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.
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.
This is a wonderful life, Annie. MY childhood was much the same, tons of cousins and crazy aunts and lots of good food. sigh.
ReplyDeleteDeb: You've got to love those whacky aunts!
ReplyDeleteI was obviously in a family on another planet.
ReplyDeleteNever scored a birthday cake or a party in my life.
But, whatto!
Must be why I'm not too enamoured of cake,biscuits or chocolate but have graduated to the very dry martini with Bombay sapphire and a waft of extra dry vermouth plus a twist of lime.
A bit short of grandparents back then as well.
Someone's big 9 though, looks tremendous fun.
DMC: It was a niece from Sydney and she had a ball with all the cousins. Your kind of birthday treat sounds just the ticket for a tired aunty staggering home with a twitch developing in the left eye! Enough naturing and nurturing I say! Back to school!
ReplyDeleteYour kids are so fortunate, makes me homesick.
ReplyDeleteWell, I never had whacky aunts! In fact, my children don't have any either.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to borrow yours. Though I'm thinking I might crack-out the boulles today.
Julie: Excuse me. Are you not the mother of the children living the Samoan idyll? Fortunate is in the eye of the beholder!
ReplyDeleteMMMC: We ARE the whacky aunts! I think you should ask your nieces and nephews if they have one.
Love your Dad and love the dressups! Geez, how did those kids multiply so quickly???!?!!!
ReplyDeleteAnna: He is indeed a gem of a man! Do you recognise the gold wizard jacket made for a 5 year old wizard party some years ago? Like yellow le Specs, some dress ups just never say never! By the way who said that were dress ups? That could well be the contents of my laundry basket.
ReplyDelete