slip of the eye

Often when wandering around the streets I'll suddenly notice something new and strange/recently-repainted-looking/called something different to what I remember. If I mention it to someone they will usually inform me that it's been there/that colour/called that for several years. Shop-type-things are the main culprit, particularly restaurants and takes-aways which often have a short shelf-life.

Seeing as residents of the city like these bus-passengers (though evidently not 42) often almost-deliberately ignore things like the castle I wonder how long it would take us to notice a new extra building if it appeared overnight, an extra flagpole or even just different-coloured lights?

When I'm on a bus I might not always gawp out of the window at the passing scenery quite as much as I do on aeroplanes but I'd probably at least be looking out at the people shopping even if I didn't look at the castle for the entire length of the journey along Princes Street. It wasn't until I'd been wandering around the esplanade for five minutes yesterday evening that I noticed how spacious it felt with all the summer-festival-seating finally gone. I say "finally" but it might well have been gone for at least a month already without grabbing my attention despite walking past it twice a day at the very least. Given the extended stay the tattoo-seating enjoys it does start to look like part of the scene after a while, much like the nice green coating the Scott Monument had for at least six out of my first seven years living here.

Seeing as more and more bus-vehicles these days seem to have these fixed-route-designation decorations they could probably stick some informations inside detailing points of interest on the route for passengers bored of their Metro or their seat-neighbour's tinny mp3-residue. Tour buses could likewise interject the "and on your left is the castle" with some "and on your right there's someone who's just dropped their mobile in a big puddle".