Why can’t we have nice things?

In mid-December, the Green Way - a 6km car-free nature corridor through Sydney’s Inner West - opened to great acclaim. 

Three months later, people hate it. Or rather, the residents of Weston Street in Dulwich Hill do, with one claiming they face “a Herculean tsunami of a community-wide mental health crisis” from cyclists, strollers, joggers and dogs using the road to connect the north and south sections of the Green Way.

Now, The Cave would never judge people’s right to have a good moan, especially about yapping dogs and running clubs. But this does seem to be a fly in the ointment of a rare win for something genuinely good. 

It’s the latest example of why we can’t have nice things.

Iconic Glebe cafe Badde Mannors has finally found new owners, but a name change (albeit to the unimaginative Goode Mannors) and the introduction of meat to the menu will fundamentally alter a Sydney institution.

Speaking of Sydney institutions, Freda’s recently announced the end of its partnership with The Abercrombie Hotel after less than a year, having previously been kicked out of their Taylor Square digs in favour of yet another AP Bakery contrivance.

Even the most sacred of baked treats - the hot cross bun - has been desecrated. Forget the widely shared Doritos collab, chocolate alone is enough to ruin the highlight of that long Christmas to Easter stretch.   

In the context of so much disappointment, you can’t help but develop a soft spot for those who find joy. 

Which brings us to a bloke from Devizes in the UK, who set himself the unusual challenge of parking in every space at his local supermarket. It took him two years and a complex spreadsheet, but he recently completed his strange personal mission. Maybe we can have nice things after all.