Will the Queen return to Queen Street?

I love my parents. And I love them most of all when they are safely ensconced in Bowral; pruning roses and planning Bridge sessions with their neighbours. They moved to the sunny Southern Highlands in 2007 after selling the family pile in Bellevue Hill. They trotted off with nary a backward glance to a stone cottage with charm and woodworm and with plans to build a drought resistant garden and reduce their golfing handicap to single figures. It was a little sad to see them go but in return Josh and I got our Sundays back (my mother insisted on a family roast every week where my brother always brought a hangover) and a country idyll to visit once a month where Alex could see beef on cattle and not in Coles, and could eat strawberries straight from the garden, not the punnet.

Three years later and mum and dad both play off nine. They won the Best New Native Garden category from their local Rotary club. They are driving each other crazy. My mission as Open For Inspection Girl this week is to find a snug house in Paddington or Woollahra for my parents to have as their Sydney bolt-hole; a place to enjoy the bright lights, big city whenever they need to escape all that serenity.

I leafed through this week's The Wentworth Courier and I have found two perfect possibilities. Both properties are with Di Jones Real Estate and they are both for sale. That is a great relief for my parents (and me). They sold their harbour-glimpses home via auction through Gary Sands and Jane Schumann and though they were very happy with the result, the auction process stressed them a little. By a little I mean that dad crashed his car on the way to the auction and mum burst into tears when the bidding passed the reserve. By the end of the night I needed a G & T or three. So the idea of a nice, quiet purchase holds appeal.

I called Kim Jones to arrange an inspection of 126 Jersey Road, Paddington. The property would be perfect for mum and dad because it is so low maintenance. It is luxurious, modern and filled with light, a perfect antidote for all the chintz and timber of their Bowral home. There's not a skerrick to do and the location is within a breath from Buzo, my favourite restaurant in the world (where Josh and I just celebrated our anniversary) and only seconds from Queen Street, my mother's favourite street in the world. Mum's most treasured village is Woollahra. That the house at 126 Jersey Road has three bedrooms (and is perfect for babysitting Alex) is an added bonus, I must admit...

I know mum would love it and I arranged with Kim for mum to have an inspection later this week, when she's up to see her therapists (her retail therapist David Jones before her beauty therapist, nail therapist and her psychotherapist, a busy day indeed!).

The second house was perfect for Dad. He loves traditional architecture and the Georgian facade on the house at 4 Holdsworth Street had "Murray Smythson" stamped all over it. Susannah Anderson and Louise Snowden from Di Jones let me linger for a moment or two after the Open for Inspection ended (I was late because of Alex's Saturday soccer match at Queen's Park) and in the silence I could almost see Dad's tweed jacket hanging up in the walk-in closet just outside the master bedroom.  The house is literally one shop length away from Queen Street itself where mum and dad love the energy of village life. 

Both houses would work a treat for my parents; being bandbox neat and ready to move into. And knowing the prices is an added plus. Mum has a bigger decision to make later this week than whether to choose Fire Engine Red or Plush Persimmon for her appointment with her nail therapist. It looks like family roasts might again figure in Josh, Alex and my weekend plans.  Though because of Bowral, it won't be every week. My lucky, lucky parents. It looks like, if they choose one of these two lovely homes, that they actually can have the best of both worlds!