The view from our little balcony is of roof tops, windows, the the street below and not far away, a large building crane. We have begun to weave stories about the various people we see through their windows or in the street, our neighbours from our view on high.
In the near distance is "M. Grue", the young man who operates the building crane. We have observed his skill and habits with great interest. He is building an apartment within the architectural details of an old convent. He is a young man, well built. We know this because when it was hot, he worked topless! We watch him as he climbs up and down his tower. Some days he is like a mountain goat, leaping up the stairs; others, he climbs wearily, stopping along the way. We worry about him and his mates on those days. One false move and all their lives are in danger. Earlier this week, a large rainbow shone over him as he worked.
Across the street, are two windows with flower boxes and brightly coloured curtains behind the ubiquitous white shutters. "Madame" intrigues us as her shutters open late in the afternoon and close again as evening comes on. She is probably in her forties, with long blond hair, beautiful red fingernails and brightly coloured clothing. David has waved to her and said bonjour but she indicated that she does not speak French. We wonder what job she does and decided it is either a factory job or another type of work that takes place at night--thus her nickname.
Farther in the distance are "Les Gars", two young men who live in an attic with a sky light. When the weather was warmer, they climbed out of the skylight onto their very dodgy deck. It is made of planks, with no railing or protection from falling into the street four stories below. Beside the chimney, they have a barbecue where they cook large quantities of what looks like meat. These are clearly not impoverished students! Even horse meat is expensive!
On the street below, are two restaurants side by side. Judging by the number of customers, one is clearly more successful than the other. We try to psychically urge the potential customers into the latter but clearly our skills need improvement as the tables remain empty. We wonder how they can support six staff on the number of customers they have each week and worry for their future. They work long hours often in their white aprons preparing food before we are really functioning in the morning and then attending to customers long after we are asleep.
And on our side of the street is our fellow tenant, M. Book Sex Shop. The window holds a quite tasteful display of sexy underwear, with a few dildos discreetly placed and a modest sex manual. The commonly held notion of the open-minded French is somewhat destroyed by watching the passersby. Most people slow slightly and quickly glance at the window. Rarely does anyone stop. One older man who appeared to be a grandpa actually covered his young grandson's eyes! We also worry about Olivier who owns the shop as very few people enter. However, as he drives a very superior new motorcycle and a Lexus, we think we have missed something!
We definitely are enjoying witnessing this world beyond our balcony.
In the near distance is "M. Grue", the young man who operates the building crane. We have observed his skill and habits with great interest. He is building an apartment within the architectural details of an old convent. He is a young man, well built. We know this because when it was hot, he worked topless! We watch him as he climbs up and down his tower. Some days he is like a mountain goat, leaping up the stairs; others, he climbs wearily, stopping along the way. We worry about him and his mates on those days. One false move and all their lives are in danger. Earlier this week, a large rainbow shone over him as he worked.
Across the street, are two windows with flower boxes and brightly coloured curtains behind the ubiquitous white shutters. "Madame" intrigues us as her shutters open late in the afternoon and close again as evening comes on. She is probably in her forties, with long blond hair, beautiful red fingernails and brightly coloured clothing. David has waved to her and said bonjour but she indicated that she does not speak French. We wonder what job she does and decided it is either a factory job or another type of work that takes place at night--thus her nickname.
Farther in the distance are "Les Gars", two young men who live in an attic with a sky light. When the weather was warmer, they climbed out of the skylight onto their very dodgy deck. It is made of planks, with no railing or protection from falling into the street four stories below. Beside the chimney, they have a barbecue where they cook large quantities of what looks like meat. These are clearly not impoverished students! Even horse meat is expensive!
On the street below, are two restaurants side by side. Judging by the number of customers, one is clearly more successful than the other. We try to psychically urge the potential customers into the latter but clearly our skills need improvement as the tables remain empty. We wonder how they can support six staff on the number of customers they have each week and worry for their future. They work long hours often in their white aprons preparing food before we are really functioning in the morning and then attending to customers long after we are asleep.And on our side of the street is our fellow tenant, M. Book Sex Shop. The window holds a quite tasteful display of sexy underwear, with a few dildos discreetly placed and a modest sex manual. The commonly held notion of the open-minded French is somewhat destroyed by watching the passersby. Most people slow slightly and quickly glance at the window. Rarely does anyone stop. One older man who appeared to be a grandpa actually covered his young grandson's eyes! We also worry about Olivier who owns the shop as very few people enter. However, as he drives a very superior new motorcycle and a Lexus, we think we have missed something!
We definitely are enjoying witnessing this world beyond our balcony.
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