The Terrace Old Scene

Can you imagine looking out from this terrace, you can see the beautiful harbour?

In my childhood, When I first moved into this flat on the mountainside, I always felt that there was coastline under my feet. Next to the ancient Tin Hau Temple in front of our building,  fishing boats will anchor the shore to unload their catches, and the fishermen will leave after a round of clamors at 5 o'clock morning everyday.

Gradually, I don't know from which year or date, from the first stone dropped by excavator for reclamation, the coastline stretches forward, the fishing market becomes a resting place, and the shore becomes a highway around the island.

Probably it was a summer vacation! As the setting sun goes down, the sun always penetrates the only building near the shore and shines the rays directly into the house,I  hide in a little room and listen to the radio broadcasting , a singer was singing  "The sunrise is full of light..."

No air-conditioner at home is a common thing, as long as you eat pear and look down at the passers-by on the street from the railing under the wall,  you would  find it was  very interesting... and then squat down to reading  martial arts novels,  chat and whisper with friends on phone, imagining the beach in the distance under the shadow of the blue sky .

And then and later more : it’s not unusual to have an air conditioner at home! The terrace has become a place where the air-conditioning machine emits exhaust gas and drains. We don't have all kinds of activities on the terrace, but we could make a  depth breath and look at the street view.

Don’t know which was the day. After turning back from west to east, the airport on the other side of the terrace has been moved; when the coastline is no longer visible, there is no longer the only building near the coast; Sunset still set west, the afterglow bursts out from the outline behind the tall building with brilliant and dazzling clouds.  Eagles are hovering, still looking for prey.

At this moment, the plants on the terrace are flourish, and there used to be birds nesting here! ...However, the iron railings of the terrace become rusty  due to disrepair.Removed railings and sealed with aluminum windows, it were used to place the newly conversion heating and cooling air electric machine is a matter of course.

From then on, such bonsai of flowers and plants on the terrace can only become an old scene.

露台舊景

你可以想像從這個露台往外遠眺，就可以看到美麗的海港嗎？

 

小時候，剛搬進這間位於山腰的房間時，總覺得腳底下就是海岸線，大廈正前方的天后古廟旁，每天清晨五點多，漁船就會泊岸卸下漁穫，漁民經過一輪喧囂叫賣後才散去。

漸漸，不知從何年何日，由掘泥機丟下的第一塊填海石開始，海岸線不斷往前伸展，漁市場變成休憩地，岸邊變成了環島高速公路。

大概就是升中的那個暑假吧！夕陽西下，太陽總是穿透近岸唯一的一座大廈，把幅射線直接照進屋內，而我只能躲進板間房內聽著收音機在熱播某位男哥手在不停地唱：「日出光滿天……」

 

家裡沒有冷氣機是一件平常不過的事情，只要吃著雪梨，從牆下的欄杆往下窺看大街上來來去去的途人，就已經覺得很有趣……然後是蹲在花盆邊看武俠小說，背誦考試測驗，和朋友講電話說悄悄話，在藍天白日、晾曬衣服的影子下，想象遠方的沙灘。

然後再然後的是：家裡有冷氣機是一件再平常不過的事情！露台成為冷氣機排放廢氣和排水的地方，我們就少了在露台進行各式活動，不過也少不免在露台吹吹風，望望街景。

不知是那一天，從西到東轉了一圈回來以後，露台對岸的機場已經搬走；當海岸線再也看不到的時候，近岸也再不是只有唯一一座大廈；夕陽依然西下，餘暉從屏風高樓後的輪廓線迸發出燦爛奪目的雲彩……老鷹在盤旋，依舊尋找著擸物。

此時此刻，露台的植物也顯得格外茂盛，曾經有小鳥更在這裡築巢呢！……不過，露台的鐵欄杆卻因為日久失修，都已變成锈鐵，把開放式的欄杆拆掉，改配密封式鋁窗，用來擺放新換上的分體式變頻冷暖空氣的發電機，也就順理成章。

從此以後，如斯的露台花草盆景，也只能成為舊景了。