Blog 39: What a wonderful world it would be (to the tune of Louis Armstrong)

• 

A friend and I were reminiscing last weekend. We had an amazing Easter weekend away the bonus being, we traveled with them, what an enjoyable trip it was. With some truly sterling and nifty driving from Ockert. Thanks Tracy and Ockert. I don’t know what it is with the Easter weekend in South Africa! The drivers and the road tragedies – horrendous a huge shout out to Ockert who truly diverted an accident that could have turned out incredibly tragic.

 So, Tracy and I were chatting and commenting on how things have changed. We chatted about this in last week’s blog. Before you know it its another day, another week, frik another year! The world has and continues to advance every second of everyday that we live and breathe. I do not recall how the subject was raised but we discussed the difference of when we were kids and when our kids were kids.

Now I am not saying we have raised weaker kids – because we haven’t. In fact, my kids they are truly perfection personified I have no doubt so are your kids – so there you go, the future leaders thanks to us – are going to be perfect – so then by all accounts this world – will be perfect!

My mom was super strict! Yikes she truly was, however as I have mentioned before, I thank her from the bottom of my heart. Karen and I are well mannered, and I think well liked and I know for a fact both my boys are fine young men – they have impeccable manners and are very popular. Through the years Gary and I have received some amazing compliment regarding Ryan and Chad. And for this, I do give credit to my folks – my mama bear in particular! I don’t think she had the easiest of lives and I know she had her fair amount of tragedy. Her mom died in childbirth, and she was given to her gran whilst her dad took the little boy that was born. Hectic hey! Anyhow, so she was strict. However, I did my fair share of challenging her! Karen and my brother were the quieter – hm maybe “respectful” ones – shucks so now I am saying the exact opposite of what I was bragging about a paragraph ago hey? But I was – I used to watch how she could be with my siblings and stood my ground. We had many boxing matches, but we also had many good laughs. I recall one Christmas she and I decided we would walk to the Hypermarket in Durban North – we lived in Lonsdale drive, so I reckon it was a fair walk from our house to the Hyper. We were both in extremely high spirits as we walked through the neighbourhood. Appreciating all the birds nattering in the trees and commenting happily on the variety of “cute yapping” dogs as we passed their houses! Oh, my giddy aunt! On the way home those same blady dogs were now seen by us as such a bunch of vicious morons that needed to be harnessed! We were boiling – it was December so yip you know the humidity and heat in Durban then! I have no blady idea why the hell we even walked – shucks man she had a car!! WTF? Plus, the fact on the way there we only had ourselves to carry – never mind all the parcels we had on the way home. But I can remember with incredible fondness the laughter and fun we had that day, albeit our incredibly irritated frame of mind on the way home.

My giddy aunt I have digressed already this week from what my subject matter was in the beginning of this chat. The difference between us and our kids child-hoods. I must admit, maybe Karen would recall clearer than I do – but I am damn sure my mom never threatened us with “Wait until your father gets home” as she was the frikken Nanny McFee in our household. Yikes she would be furious and let loose with her fury. I recall the one occasion – it must have been my poor brother Vaughan’s turn to experience moms wrath – and all I can recall is Karen and I having major, uncontrollable giggles (we were probably nervous?) and mom saying “ja ja lekker lag now because after laughter comes the tears!” Another thing do you remember “don’t come crying to me”  ..… all these phrases – is that what they were called? Ah it’s an Idiom.

I do know, I guess I would have been the same – I actually cannot recall – on another occasion Karen and I – now heaven knows why the heck we did this – but we were obviously having mince for dinner – it must have been defrosting – and we both took a tiny bit and were throwing it onto the kitchen ceiling to see whose could stick the longest. My mom had no idea what we were on about, as we were once again in hysteric’s. You know writing this now – we did have plenty good laughs growing up.  I recall her being incredibly frustrated at the both of us and our giggling. Another idiom – no, no this actually wasn’t an Idiom she just used to say – in fact my friends moms also said it on a occasion: “I am not one of your friends!”

But again, I diverse. Getting back to what Tracy and I were chatting about last weekend. The difference when we were ill as children and when our kids (and now our grandkids) are ill. I recall on two occasions, the one we were at the Beef n Barrel at the La Lucia Mall for dinner. (It must have been some family occasion) and my brother proceeded to vomit all over the table! Oh, my giddy aunt did my mom go ballistic! The second occasion I recall – it was me! To this day I cannot traverse without taking motion sickness muti. Planes and boats! Hmmmmmm, I go a greener shade of green. It is imperative I take a tablet and then am as right as rain (another Idiom😊) so as an adult, I of course, pre-empt and take the necessary precautions. I cannot recall – probably I never told my mom I felt ill and this time, the flight was over – we were waiting for our luggage and didn’t I spew the contents of my stomach all over other people and their luggage! Perhaps it was embarrassment my mom felt and hence reacted in such a way. But she would start smacking and just not stop! (Yikes imagine if she dared do that now! – although perhaps if the kids of today did get a smack or two, this world would be a slightly better place?) Our moms would “ruk” us back from even beginning to think we felt the slightest bit ill – no sympathy from that quarter! Well especially my mom – remember when you were small, and your mom would say “Do you want me to give your something to cry about?” – now our kids – well definitely mine. They would just be beginning to heave or go a slight shade of green and there would be me – bucket, bowl, towel, dishcloth, mop the whole shebang! And of course, my caring sympathy tone “ah my angel I am so sorry” as I rub their back and let them vomit all over my new leather boots and stylish new cardigan. “Tsk it doesn’t matter my angel Aah I am so sorry you not feeling great….” And if we don’t happen to have a spare set of clothes on hand –  thanks to Sheilagh  I am googling where the closest clothing store is so I can replace the vomity clothes my angel is current wearing. Whereas back in our kiddy days – my mom would be creating a wider, in fact the widest berth she could, between myself and her so the vomit didn’t enter into her space and would be bolloxing me from a dizzy height for being sick “and young lady you can stay in those clothes until we get home!” as she harumphed away! What about when we had a tummy bug – you got what was served on your plate – bug or no bug! If you didn’t eat it – sure as nuts, it would be served to you again next mealtime. Aka us as a mama bear. Serving this, and then that and then the next thing – all being tossed aside until all the little sick bugs favourites  had been served and if that still wasn’t acceptable – grab Sheilagh and guide me to the closest KFC, Steers, Wimpy or whatever would suffice for my little green faced angel! And lying awake next to your little angel as they fought the fever. As against me tossing and turning as a child and being sure I was about to combust with my raging fever, as I heard my mom snoring peacefully in her room!

And the last “woe is me as a child” story I will relate this week.  I recall having tooth ache. Firstly, mom tried a peppercorn, and every other old wives tale remedy you could imagine. Before informing me at the dinner table – she had secured me a dentist’s appointment. “Karen, after school tomorrow take Elizabeth to the dentist. Then young ladies ensure its straight home to get on with your homework ….” (bear in mind Karen was a little older than me so she was not driving us to the blady dentist!)

What doesn’t kill they say hey? As I mentioned my mom – she certainly had her quirks – as I certainly have mine! She was as strict as heck – but she was my mama bear and for that – I love her.

And that is all she wrote dear reader. Thanks for loving my blog the way you do.

Hope you have enjoyed all these short weeks as that is them for now, back to a fiver working week we go.

Also, apparently another bout of COVID is creeping in – so please take care, stay healthy and always, ALWAYS be kind to yourself.

Tracy, thanks for inspiring me for this week’s blog.

Mwah Mwah