“So do I, I can’t wait ” wailed the second daughter.
“ Let me just check your rooms,” said The Young Mother as she tested their foreheads for fever and checked to see if their eyes were glassy.
After entering both bedrooms and watching the girls sniffing the air, pulling at their clothes and generally looking quite offended by the stench of their individual rooms, The Young Mother started laughing to the point that she couldn’t speak.
Both daughters were shocked by her reaction to their sudden illness and began wondering if she too had the beginnings of the same sickness.
“Follow me,” she gasped as she led them into the kitchen and pointed to the soup simmering on the hot plate.
“It’s the Cauliflower soup you can smell!” she said as she began laughing again.
“The soup! It’s awful. The smell is awful, it woke me up, I thought I was dying!” shouted daughter number one.
“ I woke up and couldn’t work out why I smelt so bad,” Said daughter number two.
With that Hubby wandered out, “What on earth is that smell?” he asked crinkling up his nose. “It smells like a dead dingo’s donger”, he stated with  all the authority of someone who had smelt such a thing.
“It’s your dinner for tonight so stop protesting and go and open all the windows in the house.” exclaimed the Young Mother.

After much grumbling and with accusing stares cast her way everyone set off to open windows so the aroma could be dispersed.
Later that night after serving the soup for dinner and firmly encouraging the family to at least taste the soup they all agreed that it was tasty and they had enjoyed eating it.

However the family elicited a promise from The Young Mother that she would warn them next time she was going to make Cauliflower soup so all windows could be opened and they could exit the house!

​
Several years after the incident with the Jessup dog, the #1 School Teacher and her family were at home one summers evening having just finished dinner when they smelt smoke. They looked out the front of the house and noticed black smoke in the next street and could see people running towards that end of The Boulevarde.
#1 School Teacher quickly rang #2 School Teacher and said “There’s a fire in the next street, I’m not sure what to do!  Do we leave, do we stay in the house?”
Meanwhile her children had wandered into the street and came back announcing there was a house on fire around the corner and one of the neighbours had contacted the Fire Brigade. With that two fire engines arrived and the fireman began to lay out the hoses while trying to establish who was in the burning house.

As the family and the two School Teachers walked along to stand with the crowd word came along that it was the Calabrian’s house that was on fire. Some people laughed while others muttered unkind words under their breath and still others with no regard for danger took their children to stand at the front fence of the burning house so they could get a closer look at all the action!
​
It was #1 School Teacher who asked if the Calabrian had got out of the burning house safely. “Who cares!” shouted one onlooker, while other people began to look for him in the crowd. Gradually word filtered back that the neighbour living across the road from him had seen him leave the house only 30 minutes before the fire and the police were busy trying to contact him.
Some time later after the fire was put out and the damage was assessed Mrs Jessup was able to pass on the news that it was a cigarette left lying somewhere in the house that had caused the fire. The house was completely destroyed and The Calabrian was found emergency accommodation to live in while the house was repaired.
Some months later when repair of the house was almost complete the residents of The Boulevarde learned that The Calabrian had suffered a heart attack and passed away and even though he had caused so much trouble within the local community the news was still met with shocked silence and perhaps just a little regret.....

The Calabrian did not live on The Boulevarde but he would use it to enter the lane that backed onto his property. He was a man who rarely smiled and many people chose to avoid him if they saw him driving or walking past.
Over time his family grew and along with his wife moved away and left him to live alone.
Once retired he took to walking the streets or travelling on the local bus all day silently watching people or sitting next to them to strike up a conversation. Mrs Jessup concluded he was harmless while #1 School Teacher thought he was lonely.
Often when he passed by the Jessup family property their dog would bark as all dogs do when protecting their property. The Calabrian was annoyed by the barking and took it upon himself to bang on the fence as a way of upsetting the dog. It soon became a competition between man and dog to see who could create the most noise by barking or banging on the fence. Mr and Mrs Jessup both spoke to the Calabrian and tried to explain that he was upsetting the dog for no good reason but this just seemed to spur him on with his game.

One day while out washing his car Mr Jessup allowed his dog to wander along the nature strip within sight of him so he could call him back quickly if necessary. Unfortunately while bending down to wash the wheels on the car he missed seeing The Calabrian walk around the corner and only became aware of his presence when he heard barking and shouting.
Looking up he saw the dog and man fighting with each other and had to quickly intervene. Eventually he was able to pull the dog away from The Calabrian and drag him inside. The Calabrian followed along behind shouting and swearing and threatening to kill the dog. Such was the noise neighbours came running to witness a quickly escalating scene that required the intervention of several people in order to prevent further arguing and fighting.
For several weeks after Mrs Jessup was most distressed and was unable to work in her garden for fear of The Calabrian walking down the street.
People in the neighbourhood became even more wary of him as he began to walk the streets carrying a big stick threatening to hit any dog that ventured near him. Needless to say the police were informed and could often be seen visiting his house as they followed up on complaints from people within the local community.
Where once Mrs Jessup had thought him to be lonely she now considered him to be a menace and for once many of the neighbours on The Boulevarde agreed with her.

​The Angry Man had lived on The Boulevarde since he was a young man. His Aunt and Uncle had taken him in so he could work in the city. In those days he was known as the Quiet man.
They were friendly with the Jessup family and were seen sharing weekend newspapers on a regular basis. He loved his little dogs, his cars and his miniature railway carriages.

Although he was a quiet man he would greet the neighbours whenever he saw them.
Eventually he retired and spent more of his time working on his several different cars and his miniature train carriages.
By this time his aunt was a widow and she could be seen in the garden with her nephew working away and having a chat with people as they passed by the house.
The husband of the Young Mother got along well with the Quiet Man and would often chat to him when he saw him working in the garden.

Over time the Quiet Man’s demeanour began to change. He no longer spoke to the neighbours and he began to park several of his cars in the street preventing locals and visitors from parking in front of his house.
He would growl at people when they greeted him and if cars were parked in front of his house he would yell at the people concerned.
 Eventually neighbours began to warn their friends and delivery people not to park there as the Angry Man would throw grass clippings all over their cars. When that didn’t deter people he would smear dog droppings over their windscreens.

Sadly his aunt became more and more reclusive speaking only to the Jessup family and leaving the house only to go with her nephew to attend the doctor or to go shopping.

This concerned the Jessup family and Mrs Jessup felt sad she could no longer spend time with her friend.

Mrs Jessup told the Young Mother the Angry Man had a medical condition and that sometimes he would stop taking his medication which then caused mood swings.
In spite of the mood swings the Angry Man would always stop to have a chat with the Young Mothers’ husband who’s company he seemed to enjoy.