Considering the past

In the spring the upcoming milestone dawns on me, and I pause to consider this site, twenty years old as of June. Out the window the flower sale for the new year is in full swing. The concrete soccer courts of Victoria Park are covered with tents, with stalls, with bins and pots of flowers. They are covered with people, a throng in from all over the territory, from the mainland, hunting flowers and snacks. It’s a busy time, here on the first day of a week-long holiday, at the end of a year. It’s warm for a February in Hong Kong, up to twenty five Celsius, almost calling for shorts. Across the harbor the buildings of Tsim Sha Tsui glint in the late afternoon sun, and the mountains beyond are varying shades of gray in the haze. The air is not clear, but also not bad given the temperature. In a few days visibility should be better, all the factories to the north shut down and the wind blowing. Across the way a helper cleans a mop on the rooftop. Laundry is hanging on a half dozen roofs…