Twilight bowls

Greens’ homeowners hit the jack at twilight

BOWLS AT DUSK PROVES POPULAR

Karl Adam, Halcyon Greens

Keen golfers Karl and Heike Adam thought taking up lawn bowls might be a great way to learn a new sport, while also meeting a new group of people at Halcyon Greens.

“We had never played it before, but we decided to give a go before Christmas last year,” Karl said. “We were enjoying playing with a group of beginners and decided that we wanted to improve. Karl said they had been playing with the Halcyon supplied bowls, but went and bought their own set of bowls, which gives them more consistency in their game. “We thought that our golfing days may come to an end, so we really wanted another sport we could get involved with,” he said. Karl said the SaturdayTwilight sessions were a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. “They’re a great group of people to mix with and it’s nice to have a different group of friends outside of the golfers,” he said. “We look forward to getting better and spending more time on the green.” BEGINNER BOWLERS FIND FUN AND FRIENDSHIP

An enthusiastic group of experienced and new lawn bowlers are enjoying the warmer weather as Saturday evening twilight bowls under the floodlights at Halcyon Greens becomes a popular attraction.

Club president Norm Hockey said it was an entirely different atmosphere playing in the evening. “First and foremost, you’re out of the heat,” Norm said. “And it’s very sociable, we have a BBQ and drinks afterwards. “It’s much more sociable than playing in the morning because by the time you finish, it’s hot and it’s too early for the bar so you have a cup of tea and go home.” Norm said the club had grown rapidly from inception to more than 110 members in just a few months. “We’ve been running competitions and we organise excursions to different clubs,” he said. “It’s proved quite popular and I think our numbers will grow even more.”

Norm Hockey, Halcyon Greens

Tanya Gilbert, Halcyon Rise

Your home gallery

MEET THE HALCYON TEAM TRANSFORMING HOUSES INTO HOMES

Buying a house follows a logical process, turning that house into a home, however, is an intensely personal experience. Guiding new Halcyon homeowners through what can sometimes feel a daunting task is a team of Home Specialists with the empathy and know-how to turn solid and sturdy houses into warm and welcoming homes. Halcyon’s Your Home Gallery is a one-stop-shop for homebuyers to experience the range of highquality inclusions and additions that are part of Halcyon’s signature specifications and select the colours, fixtures and finishes that will put a personal stamp on their new home. Senior Home Specialist Tanya Gilbert says it is a privilege to be trusted with turning a house into a home and an immense reward to see everything come together.

“We look after our homeowners all the way through the process, from buying their home to the first day they move in,” Tanya said. “Once homeowners have chosen their colours and fittings and any modifications and additions, we keep them updated with photos and accompany them on walk-through visits while their home is being constructed.” Your Home Gallery and Home Specialist services are currently available on all new homes being built. Homeowners can add their personal touches through the selection of exterior paint colour, internal colour schemes, flooring options, light fittings, cabinetry and fixtures. They can also modify their new home’s interior flow and functionality with a range of pre-designed upgrades. “Depending on their house design and layout, homeowners can relocate or add extra power points, they can convert a walk-in linen closet to a walk-in pantry or a walk-in pantry to a butler’s pantry. They can change the bathroom layout, convert multipurpose rooms into dedicated media rooms and extend garages for extra storage,” Tanya said. With so much choice, it is natural for some homeowners to feel a little overwhelmed. This is where Home Specialists can gently guide the process with understanding and skill. “We often walk through existing display homes,” she said. “We even have homeowners willing to allow buyers into see the design decisions they’ve made.” “We usually ask them what they don’t like first and eliminate that so we can narrow down the selection process.” Tanya said they work from the outside of the house in, having them select the exterior paint first. “There are four colours with light and dark options, so it’s a good place to start – then gently guide them through the interior selections,” she said.

Each interior scheme comes with the option of a Soft or Bold emphasis.

Coastal: A beachy feel with cool colour accents, such as mint green, and light timber features.

Rainforest: A rich, warm palette including olive and forest greens, with dark timber highlights. Urban: A modern, contemporary aesthetic with industrial stylings including a monochromatic palette. Country: A warm, homey palette of soft colours, such as grey and honey, with timber finishes.

Cruel summer

Words by Geoff Shearer

A stalwart journalist for News Ltd for 20 years and a former TV Week Features Editor, Geoff Shearer is one the country’s most admired arts and entertainment writers. He’s taken a step into semi-retirement to concentrate on his fiction writing, while relishing the chance to share his unique take on life with My Halcyon Days’ readers.

AHHHH summer, what sweet recall is served upon thy golden rays.

It really does seem a season for reflecting, particularly after the year we’ve all had! But there is one reflection I am desperately keen to see much less of poolside – the eyesore that are colloquially known as DTs. Please I beg of you, of all men, to return to wearing those charming chap-friendly swimming apparel known as trunks.

Even since Tony Abbott primed his ministerial portfolio in bright red “scungies”, I’ve never been comfortable passing the budgerigar cages in Pet Barn. And the alternative “boardies” have plenty of room for a cockatoo or twelve, but I’ve never mastered entry to a pool without them inflating like some sort of emergency slide from an airplane. The resulting bubbles are colossal. And loud. People stare and point like you’re Sir Lancelot stuck on the side of the road changing a tyre – Flatyou-Lance? Flatulence? Oh never mind. My point is we need some decorum around our swimwear. And trunks are the answer. Remember when they were trendy? Well, not really since the 1910s, I suppose. But anyway, it’s time to look to the past to preserve our modesty. Summer’s always about reminiscing. And not just about what we wore to the pool. It is about where we spent summer holidays as a kid; the Christmases and cricket matches and castles in the sand. Even the songs were all about looking back at fun in the sun, and summer loves. Don Henley reckoned he was a better catch than those boys of summer; Richard Marx’s summer nights were endless; Bananarama thought it cruel that summer was gone. The Motels suddenly remembered they’d forgotten last summer; Alice Cooper was just glad to be out of school; Bryan Adam’s favourite summer was the summer of ’69; and good ol’ Olivia Newton John thought summer days were for drifting away, but, oh oh, how damn fine were those summer niiiiiiiiiiiiiights. If only her Danny, of course, ditched the DTs and packed a pair of trunks for the beach.