gun, knife and fire

Lately, we've been on the periphery of some unusual neighbourhood events.

The day before school recommenced, a friend and I took four kids for a picnic in the middle of the park. It was a great spot for kids, with an ex-basketball court to ride their bikes on and woods and duck ponds close by. I couldn't help noticing that there was also quite a bit of gay cruising going on - I knew that was a cruising area but had assumed it was more active towards sunset, not in the middle of a hot lazy day.

Three days later, it was a dark rainy morning as I got Olle ready for school. At about 8am we heard a lot of sirens - not rare, though they did seem concentrated in an unusual way, all heading the same way. At 8.20am, co-parent, who'd left to walk dogs in the park earlier, rang to say she was stuck in the park, with police blocking the exits. I had to go to work and she was meant to come and take the boy to school. Finally she turned up, having talked her way past a surly police officer, who took all her details. (She hadn't been anywhere near the scene of the crime.)

Later at work I read that an off-duty cop had been shot at exactly our picnic spot. My first thought (and the first thought of many, I'd say) was that he must have been cruising - I wondered if this was a homophobic assault.  But when I read more about this cop, it began to  look as though he'd been deliberately targeted - people don't generally sit around in cars with rifles in that park and   happen to shoot off-duty policemen.

Fast forward a week to the next Friday late afternoon and co-parent rings me. "You'll never guess what just happened to me". Well, no, I wouldn't have. She'd popped into the local post office in order to send her father a late birthday card (87 today). It was almost closing time. She was last on a queue of about seven people when suddenly a man with a hood on jumped in the door next to her and shouted wildly to the people behind the counter, "Fill this up!" He threw a sack at them and they apparently began loading it with money. The thief, who co-p says was a wild-eyed druggie, was brandishing a Stanley knife right next to her. Another man, a customer, walked in behind him but on realising what was going on, turned and walked out again. At this, co-p calmly stepped to one side, turned and walked out the door herself! The robber didn't appear to notice. She moved down the street and saw the police arrive (the man who'd walked out had called them.) She thought the robber must have been caught in the act, so she left.

But the next morning we read online that the robber had escaped - and it was said that he'd maybe had a gun with him. I convinced co-p that she should ring the number provided - which she did - to tell them it was in fact 'only' a knife. She gave her telephone number but they haven't called her back yet.

Tired after all this excitment (actually, I have a lingering chesty cough), I sent co-p and Olle off to a friend's 40th and stayed home to do a spot of gardening. About an hour ago I stepped out onto our front verandah upstairs to prune the bougainevillea (really!) and noticed smoke billowing down the street. I leaned out and saw some people a few houses up standing out with a telephone - funny how you can immediately tell that someone is ringing the fire brigade. Sure enough, sirens sounded and several huge engines arrived at the top of the street. I stayed on the verandah for five minutes, during which time lots of people from further down the street began to come up to see what was going on. Neighbours were calling out the news to each other. There were "flames", appparently.  I succumbed to curiosity and wandered up to see what had happened. The burnt house was in a side street - it's a house we pass every day walking to school. It belongs to a late middle aged gay man who frequently has opera billowing from his bedroom - today, smoke was billowing from it and all the frames and inside walls were totally black. The man in question was standing with the fire officers (and about 50 onlookers) in the street.

I hope his dog's okay.

Comments

[webfrau]

Life sounds just a little TOO exciting in your neighbourhood. Co-P sounds like she's taking it all in her stride.

[Valerie]

I agree with webfrau -- sounds like too much excitement indeed. I hope things calm down soon!

[Lori]

Isn't it interesting how events like these happen in clusters? Although I struggle to recall now, I think there have been several times where we have had several events occur within a short period of time. Hopefully any other excitement with be a bit more positive.