Yes in my back yard

The developers must die a little inside each time they see this community garden on Nagytemplom utca. Smack in the middle of the Corvin Sétány development, rumour has it that the boys who own Grund have refused to sell and are sitting pretty on their expansive beer garden, hostel, and hostelry. Right outside is an ample carpark fronted by some wasteland which has rather enterprisingly been turned into a community garden in recent weeks.

Vegetables, flowers, and compost heaps are thriving in the dirt, overshadowed on three sides by expensive-looking new flat complexes. How long, I wonder, before this little oasis in the desert of development has the life squeezed out of it? Each time I walk by, David and Goliath come to mind and I chalk one up to tenaciousness and determination.

Already the walls of the playground of Molnár Ferenc’s Paul Street Boys are being cordoned off lest a falling brick hit the head of a passerby. Neighbours complaining of late-night noise have resulted more roofs and walls being built on the Grund compound. It’s lost some of its charm as a result but hey – that’s the price of doing business in what is fast-becoming a very residential neighbourhood.

For my buck, they have a good grill, a big outdoor screen, and lots of seating, should the urge to watch some more football come upon me this June. Failing that, I can always sit and watch someone’s tomatoes grow.