All That Happened at Number 26

All That Happened at Number 26

I'll never forget the first time John and I saw number twenty-six. We just knew it was going to be ours. It was so awful and ugly and repulsive in every way, not to mention the fact that it was located in a suburb I had sworn I'd rather die than live in, that we knew we had a great chance of getting it.

And so Denise Scott moved into number twenty-six, with a husband, his circus equipment, a king-sized futon sans base, a Ventolin inhaler (to cope with stress-induced asthma), no savings and a newborn baby. The husband lost his eyebrows; the circus equipment multiplied; the futon went mouldy; the Ventolin ran out; and another baby was added to the family, putting paid to any ideas of further savings. Forget about future plans, it was enough just to make it through the day.

All lives have their hiccups, though, and All That Happened at Number 26 is no misery memoir.

The life that Denise and her husband John created in their ramshackle house is one of warmth, humour and good old-fashioned ingenuity. When the roof leaked, the kids wore raincoats. When the kids developed eczema, Denise devised a menu consisting entirely of adzuki beans. And when the council dismantled play equipment at the local park, John built a cubby house from the scrap materials - so what if it was sprayed with arsenic? It's not as if the kids were going to lick the walls.

Written with Denise's trademark candour, All That Happened at Number 26 is part memoir, part stand-up and completely beguiling.

Showing exactly what it takes to hold it all together when you want to follow your career dreams, maintain the love in a marriage, bring up kids who will get up off the couch, and look after an ageing parent - all while retaining a healthy sense of self-doubt, this book is a real heart-warmer.

Denise Scott Denise Scott is a well-loved Melbourne-based stand-up comedian, actor and radio and TV personality. Since her start in the business in the early 1980s, Denise has been making people laugh with her blend of personal stories and topical observations. She has appeared regularly on TV shows such as Full Frontal, The Today Show and The Big Gig, was the breakfast host at Melbourne radio station Vega FM for 3 years and is currently a regular on Spicks+Specks (ABC). Denise has been nominated four times for the prestigious Barry Award (Best Show in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival), is about to start writing a play with comedian, Judith Lucy and will embark on a national live comedy tour in 2009.

All That Happened at Number 26
Hardie Grant Books
Author: Denise Scott
Price: $29.95.