An exercise in Observation

8am – The Neighbour

Rainy overcast day, grey clouds.  A lone magpie walks on her front lawn.  Nearby a 'skeletal' tree, a sad reminder of a better time where leaves once flourished; now, there are none.  Pots of varying sizes hang from the lower branches bearing the only semblance of greenery; various cuttings from other plants all now flourish in these pots.

This tree wouldn't be the centre-piece of the lawn as it's closer to the kerb of the driveway that encloses her villa; one of many in this villa complex.  Various other large bushy plants in equally large pots accentuate the pathway that leads from her front gate, across the lawn to meet with the driveway.  The 5 foot tall fence and gate that surround her villa shares the same green colour as the nearby plants.  From visiting her in the past, I've seen the courtyard and backyard filled with potted plants of every conceivable greenery and flowers that are familiar to this region of Australia.

Her place is always kept in pristine condition.  As to whether she does this as an extension of herself or because she's bored; being a retired person in her 70s, one only knows.  I do know that she uses her own tidiness to judge others by, so that few would live up to her standards.

She comes out to dispose of some rubbish in her bin that's positioned by her front gate, then returns back inside with a slam of her screen door.  A light goes on in the toilet and for several minutes, nothing more can be heard or seen.  The silence broken by the lone magpie singing from one of the lower branches of the 'skeleton' tree.  Other species of birds chirrup as they fly overhead and in a nearby villa, a child's whistle can be heard being played by a visiting toddler.  Sprinkling again, so will have to end this observation here.