The loungeroom was the second room off the hallway that led from the front door. The entry into it was via a space the size of double doors except that there were no doors attached. Travelling around the room, the piano stood along the right hand wall to the side of this door.

Until we purchased a television, unless we had guests, the piano was the focal point of the room. We rarely used it otherwise. My mother played the piano and my brother and I would often be found on either side of her as she played songs like It’s a long way to Tipperary, Camptown Races, Clemintina and other early, songs from musicals and war songs. Our favourite song was an old war song about a fish. “Two little fishes and a mummy fishy too, swam and they swam all over the dam. Boom boom didums and a wanum choo, Boom, boom didums and a wannum choo, and they swam and they swam all over the dam”.

After the piano another set of double doors, again without the doors, led into the dining room. One chair from the three-piece tapestry covered lounge then a double corrugated, opaque glass door opened to the big back porch. Along the back wall under the window was the three seater lounge of the suite. It had dark wooden arms polished to such a high sheen that it had mirror like  qualities. Beside it stood a cream painted wrought iron standard lamp. At lounge height, on the lamp upright, a round glass table held a small beaten copper and wood wheelbarrow shaped ashtray constructed by the grandfather I never met, as he died the year my elder brother was born. The conical cream lamp shade decorated at both the top and bottom with a twist of cream and red velvet material hid the light globe from sight.

Along the left hand wall after this light were another pair of doors leading out to the small back porch, then a brick fireplace which, in the eight years we lived there, never saw a fire. For heating we used a Dimplex column oil heater which had come to Australia with us from our year living in America. It was a wonderful heater which,  before having our bath, we would heat our pyjamas so they were warm when we finally put them on. The other armchair of the set lived in the corner between the fireplace and the hall wall until we purchased our first television in 1966 and it took this place.