I'd completely forgotten what it's like to live somewhere peacefuly quiet and still

Two and a half years of living in the french equivalent to the Gaza strip lobotomises you and makes important parts of you shut down ...

Right now, i've got the windows wide open, i've no music playing, no radio, no television : just the last rays of glorious golden sunshine pouring in and the twittering of birdies to keep me company

Wonderful !

As yet, i've only met one neighbour in my block

Well, 'met' is pushing it a bit really - she held the door open for me one morning .

I just couldn't, for the life of me, make out if she smiled, grimaced or was having a bout of indigestion (which is a bit of downer given that she's my type ...)

However, i do get to hear my neighbours

Notably the fat guy at the end of the block who twangs the same three notes on his guitar, scrapes away at twinkle,twinkle little star on his violin for hours on end or puffs away at the Last Post on his cornet

There's also another couple who are so in love that they holler endearing sweet nothings to each other at nightfall : 'you lazy bastard' and 'you fucking whore' and 'go back to your mother, you heap of shit'

It's all soooooo luvverly and genteel :p