Hi everyone, I hope you all had a happy and safe Christmas.
It was so hot on Christmas Day that our grandson fried an egg in a pan on the driveway. On Boxing Day we measured the temperature under our patio - 43C (109F) and over 50C (122F) in the direct sun! - thought we had better bring the thermometer in before it exploded!
A lot of people here go to the beach, but we elected to stay home and relax most of the weekend. Far to hot outside for us.
It got me to thinking about Christmas past when I was a child and we lived in a weather-board house with no insulation and no air-conditioning. And my Mum cooking a Christmas roast dinner on a wood stove in over 100F heat!
Here are a few lines taken from a poem of memories I wrote recently...
Do you remember sister.......
Laying reading on
the cool passageway lino on hot summer afternoons.
The Secret Seven for me and the Famous Five for you.
The delights of push-up
ice-creams,
with luscious
strawberry syrup at the bottom.
Fruit Loops eaten
straight from the packet.
Cordial iceblocks in a plastic cup.
And Dad buying bucket icecreams with little spoons at the drive-in.
(this one below says chocolate, ours were strawberry)
Summer holiday cottages at Palm Beach and Safety Bay.
Doublegee prickles
in the yard,
the enclosed
verandas looking out to Penguin Island.
Swimming lessons
at Palm Beach,
I was too scared to lift my feet off the bottom.
Burning hot sand and rocks at the beach.
Jelly fish as big as dinner plates at Como beach swimming lessons.
(some old pics of my sister & me from the 1950s-60s)
watching the crab
nets being pulled.
the Salvation Army singing carols under our corner street light.
gazing at the stars and playing I spy.
Grape vines on the trellis,
and making grape
jam on the wood stove in the heat of summer,
squishing the
grapes in my hands for their juice.
Running under the sprinkler
and playing in the
bath on hot summer days,
sliding down the
sloped end,
flooding the floor
with water.
Simple pleasures
I remember them well.
Do you have simple pleasure from your childhood? Perhaps you would like to share them in your comments. These days summer holidays seem to demand more zip and going places and doing things and whiz-bang. Perhaps I am getting old, perhaps I just yearn for the simpler days when we kids were content with less.
But whatever the decade or age - there must be icecream and a cold drink and somewhere to relax in the shade with a good book.
Wishing you and yours a very safe and happy Christmas spent with those you love.
Here is a little summer Christmas video for my friends in the northern hemisphere:
(ps - it starts with Maori New Zealand counting)
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Stay safe and have a wonderful week.
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday
ThroughMy Lens
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday
Welcome to Nature Thursday
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
You had heat and we here in Oregon had snow! We rarely get snow here. It's still hanging around today Dec 26th.
ReplyDeleteyes I have seen some reports about the snow in US on Tv especially playing havoc with roads.
DeleteJill - oh my goodness, that's hot! When I think of simple pleasures specifically associated with Christmas, I remember oranges in our stockings, how Mom hung the stockings on the staircase, hard candies that looked and tasted like raspberries, going to Mass at midnight, and snowball fights. Thanks so much for linking to Mosaic Monday and sharing your special memories with all of us!
ReplyDeleteSo many great memories of summer in Australia, and yes I enjoyed many similar fun times here in Adelaide too. We used to sleep on our front lawn on a blaket on a hot night but the itchy grass and mossies usually got us before the night was over. Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI fondly remember push-up pops as we called them! That is HOT! I wrote a post a while back about simple living and making simple fun summer memories with our boys (https://www.myslicesoflife.com/2015/08/the-simple-life.html). While we definitely take some fancy family vacations I like to temper that out with simple living pleasures and lots of lazy time spent at home around the lake.
ReplyDeleteI think simple pleasures are something we have all grown to appreciate over the last couple of years.
DeleteOh I hadn't thought of those push-up pops in forever! A lovely post although as I sit here with a fire in the fireplace and heaters on as well I can't imagine it ever being hot again, although, I know it will. Merry Christmas wishes to you, Jill!
ReplyDeleteI can't imaging Christmas in Australia - it would seem odd not to have winter landscapes at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/12/celebrate-season-with-stollen.html
Wow! You had a scorcher for Christmas Jill. We had a wet and humid day here on the East Coast. However all the kids still swam in the pool for the entire day. We had a small Christmas with just the eight of us (son, daughter, partners and grandkids). But we had a huge day on Christmas Day at my brother's home with 33 of us in total. I love your trip down memory lane to you childhood Jill and your poem. Yes life was so much simpler back then. I remember the local Fire Brigade coming around the streets with Santa throwing bags of lollies out of the truck for the children to catch. I also remember swimming in a muddy dam, living in our togs all Summer, day trips up to the river with my parents the windows down the whole way and homemade icy poles. Things were very basic but the memories are extremely happy.
ReplyDeletethose were the days of childhood summers. Sounds like you had a fabulous Christmas - 33! - I don't think I could cope!
DeleteA delightful journey down memory lane, Jill. Thank you for sharing. Yes, I too am at the point in life where I really appreciate having experienced the simplicity of life in years past! Wishing you cooler days, refreshing drinks, shade from the scorching sun, and air-conditioning. Happy New Year to you.
ReplyDeleteSome wild temperatures :o
ReplyDeleteLove the photo with the flip-flops! It's talking.
Hello Jill,
ReplyDeleteWow, you had a hot Christmas day. The temperatures and weather seem to be all over the place lately. I enjoyed reading all your simple pleasures. Wonderful happy memories of your family. I remember the push up ice creams.
I wish you all the best in 2022, a happy and healthy New Year!