A Room With a View

One of the things I have loved about the place I’m living in was the view. I have a terrace that runs the full length of the flat which can be accessed from either the kitchen or the living room. Or I can just enjoy the vista from the large windows in both those rooms as well the bathroom. Because this side of the flat faces north there is always a glimpse of the hills beyond; when the weather is clear, the majestic snow-capped Himalayas dominate the skyline – floating above the top of the trees in front! I lose myself in this amazing landscape as I make and drink my morning coffee, and again in the evening while I prepare dinner. When I first arrived, it was hot and humid; the bathroom window was always open and I took great delight in the vista as I showered or cleaned my teeth.

Up until today it’s been a filtered view through a dense stand of trees that were about 30m tall and home to a few dozen eagles or kites: I’m no ornithologist, so have no idea what actual kind of bird they are, but they are large and majestic and often circle around up high without ever flapping their wings. I found them mesmerising.

This morning however, I woke to find that several of the trees had been cut down, and when I returned from work even more clearing had taken place. I have no idea why. Maybe the trees were always being grown for felling. Maybe there are plans for a house or hotel or some other building. I guess time will tell.

But I feel a huge sense of loss.

There’s a saying: “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”. I had often wished that I could see more of the Himalayas: I can’t get enough of them; obvious beauty aside, I can’t reconcile how massive they appear despite being 100s of kms away!

Well now I'll have an almost unobscured view. But it's going to be hard to enjoy it knowing it's come at the loss of the birds.

There are still lots of other trees nearby so I can only hope they’ve found new homes – I saw them circling on the other side of the highway this evening so I’m optimistic that they are doing OK. I’m just going to miss them being my neighbours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtpqYZ_C2yw