The Allure of People Watching

I work from home so naturally I spend the occasional moment looking out of the window. It's great for my eyes (see my last post!) because we all need a break from screens. But being here in this flat on the top floor gives me a great vantage point of my neighbours and surroundings. 7 days a week I have the time to peer out of the window, let the sunlight hit the back of my eyes and observe the ever-changing environs.

I'm not much of a nature person - I like animals but plants and trees don't really do it for me. It's always interesting to note changes in weather, watch the clouds float across the sky and the wind swirls up the vegetation. My favourite is thunderstorms, seeing the almighty power of the lightning as it flashes just outside the window and momentarily lights up the night sky. And then the rain belts down, causing streams down the road which carry the detritus discarded carelessly and puddles to collect around the drains which get ever larger with time. All this knowing I'm safe indoors behind glass and no wind or rain or lightning can get me.

Yet by far the most interesting thing to observe is people. The old man across the street with some form of disability who, every day without fail, slowly opens the front door of his block and rolls out in his wheelchair, stopping under the canopy for a short while presumably to catch his breath. I turn my head back to my laptop and continue to work, and when I next glance out of the window to my right he's still there, only he's wheeled forward a metre or two. He's wearing a sleeveless vest and shorts, the same as always but understandable given the regularly warm temperatures here. He might, though, find some other garments now that autumn is beginning to show its presence. A bit later on he will push himself with extreme effort a short way down the pavement stopping whilst he is still in sight from my window. There seems no purpose to this recurring groundhog day-style venture. Fresh air, a change of scenery and a bit of physical effort for the arms I suppose.

I prefer him by far to the youths who hang around in groups of five or six just round from corner from where I can see. I can, however, hear them more than I see them until their arrival outside is heralded by the whining scooters or the over-revving dirt bikes. I call them youths but they are probably of a similar age to me, late twenties or so. They clearly don't work as their bikes whizz by both day and night at all times. You wonder where they get the money for their toys and the fuel. I guess they save on helmets, gloves and other protective equipment so that no doubt helps keep the cost down. And don't get me started on benefits. They might be a nuisance on hot summer nights when you need the window open to sleep, but it's better that they ride around on their bikes and quads than do a lot worse.

People watching is a fascinating activity in itself and one that's great for whiling away time. Just so long as I'm behind the glass looking out and not the one being observed.