The vista

Light shimmers on the glassy surface of the pool as a soft breeze glides across the water. On a warm day, it would look inviting, but today it's overcast and the blue sky is hidden by countless shades of grey. Beyond the pool, the meadow is lush and green and the view extends to the tree line, then a small rise lined with towering gum trees and then mauve and hazy in the distance the lines of mountain ranges, fading into obscurity.

A spindly tree stands, ghost-like in the foreground. A lifeless entity in a sea of frantic activity. It's leaves long gone, it's corpse slowly disintegrating under the relentless pressure of the elements, the fungi, the insects - spores and mouths eager to consume the ebbing remnants of the tree's life. One day, gravity will claim it - and with a whoosh, it will crash to the grassy ground below.

Boots rest up against the doorstep - angled to catch the breeze and any shy rays of sun that might peep out from between the clouds. The boots are damp from trekking through the dewy pasture in the field - and are covered it small bits of mown grass - which cling to the brown leather with a stubborn stickiness. Wet socks hang on the glass pool fence - and flies buzz around them in interest.

The timber deck around the pool is worn and sun-damaged and parts of the planks have rotted and been replaced. The wood is warped from being repeatedly wet, then scorched, then wet again. Without maintenance - the entire deck would crumble within the space of a few years.

The deckchair is weathered and grey - matching the timber that it sits upon. The cushion black with white stripes - or is it white with black stripes? Perhaps it is both at once - or neither. The edges of the cushion are worn and frayed and the seat of the chair is splintered and broken. It look uncomfortable.

The water ripples again - fracturing the light apricot reflection of the roses, flickering between light and shadow and light again. The sun is straining against the clouds - and for a few moments, the sky brightens, but then it fades again. It's going to be a grey day.