Commentary & Opinion

*A few good reasons why we should consider multi-generational households in Australia

I can speak from personal experience here as family members and older friends struggle to find appropriate and affordable retirement living arrangements while their married children struggle with mortgage repayments for their homes, child-care costs and time, as well as the monetary cost spent traveling to and fro from outer suburbs. All this can bring much stress to family life.

Such ongoing challenges happens to most of us throughout our whole of life including: the cost and difficulty in finding suitable child care and aged care; cost of housing for young families; meeting mortgage repayments while juggling so many other expenses with a young family; difficulties in single parenting; times of economic hardship; unpredictable job security; housing adult children who are still students etc. Multi-generational households are quite common in continental Europe and Asia.  Surely, we can do better to make life easier for our loved ones.  > Read more

 

*Washed Down and Out in Our Stormy Weather

Southern Australia experienced horrendous storms last Spring and no doubt we all have a story to tell about our own experiences.  Maybe most of your area was without power for more than twenty-four hours, your neighbour’s home was wrecked by a fallen tree  or maybe like most areas after heavy storms, your area had the usual clogged drains along streets – filled with leaves, cigarette butts, plastic bits and other rubbish, banking up in the road-side gutters and flooding the roads. 
Not at all very pleasant!

But, have you given serious thought to where this murky water goes and from where it has come? > Read more

*Up Front - Making the Most of the Space You Have in the Front of Your Garden

Renovating or transforming your front garden to make life better all round.  This area of any garden – large or extremely small, poses major challenges to those who live within – especially those in the city.  Your house may “front” a golf course, river, park etc but here in this opinion piece, I am referring to the entry from the street/ street front – what people see as they pass by or walk into your property from the street.  City dwellers have to cope with pollution, grime, litter, security, hard surfaces, safe access to the front door etc., but we all love challenges, especially when it means improving or transforming our living environment. 
 > Read more