Imagine my excitement on Friday morning as I set off for work. There outside HedgeRowHouse, was Doris, a sprightly grey-haired woman in her late seventies, putting a wack of clothes on the hedge. I've been wondering for a while about the occupants of HRH. I took the opportunity to introduce myself and the following exchange ensued.
Me: So..
Doris: YES! These items are FREE. Look at the label.
Doris pointed at the piece of paper attached to a sweater. I detected an accent, and with a wild guess, placed Doris somewhere in Europe, likely Yugoslavia. But Doris is the selected name, so that's staying.
Me: Where do these clothes come from?
Doris: Well my friend out in Blogsville is getting rid of stuff and she always brings things to me. People give me lots of stuff.
Me: So people expect you to put your give-away items on the hedge?
Doris: Oh yes, they do. Some folks ask me when I'm going to put more stuff. It always goes very fast.
Doris is obviously very proud of her hedge giveaways.
Me: I liked the red tent you put up there the other week?
Doris: Me too, people liked that.
Me: How long have you been doing this? The hedge dressing?
Doris: Since 1974. They all know me in this neighbourhood.
I looked at the blue sky - not a cloud in the sky.
Me: So you reckon it won't rain on your hedge today?
Doris: Oh no. Beautiful day.
After a few more minutes, I left Doris and walked to the blogtrain. As I ascended the steps to the platform, I could see her spreading multi-coloured clothes all over the rest of the hedge. Later that day as the rain clouds drenched the city, I wondered about the hedge. It was one of the wettest days last week. When I returned home later that evening, clearly Doris's fan club had been out, as all the items on the hedge had disappeared.
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