blue bins in front

6 February 2018
Get up, fumble the button on the tablet screen, to turn it off before it gets loud. Drink from the water bottle beside the bed, go to the bathroom, run the shower until warm, and prepare the razor. A modern  three-fold tri-blade razor.
Shower, the warm water pleasant, the soap slippery. Wash the grey hair, just a drop of shampoo. After shaving, return to the bedroom, put the clothing together. get a new black notebook from the secretary, the old one was full. There is trouble with the plastics wrapper, that will not come off. All things done, go down the stairs and leave the house. The door slams shut, on account of the spring and pushrod mechanism. Then-
look-
there are blue bins in front of all the other houses. Unlock the door again, the  small electronic lock whistling, and drag the big heavy blue bin out. It contains nothing but waste paper, still, it is heavy.
The door slams again, loud in the early morning. The street lights reflect matt in the basalt cobbles, it is a cold day today. In the main street a solitary cyclist rolls over the cobbles, his machine rattling on the uneven surface. He wakes a beeline for the other par at town, the area known as 'Nikola'.
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The truck leaving the Marlis bakery at the town gate speeds up the Theater street with a great roar of revved-up Diesel motor.  Passing this bakers shop at the gate, see the woman inside organising the newly- delivered wares in the displays.


Dolores is in the bus shelter, wish her a good morning. The bog cotton man is standing at the bus stop, wish him a good morning too. The man who feeds the ducks is at the wall to the river is, emptying his plastic bag into the water, throwing bread to the birds that are presumably there. There are no ducks visible today.

 A man comes, a man with a knitted skull up, and a moustache, he sits down beside Dolores in the bus stop and starts to yell at her in a Turkish-sounding language. Then he quietens and they converse.

The bus arrives, allow the others to board first. The driver is a friendly man, he recognises everybody, he takes his money and gives change. Then he drives all his passengers to the railway station. To the first coffee today.