Practice: List: 13 things I love about Observatory ♥

I've lived in Observatory for 2 years now. Some days I hate it (so windy! so many people trying to break into my house!) but most days I love it. In fact I almost always get that song that goes "'cause I la lala lala love my hood" [who sings that song?] stuck in my head when I'm wandering around Lower Main Road, partly because I DO la lala lala love my hood, and partly because everyone here has those 'I ♥ MY HOOD' stickers on their cars.

Obz probably makes you think of dirty drinking holes, dodgy muggers and bare-footed hippies, but here are some things that quintessentially Obz for me

1. All the pretty buildings. If you're going to live in Observatory, you've got to live in one of the many Victorian beauties. The first Obz house I lived in was not quite this (think dry walls, rot, and a public telephone in the hallway - yes, really) but our current house is totally fancy (stained glass windows and a shower room - ooh!).

2. Being the arty/hippie area of Cape Town of course the locals couldn't resist painting our electricity boxes all pretty and Cape Town-y

3. Another Obs architectural masterpiece: our very own Trump Towers

4. I've seen some of the strangest sights on Lower Main. Not least of all was this lady carrying hair extensions in one hand and a (live) chicken in the other. Just a casual Saturday afternoon then

5. Colin. If you know Obs then you must know Colin, either by sight or smell. There used to be a really realistic & ultra creepy portrait of him in the art shop but I guess someone has bought it (who are you? why are you?)
These are his 'things' that he leaves around, often on our stoep. Me and Colin are not friends. Our friendship broke down after he said to me "you're a piece of dirt and I don't care what happens to you" when I refused to give him R120 "in R20 notes".

6. Our surprisingly and worryingly noisy neighbours

7. The dogs of Obz. I love seeing a cutie waiting outside Spar (like the excitable Beagle above - note the blurry tail) or the Boxer in the second hand shop (lying on the merchandise).

8. Boerewors rolls on the side of the road aka Obz Dogs aka don't eat these things no matter how good they smell from across the road.

9. Observatory's only commercial club, Barmooda, burnt down earlier this year. It's a pity about the nice-looking building, although I think the charred remains are quite nice-looking too.

10. The undeniably creepy Kiddie Rides building. It's full of old carousels and clowns and the perfect setting for a horror film. Also I once got mugged outside here in my youth :(