You told me about your towns
Hello. Haarlem Shuffle will return properly in September. Back in June I asked you to tell me about your town, and some of you were nice enough to comply. Here are a few of those observations, shared with permission.
Givatayim means “two hills”. Coming home from work by bicycle I climb at least three so I believe it’s misnamed.
I live in Vancouver (BC) - an American (married to a Canadian) who used the pandemic as an excuse to escape the increasingly disenchanting experience of living in the U.S., and raise our two kids in a place where they won't be running active shooter drills in kindergarten.
I live in the South of the city, where it's a five minute walk down the road, across a road and down a path between tennis courts, through the stunning rose garden (lots of small birds and squirrels) to the seafront, the rocky beach and a view out over the Solent of the sea forts and the Isle of Wight with all the tankers, ferries, sailing boats and the world's only commercial hovercraft service.
I live in a room with a window that looks out into a courtyard, and two nights ago there was a loud THUMP and BANG and a long whiny cry of something that I could only describe as a drunk seagull. It made a couple more drunk/horny sounds and went quiet.
Yesterday, my husband rang me from upstairs telling me to look out the window onto our street… Ten minutes later a police van pulled up outside one of our neighbour’s houses. My husband asked them what had happened. Apparently two local gangs were charging round with knives and a machete.
I was drinking local IPA by the river this evening and took this photo since I thought the view is beautiful. It might really be so or it might just be the beer.
Every morning, a different flock of cockatoos (Carnaby’s, Red Tailed, galahs, corellas) perches precariously on the heaving branches like massive, feathered and always screaming Christmas baubles. It’s the best.
Hong Kong Observatory says "Waterspout reported at Cheung Chau".
When is weather ever not a metaphor?
… I see all the spiral staircases of my neighbors and mine, the facades of old and red bricks. My cat sneaking through one of my neighbors' terraces (everything is fine as long as they don't notice).Even better, I can hear the children playing in Clara-Zetkin Park.
Thanks again. See you all soon.