THE COLOURFUL PLUMAGE

Sad to say, Auntie With The Pistachio Ice Cream Coloured Hat is no more. No, she hasn't died, she's changed her hat. Similar design, but a far different hue. Auntie With The Light Tan Or Off White Coloured Hat doesn't sound so good.
It's harder to roll off the tongue.


光棕褐色或白色嘅帽阿姨


Interestingly, light tan, pale grey, sepia, and dull white are the same colour: palm tree (棕) and coarse wool (褐). Sort of essence of 'preppie'.

She still looks dashing. In a short elderly forest creature way.

['gwong jong-hot sik waak paak sik ge mou ah-yi']


I should have expected changes, I guess. When I first noticed her she would tromp up and down the block for about ten minutes as exercise, only going halfway down before reversing, mid-March. By the end of April she went three quarters down. July 1st. she got to the end of the block, and proceeded across the intersection. She now ventures much further afield regularly, and I expect that pretty soon she'll head up the opposite slope toward the park at the top of that hill. Courage, determination, and stronger legs.
I'm starting to envy her.


Fewer joggers and dog walkers means healthier old ladies.

We greet each other whenever we meet in the early morning, when I'm taking a constitutional with a pipe and she's doing her walk. The neighborly thing. She knows I speak Cantonese, albeit badly, so any exchange is in "home town speech". Or at least I assume so, seeing as for all I know she's Toishanese, and Cantonese is just an easy lingua franca for her.

My first walk was nearly an hour ago. Now drinking my second cup of coffee, planning to head out for a stroll with another pipe after doing some work on the computer. Then to Chinatown to visit my bank and buy stuff. I'm surprised I've never run into her there, as the nearest shops with interesting vegetables and fresh fish are down on Stockton Street. Now that she's not wearing so distinctive a chapeau, I might not recognize her if I did.
These masks are problematic in that regard.


It is by distinctive feathers that people recognize each other.

TOBACCO INDEX


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