Kerry, Mandy. Kerry Mandy…………. The morning wakeup call sounded through the house
We managed to snooze through the first two then came the final warning….
KERRY !!! MANDY!!!!!
We moved fast after that. Dressed and ready at the table for breakfast which was usually Weetabix or porridge neither of which we liked that much. You wouldn’t find sugary cereals in this house.
Teeth brushed and then there was the long walk to school, but not before our hair was brushed just after nana had washed the breakfast bowls up only a girl would understand what wet or damp hands does to one’s hair when being brushed.
School days went fast at that young age was all fun running and racing with friends.
There was even a rush to get home, in the door and a sandwich or a homemade bun would be waiting with a cup of tea. Then outside to play until we were called for dinner or if the rain came.
After dinner was wash up and get ready for bed. Popa would wait to have his dinner as he listened to the local news on the radio and if you dare made a sound you would get a very stern sshhhhhhhh from his chair. Then it was off to bed.
Dinner was always looked forward to by me, the smells alone would make your taste buds do crazy things.
I grew up on the beautiful island of St Helena, a gem surrounded by the gorgeous blues of the Atlantic Ocean. From the deep green of the mountain tops to the black sand and pebble beaches this was where I called home.
Growing up in a time where the door was left unlocked and windows opened, even at night. Where generosity of the island’s people was humbling. We were at the time when I was a child, years behind the rest of the world with no mobile phones well I think I was 6 before we got a TV and a little while after that until we got a telephone. I remember one of my very earliest memory was one with candles, the house didn’t have power yet as they were still running power cables and it didn’t help that we lived in the middle of huge fields which we took full advantage of. We still got excited when there was a power cut and there would be a race to the kitchen to get the candles from under the sink.
Weekends were different to week days of course, somehow and I say this with a smile on my face that we didn’t need to be woken up, Popa would actually say why don’t you go and have a lay down for a bit more its early, if only I could get my son to do that on the weekend. After getting up early I would sit on popas knee after he had made me some tea and cooled it in one of those metal jugs under the cold tap. Back to bed for a small bit then up to spring clean. I loved and still do love my nana but all these tiny ornaments my god it took myself and Mandy almost all day. But we never complained I mean wasn’t she doing enough. Then later that afternoon we would go and sell vegetables from popas garden, then playtime again outside of course.
Sunday morning and the smell of a curry and roast dinner, this dinner would have been cooking way before we even thought of waking. Around half 12 we would eat say an example… roast pork with perfect crackling roast potatoes and veg and chicken curry and rice. This was always served with the roast dinner actually I would eat the curry and rice before I even looked near the roast.
For pudding was something like trifle or custard ice cream maybe, butterscotch angel delight or jelly. my favourite…. Bread and butter pudding. Mouth-watering crispy top with a soft inside and the chewy raisins.
Summer holidays where our cousins would come to our house and we would get a packed lunch for the day and we would run wild up the gullies and hills down through the fields, climbing trees yes we did this all day and didn’t have to be bothered to go back home to eat, I remember one time that happened and popa actually got the hose out and hosed us down because only eyes could be seen through the dirt we had collected, did I mention we loved it in the what? maybe 30 plus degrees.
In the summer we would only be in doors or if it rained and we would watch Mary Poppins or just play indoor games. We could always be found in the kitchen if there wasn’t enough space we would sit under the kitchen table and just listen to the voices and smell the food. I remember sometimes when someone would call to the house for a chat and a cuppa tea, we would go into the kitchen and nana would ask what would you like and we off course was just being nosey and wanted to hear what the adults were talking about when our reply was “nothing” her reply would be to take nothing and go. The visitors would always leave with a bag of whatever veg popa had growing and a full tummy. I remember family occasions where the table would be full of food cooked by everyone in the kitchen where you could barely move. Popa would be having his few Guinness's or a brandy. There would be music and laughter, conversation and us kids would hang out and play, until we got to the age where we were “oh too big to play” or so we thought at the time. Birthdays parties got lost as we got older, nana would make a cake and we found so much joy out of decorating it ourselves, sugar icing and smarties to spell out Happy Birthday. Nanas cakes were always great but it was special having it made with love. I remember one of my birthday parties and I think I was eight. I remember loads of kids playing games and me crying in the corner, now I don’t remember why but I have a hunch that it was because I couldn’t get my way with something.
Christmas was as it is in every other house. The likes of fizzy drinks and chocolate and crisps were put under lock and key; it was because we never got anything like this throughout the year so come Christmas we wanted it all. Popa would go to the cupboard where there was always a tin of roses, he would take of the tape give us some and replace the tape. This went on for ages so needless to say the tin was almost empty when it was opened on or around Christmas day. Myself and Mandy would investigate our Christmas presents on the lead up to Christmas. They were put under the tree whenever someone brought one to us. They weren’t kept for Christmas morning, anyways we would find the boxes of chocolates that were wrapped for us, open then eat the chocolates replace with stones and re tape. I know I know naughty but fun. We would then change into any clothes we got given and eat chocolate and fizzy drinks. Then eat the most incredible glorified Sunday roast dinner ever, I firmly believe that a Christmas dinner is just a Sunday lunch on steroids. A lazy day all around. Boxing day then was at someone else’s house, day spent eating and playing games.
We were very lucky growing up we had the freshest of veg and the most kid friendly environment.
Popa was well known for his veg and generosity. He was a quiet man but when he did speak oh you listened. He knew my love for carrots and tomatoes that had just turned red, I would sit in the garden with the salt and pepper shaker and just eat. Running around barefoot. One day I was running around I did a lot of that and I heard stop!! Popa got me just in time before I was well on my way to stepping on a scorpion. What followed was a lesson is what would have happened if I stepped on it and to always watch out for them, needless to say I never saw one again.
It was a time where we hadn’t a care in the world.
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