Roof With A View
During the sultry afternoon heat, I retire to the roof,
ostensibly to read but, in reality, to drift into reverie.
Armed with a book, today’s “Hindu” newspaper and my laptop computer, I relax.
My morning may have been busy supervising the staff, taking the ferry across to the mainland for a shopping excursion, or visiting one of the many local art galleries.
But come noon, I aspire to avoid the foibles of the Englishman abroad.
Shielded by a colonnaded terracotta roof and bamboo blinds,
Sitting beneath the roof fans, I am protected from the fierce Indian heat,
It is quiet
And shaded
The silence disturbed only by an occasional sea breeze.
But dusk arrives early in the tropics.
By six o’clock it is too dark to read and time for the day staff to go home.
I rise from my planter’s chair as the sun begins to set over the Arabian Sea.
Twilight fades on another day.
A balm for the soul in this crazy old world.
May 7, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Trust me, after a trip to the city or just reading the news, I truly count my blessings!
May 7, 2010 at 3:52 pm
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This has just appeared in my Reader, it has obviously taken its time to get here.
November 30, 2012 at 12:05 am
Its recycling was my unintentional doing.
My last post linked to this much older one, and on revisiting it I noticed the format changes I have made to my blog over the years had led to some peculiarities in this post’s layout. Putting them right must have somehow re-triggered your reader.
November 30, 2012 at 9:22 am
It was good to re-read it.
November 30, 2012 at 10:05 pm
I am looking forward to being able to sit up there again. Once the monsoon and subsequent house-repainting / refurbishing are over, I suddenly have another floor to my house.
I suppose it’s much like rediscovering your garden when Spring starts in England.
December 1, 2012 at 11:28 am