2 February 2014

Windows

Weatherwise,  the last week has probably  been the worst one of the winter here in Yorkshire. . Grey skies and plenty of rain. It has been difficult to get out. When working in schools, whole days could go by without me looking out of the classroom window. Of course these days with intercative whiteboards, many modern school rooms have to be permanently shielded from daylight by blinds. Most unhealthy. Sometimes the evening cleaners might say to me, "It's been an awful day" or "Hasn't it been lovely today?" and my response would be, "Has it? I hadn't noticed".

Most of this past week I have looked out at bedraggled birds seeking sustenance in our soggy garden or fellow citizens hurrying by on the footpath with hoods pulled down or umbrellas raised.  But this morning - Saturday - sunshine poured from a cobalt blue sky for two or three hours before the familiar greyness returned.

Naturally, I had to take some pictures. The top one is of the bay window at the front of our little house. You can see our recycling bins and my car parked on the block paving in front of our exclusive residence. Below there's an old friend sitting in a sunny window. It's a cactus that we have parented for almost thirty years now. If I don't twist it around occasionally the prickly cactus fingers will bend over as they reach imperceptibly for the light.The tall one is the mama.
At the back of our house I am looking through the glass above the kitchen door. It is such a sunny morning that the contrast between the shadow cast by our house over the garden and the brightly sunlit houses on a parallel street is quite severe. You might just be able to make out our pet sheep Beau and her cute lamb Peep grazing on the lawn.
 Next to our kitchen door we have a steel board where fridge magnets cluster - souvenirs of places visited. And this is also like a window because each magnet provides memories of somewhere else - a window on the world.

18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I said it was a lovely post YP. Sorry it wasn't anything more intellectual or controversial for you.

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  2. When I was teaching, my day revolved around the weather! Windy, the children were restless, raining meant wet play (horrible!) Snow - not allowed to play out - health and rotten safety!

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    1. Wet play? What were the children doing as the teachers participated in their adult games?

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  3. I enjoyed looking through my "window" here in Massachusetts to out of yours in Yorkshire. What a delightful post to wake up to.

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  4. What a lovely wee peek into Chez Vous.
    And I was delighted to have an old question of mine answered - viz 'Where do baby snuffaluffagusses come from?'. It's obviously a baby snuffy growing on your windowsill.

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    1. Well spotted. She's called Kate after a prickly NZ lady we once met. Do you like her pink pot?

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  5. Well, all here are in agreement. A lovely post, YP. Now if you would just change your profile picture, life would be just about perfect.

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    1. Okay Mr B, I will change it this week - then life will be perfect.
      (Until you see my next avatar!)

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  6. You may have started a trend in window posts out here in blogland - a great idea! Love your front window. We don't have bay windows much here and I think they are very pretty.
    Watch out for that cactus, it'll reach out and grab you as you go past it one day!

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  7. Sorry Helen, our cactus obviously prefers ladies! And I hope our windows were clean enough for you as your Brisbane mansion always looks so spick and span - as if from an Australian style magazine!

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  8. That first photo is so Alan Bennett

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    1. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult.

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  9. Thank you for these glimpses - erm, not into, but out of your daily life. I do have a thing for doors and doorways, and sometimes windows do the trick, too:
    http://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.de/2012/03/doors-doorways.html

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    1. Thanks Arian. I checked out that post. Good one!

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