Friday 7 July
hot dry and sunny
early morning
cycle to Pont-Sainte-Maxence
bob along
behind H in a yellow hat
down country lanes
sandy alleys
alongside heavy lorries
…its been a few decades
since I’ve done this
it’s quite far
15km
I get
tomates rose and pêche plate
from the market
pink umbrellas shield
pale melons
nestling in magenta tissue
we enjoy coffee and croissants
before we head back
legs ache, sun is hot
the afternoon drifts
make phone calls
touch base with home
answer emails
write, talk, think
but mostly
stare out of the windows
with their superior and vertical proportions
the long french fenêtres,
…according to Perret
‘reproduce an impression of complete space’
in other words
you can see at once street, garden and sky
this is true I can see
fore, mid and back ground
Le Corb on the other hand
preferred his windows horizontal
the gaze is lead far away …..
allowing us to dominate what we see
….anyway
there is no urgency to the day
so it wafts by on hot air
