In childhood summers, my sister nymphs and I would walk down a hill of figs, lemons and prickly pears to reach a pebbly cove carved in cheddary stone. There we'd swim and dive - first head first then bum first, until we can no longer resist the call of crusty bread smeared with tomatoes and dripping with oil. By then the sun would have reached its zenith and we'd lie down on the pebbly ochre sand trying to blot out the sky's endless blue and the cicada's endless buzz. A sister or a fly, or maybe the pebbles reaching my ribs, would finally chase me out of my slumber and into the silvery blue water again. When the sun would start to slide behind the hill tops we'd put back on sandy sandals and climb the hill back home. . . .
Fast forward some thirty years to the summer of my autumn days. Because of the intense humid heat, I try going out only before ten in the morning or after five in the afternoon. If it can be delivered, i won't go get it. Despite being in the house, the sun still pursues me. In the morning, the sun's rays pierce the wooden shutters of the front rooms si I seek shelter at the back of the house - in the kitchen, dining room or garden, where the coolness of the night would be lingering.
Immediately after lunch it's time to barricade the back -- unfurl the bamboo curtains on the outside and draw the inside curtains. As the sun reaches its zenith it manages to infiltrate the back of the house - so I migrate to the front, to the sitting room or the bedroom. There i try to blot out sun and sweat while i watch Candice Olson creating a divine dining room design. When the sun starts to slide behind the hill tops i can dismantle the barricade - the olive sitting room shutters are opened, the dining room and kitchen bamboom curtains are rolled up. And i can finally drive down the hairpin hill road leading to the cheddary cove.
As another summer of my autumn years comes to an end i remember my childhood summers and wonder: whose season has changed the most - mine or the earth's?
Dear reader, what memories of childhood summers do you have? Feel free to describe them by leaving a comment on this blog.
1 comment:
I always looked forward to summers. It was a time when I could meet new friends. Everyday was an adventure. This is what I did during those relaxing summers....swim, snorkel and ride on my family's boat enjoying the cystal blue waters. Sometimes I took my simple fishing rod along but I never caught any fish and most times I lost the hook. My mind was always free and I never felt tired. These summer days are my fondest memories of childhood.
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