Golden Days

Doe anyone else remember those golden family days you used to have as children-

when you met with sixteen or so cousins in a wild place and strode out into long grass and bush with only your buddies and big sticks to depend on,when a birthday cake was something your mum threw together in crazy, late haste and it was the best cake any of you had ever seen or tasted,
when toddlers ran around eating whatever was given to them,

while everyone watched out for the hungry kookaburras and magpies,
and learnt new games with each other like hockey and soccer and let the little kids play too because in these big family games there were never many rules,
and granddads watched on like wily old cattle dogs, mustering any strays that wondered off on the periphery,
and boys talked about footy heroes and skeletons and mum's camera coming toward them,
when Grandad's soothed tired ones into calm slumbers on their comfortable chests,
when the best aunties were whacky and kind and showed you how to play boulle and told you how cool your dance moves were
and it would all end up at one of the families' houses for a swim and cauldrons of spaghetti and ice cream and sleep overs and dress ups...
and you checked for ticks next day because you were just too tired? I do.