observations on a coming summer

in our walks around the streets of erskineville, newtown and alexandria i have noticed a number of old bbqs left on the grass beside the roads. these rusty, worn and cracked hulks are sprouting in their spring time of neglect. just as old age of any sort gives way to youth so these once cossetted machines are put out to pasture, making way for younger, sprightlier versions. versions with perhaps more burners, knobs, hooks, accessories, maybe even with a sink attached!

so winter turns to spring and spring soon to summer. and the great aussie tradition of backyard bbqs will send pungent wafts of charcolising (word?) meat across the neighbourhood. the old bbq that has withstood the winter storms of rain, hail and wind, visitations of dog and possum piss, not having felt the scrub of a good brush nor been oiled and neatly rubbed, for months, is now decrepit. "not our snags on that filthy thing!" goes the cry.
a new, shiny machine is required. in our inner west suburbs we pride ourselves on our environmental credentials- recycle, reuse... i forget the third 're'. surely some sap out there will want our old bbq... surely? we won't send it to the tip, we won't call council to collect it. we'll leave it here on the grass or the footpath. by morning it will be gone. it'll be wanted by someone for some purpose; even if not for bbq-ing. wouldn't it be funny to see our old bbq turn up in some mixed media modern art installation in a few months time?!

the coming summer is marked by the strange plants of metal and plastic growing along our streets.