Childhood Memories

Riding on the car roof rack unbeknownst to my parents... getting yelled at for putting the family dinner in the rubbish bin (uncooked chicken wrapped in newspaper)... flooding the house because I forgot to watch the bath filling... School lunchtimes spent studying cloud formations & pondering the whys and hows of the universe... feelings of superiority and alienation from my peers playing cricket or catch & kiss... eating my lunch at school and having it taken off me by a much older boy... Our 2 storey maroon coloured house that my grandpa built, with a perfect climbing tree in front & our pretend jungle down the side... the only family home evening I remember, where my parents transformed our lounge & staircase into a huge (sheet) covered tent - I forget why, but it looked amazing... getting home and the excitement of finding fireworks on my bed... Climbing up big hills of stones at the back of the temple and sliding back down them... camping out at Kaueranga valley in Thames, swimming & hiking & laughing together, back before someone cut all the trees down... Day trips to Papamoa or Raglan, body surfing, building sand sculptures, sunbathing & eating fish n chips afterwards... Playing cowboys & indians at Nana's house with our houses, screaming & running around the backyard while Nana looked on indulgently... Petty arguments with siblings over who got the most of one thing or the least of another... not feeling safe in my own home... Mum kissing things better - whether it be bruises, cuts or hurts of any variety - I don't know how it worked, but it always did.