A Window into My World

Recently, I had my windows cleaned here in London. I had put it off for way too long, imagining all sorts of scenarios about how on earth the cleaners would get all the way to the top floor, and how many £££'s that would cost me. I was very pleasantly surprised when they gave me the quote and it was so reasonable. You know what kind of equipment they hauled up to my house to clean all those windows?  Not a single thing. Instead, two very hardy young men came and raised each window, sat on the outside ledge of each window and cleaned them from the outside by hand. Wow! It was one of the best and cheapest investments I ever made, because I now look out on a whole new clean world, and that's saying a lot in the city of London where grime, not crime, is rampant.

Twenty four windows opening up to the street life around me.

From my bedroom window, I can look to the left down Flood Street towards the Thames River,

or straight down St. Loo's street ahead. Yes, St. Loo--I wondered if he was the saint of toilets, or what, but when I researched it, there was not a single mention of a saint by that name!

Straight out of my bedroom window I see right into the windows across the street. When we first moved in, we were sleeping on air mattresses, waiting on our shipment to arrive, with no coverings on our windows, and we had a fine view of the neighbors across the way. We used to get dressed and undressed in the dark, and then flop down on the air mattresses, and make up soap operas about the people in the flat across from us. The middle-aged man would sit at the window for hours on end working on his computer, and his wife would stick her head in every now and then, and in our story, implore him to turn off the lights and come to bed.

This is the view from my kitchen window. As you can see, the kitchen is below street level, and it's fascinating watching the street activity just above my head, as I go about my chores in the kitchen. Free entertainment, I say!

And then there are the street characters that play a role in our story. I love the street cleaners in London. Jolly chaps, and they do such a great job of tidying up each day.

There's the gentleman who climbs up to the second floor level to check out the gas lamp right outside my window,

And even interesting sorts like this painter who was perched outside the window one day, creating his view of my world.

We wondered about this "critter" we saw hanging from the window for a couple of days.

But my favorite view of all is of the Christ Church school just outside our door where the children happily greet their friends each morning at 9 AM. Nothing like waking up to their sweet voices in the morning.

I'm thinking that there is so much more to share from my window to the world, that I may add to this post in the days to come. What do you see from your window into the world?