Sunday, May 26, 2013

My New Neighbour: Beau Leaves the Burbs


My outfit: Sandals: Wonders; Jeans: Reitmans; Cape: Cotton Candy; Sunglasses and Clutch: thrift; Watch: vintate; Beau's outfit: Shirt, cap, and shorts: thrift; Glasses: Geek Eyewear; T-shirt: Old Navy; Shoes: Ecco
I am thrilled to tell you that, after a long time of commuting back and forth between the hideous suburbs and my place, Beau has finally moved to the big city.

Beau is a single father of two boys. I'm very fond of them and they of me but I'm not ready to be a step-mom so Beau and I can't live together yet, but we sure did want to live closer together. This back and forth, with no car, and my horrid back, was for the birds.  

So Beau waited till the school year was almost over and began his search for an affordable place for the three of them. The plan was for him to find a home that was close enough to me for me to walk to from my place, even crippled as I am.

This is not an easy task in a city with perhaps the highest real estate prices on the continent and certainly in Canada. But, after we looked at some awful dives, Beau found success and we are now, finally, neighbours.

Beau and I are happy with the move. His kids are happy with the move. Even their mother is happy that her kids now live here instead of in the suburbs.

The suburb that Beau lived in is very white and very conservative. It's one of those places where the citizens fight to remove Heather Has Two Mommies from the school libraries, and a child can grow up knowing virtually no-one who isn't white. In other words, it is not a place where Beau wanted his kids to grow up and it's not a place where Beau wanted to live anymore.

One of Beau's friendly new neighbours.
So now he's in my 'hood, an extremely bohemian and left-wing neighbourhood where eccentricity is accepted and diversity is the norm. It's also a great neighbourhood for local, "ma and pop" shopping, friendly cafes, living without a car, and getting to know your neighbours.

It's a real neighbourly neighbourhood of the type that people don't believe exist anymore. Everyone knows each other and looks out for each other. Cafe owners remember your favourite coffee, and the pet food store owner remembers your cat's name. On lovely weekend days, people go for walks on the main strip and stop to chat with each other like it's an old-fashioned promenade.


Another one of Beau's friendly new neighbours. This one is really really friendly! Shoes: Keds; Jeans; Reitmans; Blazer: thrift; Ring: Birks; Shirt: TanJay Petites; Hair thingy: I don't know but I got it at Payless Shoes
Beau's street is particularly beautiful. It's a single block of heritage houses with beautiful gardens, many children, and a dead-end (except for pedestrians and bicycles) that is the local kids' play area. It's an especially nice street, in an especially great part of an especially great city.

I've lived here for about twenty-three years. Now Beau lives here too.

Plus I can walk to his place! And he can walk to mine!

Yay!
qwerty

2 comments:

  1. Yay indeed! So happy for you.

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  2. Hooray! That's wonderful news. A great neighborhood is worth it's weight in gold. So glad you're Beau is closer!

    Spashionista (Alicia)

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