One of the dangers of living in Mosman (pronounced 'Mossman') is the ease with which you can soon fall into a pattern of good living. Almost without warning you suddenly realise that there is a distinct possibility you will begin to think this is a life without parallel. One way of shaking yourself out of that illusory state is to head for the bus stop at Spit Junction in the early morning and experience the heat and dust of the commuter traffic hurling itself down Military Road towards Cremorne and Neutral Bay and then into the city via the Harbour tunnel or the Bridge. In the afternoon the tide surges back the other way towards the Spit Bridge bottleneck and over to Manly and the Northern Beaches. There are no train services on the north eastern side of the harbour and little prospect of that happening. Most of the development in Sydney spreads westward where some attempt to build new trains tracks is being done. This means that as ever the car is king and there is little sign of that changing in the near future. We use ‘Go Get’ a car sharing service and that works well if you need something for travel further afield.
It's not that all the people here in Mosman on the Lower North Shore don't realise how lucky they are to have the beach, the harbour walks, the heights and some of the best places to shop in Sydney on their door step. Often I meet someone who out of the blue at the bus stop or in the street says something like: "Isn't it a beautiful day and aren't we lucky? How the abundance and the quality gets to the local shopping centre is unlikely to be on their minds however. But everyday I shop in Harris' Farms, Nicholas' Fish, Scoops or even Ritchie's IGA, the sheer range and freshness of the fruit and vegetables as well as the other produce hits those of us seeking refuge from the northern winters. Even the tomatoes have real tomato taste (something you can forget actually exists) and right now it is the season for crates of mangoes offering about six varieties to choose from at dream world prices not to mention the lychees, cherries, blackberries, blueberries and other assorted soft fruits in great supply. In the UK the local shops struggle to survive in a market dominated by the big supermarkets who set the standards for everything and from the local village shop to the valiant farmer's market outlets, they cannot compete seriously when it comes to pricing and often quality. I only notice that when I came to Sydney where Coles and Woolies do not have quite the same influence.
This is why while here we shop fresh everyday the fabulous produce and thank our lucky stars to be here. Wish you could all enjoy it too is said with genuine feeling!
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