GIFTS

Excited about the sights and sounds around me, I embrace the landmarks, scenes, crowds and stories where I live.

Most of the roads in my neighborhood are quite wide and surrounded by beautiful houses. The buildings on either side of the road have stunning walls and lawns. There must have been a trend many years ago, as most of the houses have a mini lawn spanning the length of the land, adorned by two or three tall palm trees. At the edge of the mini lawns, you sometimes find tufts of plants that flower throughout the year. Making the neighborhoods colourful and spectacular.

I remember my mother narrating the story about their (my parents) decision making whilst designing our childhood home. She told us many years ago, how they drove around many of the residential areas in the late 60s to savor the beautiful buildings in the city at the time. I remember her sharing how they made a decision of their choice of building, walls and lawns because of what they noticed. She mentioned how the houses they saw were hidden behind large tropical trees with lush grounds. We were intrigued when she recounted their drive around in the evenings, so they were not noticed. Their evening trips were not so fruitful as they could not see much because of the long drives leading to the homes. What they noted though, was the distinctive walls and lawns which they definitely copied.

Our childhood home, I remember, had a raised lawn outside and a half wall decorated with chipped stones. The top of the wall had an interesting metal arrangement. There was a coiffed hedge by the wall, at the side of the house which was full during the rainy season.

Since my mother’s narration, I have consciously taken an interest in the different walls and lawns in any of the residential areas I visit. I have noticed a wide variety of walls and lawns in the residential areas I have visited mainly in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Proud house owners design the most impressive walls and take advantage of the many colourful tropical plants to adorn their surroundings.