S03E15
The square outside my window, the crows, the people, the dogs, so many dogs!
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Observing The Square
Three more weeks of lockdown. Are we surprised? Not really. Only murderous fantasists hoped it would have been all over. I have first week in June in the sweepstakes for Londoners, tho I suspect the peripheries may emerge from their homes blinking into the summer sunlight sooner.
We recently moved our dining table into the window of our living room. Now Part office space, part place to sit and enjoy the view. We have a Square outside our window, rare down in these parts in deepest south west London. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to pay the rent required to live here.
With the table move, our observation of the social life of the square has intensified beyond the already high levels of dog surveillance. Right now as I look up from my laptop a teenage girl is practicing a TikTok dance whilst an excitable border terrier looks on with some confusion.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First we must orient ourselves.
Directly outside my window, over the road is the main part of the square. Bounded by a rectangular path, approached from gates to the north, south and east of the square. Two equally sized squares sit either side. To my left is the rose garden of equal size, and is the more wild part of the square. To my right it is a bit more formal with benches in each corner. There is also the tree that blew over 4 or 5 years ago and has grown at an extreme diagonal ever since. The whole square is framed by black iron railings and shrubs of holly and smoke bushes.
Usually, throughout the year, the community brain holds events in the square. Like the food festival, amongst others.
At 12 o’clock as I look across the square from where I sit is the huge Conifer. Bare soil underneath it from the lack of light, compacted from the feet of hundreds of people who have sought shelter from the rain over the years.
The central square in non-lockdown times is also used by the local infant school for sports. There are usually lines in the grass where they run backwards and forwards all year round. But not right now.
At 2 o’clock is the bench known in this house as the stoner bench, and opposite it at 3 o’clock to my right is the Deliveroo riders’ domain. A bench under a tree, out of the rain.
From our vantage point we can classify some of the social animals of the square.
There’s the murder of crows who figuratively and literally rule the roost. They are the true owners of the park. The murder waging a constant and unending war fought on two fronts.
The first with the squirrels, most fat and slow from diving in the bins.
The second with the parakeets from over the way. I have never seen one in the square. Despite living here for 6 years. They sometimes come as close as the apple trees behind our garden in winter, but soon enough very soon a corvid vanguard arrives to remove them from their empire. The crows own this square.
There’s the humans of course. All sorts. The man who sits on the bench in summer with a Sainsbury’s bag for life at his feet. The early morning personal trainers, there’s the runners passing through.
There’s the returning cast of characters who make regular appearances.
We’ve given them names, i’m sure you would too: yoga lady, the guy we call the strong man. There’s the Cool neighbours, skips leg day, the gay dads, mr and mrs stroll and so many more.
In the late evenings in summer, the stoner bench still gets the sun, it’s usually populated by a group of cardinals I’m always convinced are trying to signal the election of a new pope.
Then there are the dogs, so. Many. dogs. The true highlight of the view from the window. They are all good boys listener. You already know this.
Dog Taxonomy
We have our own dog taxonomy: here in this flat.
Firstly there’s the three sizes: Puppers, Doggos and Woofers.
Then there’s the active form:
The Wag Tails, the Zoomers, the Floofs and the Borkers.
Frequently our day will be interrupted by an exclamation from one of us at the window. “Oh my goodness look at that zoomer.” or we’ll hear some borks from the park and one of us will look up and say “I bet that’s the shouty red spaniel.”
Let’s meet some of the locals
- The nice Brindle staffie,
- There’s the wolf hound.
- The pair of angry schnauzers
- There’s many regular floofs. Some are pomms, some are shih tzus and cockapoos.
- There’s the chocolate lab
- Several huskies, and the
- Fox terrier we whose name we know is beryl.
We see most of them every day. I couldn’t tell you what their owner looks like, maybe the color of their raincoat in winter, but we do recognise the dogs. THEY are our neighbours.
Sometimes all work will come to a halt here in our flat. As we both stand to observe a staffie do a little wagtail and be extremely interested in a spaniel or some other floof playing in the park. Will they be friends? Will they go for zoomies? Have a play or not be too keen? The only way is to keep watching and find out.
There are so many other things that have social lives beyond us humans. Whilst you are in lockdown this week, take a look out of the window and try to see what you can see.
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