We’ve officially lived in our new home for a full month now! The nesting urge has slowed down a bit, and days are no longer packed with long lists of things to do, fix or buy for the house. The frantic pace has been replaced by a comfortable sense of settling in, of unhurried discovery, as Marlon and I learn the little quirks of our home and find things about it to enjoy.
One of the things I love about our new home: birds. Yep, birds. In our old apartment, we used to see pigeons, sparrows and the occasional parrot. Here, because we’re near the water, we get seagulls. Lots of them: swooping, flying, hanging out on boats, bobbing up and down in the water.
I know seagulls are supposed to be the rats of the sea or something, but I just love seeing them. Maybe it’s a novelty thing; we don’t have seagulls back home! Fortunately, none of our neighbors seem to see them as pests. So these seagulls never go hungry. Someone always throws out a crust of bread every morning, attracting a huge flock that turns our big picture windows white.
Lately, I’ve had to wake up early to catch up with clients on the other side of the world. Seeing this mass of beating wings and white feathers from my desk somehow makes me feel better about having to start work at the crack of dawn.
Guess who else is obsessed with them?
Aside from the seagulls, we also get ducks, pigeons, swans, a few other birds I can’t name, and one skinny, solitary heron. (Such a change from home and the standard-issue maya!) Birdwatching from my desk has become one of the unexpected simple pleasures of our new home… and I’m looking forward to discovering more.
