Perec’s Observational Exercise
Date: Monday 27th January 2013 Time: 0930am
Observing the Street: Bolton Town Center
The weather: Set Cold but dry
a few people out
mums pushing buggies
old people pulling shopping trollies
birds singing
The cafes are half empty with people drinking there coffee or tea
the streets are paved and generally clean few patches of snow
there is an old man sat a few feet to my left homeless and smoking a roll up mumbling to himself putting the worlds to right
council worker dressed in bright yellow jacket pulling some bags of salt just seen the gritter out on roads
few cars on roads i can count them on on my hands
all buses running but really empty with 1 or 2 on there
man staring at me wondering what i am writing
a few beautiful woman most are wrapped up hats/scarves on
mum smoking little boy being dragged round shops expression on face unimpressed
pigeon looking for scraps of food
car stopped in street, switches engine off, waiting for someone, man gets out of car makes phone call, starts shouting with other person on the phone, man gets in car revs engine loudly speeds off
business man on phone dressed smartly smiles
middle age man no coat just sweatshirt and SHORTS on CraZZZZZZy doing a scratch card look of disappointment
two old couple having a disagreement each other man points finger in rage
student at burger van order food not even 10am
Asian woman walks behind husband few feet while man i having a conservation with her
Asian man young, hand down trousers spits on floor
Getting colder now few spits of rain
little girl about 2 runs off from mummy, mummy too busy on phone to notice little girl has ran up steps laughing to herself
window cleaner washes windows while looking at the woman
no taxis around in rank
umbrellas going up now raining
mood of people now changed colder/raining
old man struggling to walk with stick and shopping bags
two old ladies best friends/sisters looking smartly dressed hair set blue rinse came out of salon
four students eating Mc Dee’s shouting Hash browns laughing to each other
woman with four kids all under age of 4 struggles to carry shopping as one bag splits all over pavement look of pain and anger rushes to her face
two young woman doing street surveys no one stopping far to told to stop look of disappointment on girls faces
shops getting busy now
two young students handing out flyers and free small pieces of cake to promote a local bakery
Time for a coffee ……….
cues out of door waiting to order coffee had choice of four coffee/eating cafes locals use this one more well know than others
other shops main stream shops M&S, EE, Primart, Game, HMV, Spec savers, a number of banks around
times are hard 4 Empty shops around well know shop closes doors and charity shops sets up
8 charity shops now open
4 pawn shops now open
2 new credit shops open times hard
asian woman dresses in traditional clothes while the husband dresses in western clothes ie: jeans Nike jacket Reebok trainers
middle age woman trying to dress young hair up in pigtail looks like a pinapple (too funny) with a wide knitted flower head band
brightly colored wellies tall ones short ones and even Leopard ones woman in leopard fir coat with matching wellies
two old ladies dressed smartly going into bingo
old man dressed smartly looking like Dr Doolittle had to double take laughing to myself
