Yes, they are, Mi!
The sparrows. Each morning, as I sit on my porcelain throne, I can hear the musical cheep cheep cheep of this sparrow, which am sure, is very close – probably right there in our balcony. I spend a little longer doing what I am doing just so I can enjoy the sounds. In the evening when I walk on the terrace, there are two of them that alternate from the top of one tank to the other and perform the most deightful chirping concert, only interrupted by the caw cawing of crows and the shrill voice of groups of parrots that suddenly exit from that tree that Vidur loves so much and streak across the sky, as if to catch up with the setting sun before it disappears.
Talk about a Twitter contest! Ha ha. Oh yes, the pigeons perch patiently and watch, clumsily flying, fluttering and settling down as if to say it is just not worth the trouble.
As the evening progresses to dusk, the red tiled floor takes on beautiful hues under my feet and I think of the numerous times we’ve walked together on that stretch. We’d then lean across the parapet to peek down at the parking lot, coveting the soaring neem tree that is out of reach from above as well as below; nevertheless, it is a pleasing sight and opens up a flood of memories from a particular phase in Vidur’s childhood when we would watch those devotional movies and he couldn’t wait to get up and sing and dance each time he saw one coming.
As dusk deepens and the sun says goodbye and the moon says hello, kites glide overhead, enjoying themselves. Just as they decide to call it a day, it is time for the bats to make their transit across the darkening skies. Some of them are scary-big with large wingspans and fly low and seem to practically brush past our heads. I swear I feel the wind rush against me as they fly by. Which is really why I prefer to finish my walk before 7 pm when there is still light.
So lucky to have our terrace!
