![]() ![]() He’s got a girlfriend and sometimes she sits at the window with him. Once, when we were both sitting and sipping tea, I wondered if he was looking at me as I was looking at him, but the distance was too great to know for sure. He’s got a thick head of brown hair, a beard and a moustache, and at least one partial tattoo sleeve. I see him there all the time, and in fact right now he’s sipping tea and reading a book. Instead he reads, or sometimes sits at a desk. Unlike me and Golden Green Thumb he doesn’t stare outside. In the same building as Golden Green Thumb, actually in the flat next door, there’s a guy in his 30s who likes to take breaks at his window. He’s the only one I ever see at his windows. I appreciate his plants: they’re large, leafy and green, the only green I see in all the windows of all the surrounding buildings besides the basil and mint in my own. Golden Green Thumb lives alone or, like me, is the only person in his household curious about what’s going on outside. While I can see other people working in their living rooms, the only other activities I see him engaged in are eating and watering his plants. On nice days he opens one of the bay windows wide and sits on the ledge. His head is nearly bald, he has a round tummy and his favourite t-shirt is a golden yellow. I’d guess he’s in his late 60s or early 70s. ![]() In the building diagonally across from mine, on the opposite side of the main road, is a man who, like me, regularly spends time staring out his window. My flat is on the corner of a building which is itself on the corner of a main road and little dead end street. Here’s a sketch of my neighbourhood: Golden Green Thumb Instead of feeling like I live among strangers, now I can tell you all sorts about what happens in the buildings opposite and catty corner to my own. At sixteen weeks and counting you might think there’d be nothing new to see, but whenever I need a little boost there’s still plenty to help usher my day along. Now all I have to do is raise my head and I have a near panoramic view of the outside. I’d get up and look outside whenever I needed a break or was craving a distraction.Īt the start of week 12 I got a desk, which is where I’m writing this. For the first 11 weeks I worked from the black leather couch in the living room, computer propped on my knees. Window watching has become a major pastime of mine since we’ve had to stay at home. Either that or the pigeon got tired of me and turned its head. The seconds ticked by, and eventually I looked away. I looked at it, it looked back at me, and I thought, Ok pigeon, it’s on. Unlike its friends bobbing their heads and strutting up and down, this guy was content to stay perched on the ledge. Right beside me, on the other side of the window, was a plump pigeon. It happened on one of the many days I found myself sitting at my living room window, watching life outside. I literally challenged a pigeon to a staring contest. If you’re wondering whether I’m speaking metaphorically, about to make some insightful observations related to flight or focus…I’m not. ![]() In the scheme of ‘firsts’ we’ve experienced being in lockdown, I’m willing to bet you haven’t had a staring contest with a pigeon. ![]()
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