Friday, May 10, 2013

Hot Town - Summer in the city

Good morning everyone :)

As most of you know I'm a city girl ( soon to be not but for now I still am ) I don't have a massive " spread "
in my backyard with a pool and a gazebo and a deck
I don't have a creek - or a forest within reach
What I have and what most of us city slickers have, are balconies.

Montreal is pretty famous for it's balconies - in the 70's Canadian Playwright DAVID FENNARIO produced a play called Balconville - and since that time, the standard reply for Montrealers who are asked what they're going to do this weekend is - " I'm going to hang around balconville "

Some are charming


some are weathered


some are tiny


some are multi layered


a lot of them are built over garages - or parking pads to optimize space


some are painted pretty colors


some belong on Gingerbread Houses


some resemble Manhattan fire escapes


some are added on top of extensions


some sit on top of garages


some are built to create much needed storage space underneath


some are in the process of being redone completely


some offer "standing room only"


some are hidden on roof tops


some are a mishmash of the original wrought iron and newer wood and chippy paint


All of them bring back warm memories for this city girl who can still remember placing a blanket or sheet
across them and having an instant playhouse.

Hot Town - Summer in the city - when you hear chatter and dishes clinking and laughter and music playing out of each open door and if you're really lucky - the sound of a lone saxaphone that some child is struggling with.

Now I know this is not for everyone - and I'm sure there's a lot to be said about listening to crickets - but because I've never known anything else - this is the melody of my life - and one I think will always be music
to my ears...............



I may or may not be sitting on my balcony with a glass of wine this evening......................
( cause at night it's a different world )

Sharing with
The Charm of Home                                   French Country Cottage                         My Romantic Home

25 comments:

  1. Is the back of your neck feeling dirty and gritty? (I can do it too!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the tour around - makes me want to hang around balconville too!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post, Suzan! And although the sounds I hear in the country are of flies, mosquitoes, tree frogs, and robins, I would love to visit the city and hear the sounds of neighbors as you describe. The rooftop balcony reminds me of a movie I once saw, Green Card. Haven't thought of that for years and suddenly it popped into my mind. ANYway, hope you have a nice weekend. Thanks for the tune that's now in my head. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cute post, Suzan. That's how I like to imagine city life...not the sirens and screaming traffic noise. I think you will miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah summer in the city...sounds charming - really. I've always been in in between world out in the suburbs unless we were visiting grandparents. We get some of the city sounds in our backyard. I'm looking forward to farm sounds when we finally move.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've experienced the sounds of the city as well as the deepest darkest night skies of the country. Each has its own sense of awe, each can give you a sense of great wonder to be part of the world and each has its own sound. I came from a small town, my favourite was sitting on the porch, listening to my parents talking, enjoying relief from a cooler evening breeze at the end of a hot day as the neighbourhood slowly headed to bed. Thanks for evoking those memories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well that sounds enchanting too!!!
      ( you forgot to mention the curtains slightly swaying in the evening breeze - that's how my mind works LOL )
      XOX

      Delete
  7. melody of life, thats just so beautiful, such a wonderful heart felt post, I lived 40 some years of my 50 some years in the country, now I'm the city person with only a balcony, I love it as well, its different but I love it,

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for this beautiful post Suzan!! I've been in Montreal and I've seen those beautiful balconys that you show here, and I know the sounds of the city....
    My english it's very bad, sorry, jejeje....but I love Montreal, I love Canadá!!
    Thank you so much!!
    XoX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your English is EXCELLENT Luna!!!
      Thanks for coming by!
      XOX

      Delete
  9. How very cool that you're enjoying the same type of space now that you enjoyed as a child, albeit in a very different, but still fun way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop...
    I bought an old black iron balcony off Craigslist a couple of years ago. It was from an old apartment building. It weighs about 700 pounds (seriously). I thought about attaching it to my house or garage but I think it would tip either one of them over. I put a wooden top on it for now and use it as my potting bench.
    I have lived in the country, I have lived in the city (Chicago), I prefer the city, because the country is a lot of lawn work. This very moment, my house is in a small city and I have enclosed the tiny backyard in a 6-foot fence, so it's like... an enormous balcony? that you can plant flowers in/on. I can still hear neighbors, but my probability of being attacked by a bear is minimal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The balconies are really interesting, and the many different interpretations. My favorites are the first one, and the gray balconies on the brick house, because it looks like a tree house! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love those balconies, best place to hang out in the city. Reminds me of the Friends show.
    Happy Mom's weekend

    ReplyDelete
  13. I enjoyed the pictures very much. I used to be a city girl as well and I lived in four different flats before I bought the cottage. My number one criteria was to have a balcony! I could not live without a little "outdoor space" of my own. Have a nice evening on your balcony and be careful with the wine!

    ReplyDelete
  14. All those balconies are beautiful! I'm a country girl, but have always thought I would enjoy city life as well...:) I love visiting my daughter in the city! Enjoy a glass of wine for me as well...:)

    Blessings, Vicky
    Life On Willie Mae Lane

    ReplyDelete
  15. Come on come and dance all night.

    Just don't spill the wine. OH that's a different song!

    Bliss

    ReplyDelete
  16. These photos are beautiful! I had no idea Montreal was known for their balconies. I actually didn't realize how many different kinds of balconies there were until I saw this!

    FYI: I'm visiting from the blog hop. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. One of the most charming things about Montreal are all the duplexes with their wrought iron balconies and stairs - always loved looking at them as I sat in the taxi from the airport to my head office in Longeueil.

    Happy Mother's Day, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was going to mention the wrought iron - except I took these all in the perimeter of 2 streets next to me lol -
      XOX

      Delete
  18. I love both scenarios. I love the city scene and the sounds that come with that and I equally love the sounds of the frogs mating in the pond in front of our house. I work in one and live in the other. It is a great mix.

    ReplyDelete
  19. How fun to see all of those balconies. Wish I was having a glass of wine with you! I think I would miss the sound of my frogs and owls at night and the occasional coyote howl!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'd party with you on one of those balconies! Any excuse lol

    ReplyDelete
  21. I want a balcony! But I guess I'd better get a second floor first. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  22. That's my childhood! Sitting on the balcony, on a hot summer evening, eating a popsicle that cost 5 cents, watching people stroll by... Ours was wood, but all around us were the wrought iron balconies and staircases. Good times... Thanks for the memories, Suzan!

    ReplyDelete

Due to a large amount of spam ( that I'm tired of going back to posts and deleting ) I'll be using comment moderation from now on !!!
Can I beat these spammers at their own game? Probably not - but I'm going
to try my damnedest !!!
xoxo