Store Your Happy Memories Here:

[Croix]

Dear All~

What this place is for:
This thread is a tool, a resource, and also I guess a dash of entertainment.

I’ve found that when life is grim that sometimes thoughts of past happiness can create a chink of light in the grey overwhelming press of down. They can help occupy the mind with lighter reflections.

With that in view I invite people to set down a brief passage describing some happy event they look back to with fondness and peace.

They - and others too - can then return to it when they feel the need to glean a little warmth.

It is not a place for gloomy or dire tales, those can go elsewhere.

What to do:
Just set out, as simply as you like, your recollection of some past experience that means something good to you, something you enjoyed, something from safe times.

It can be, like my story below, anything – from an account of visiting grandparents to simply cooking and eating a melted-cheese sandwich in a favorite kitchen – you get to choose.

How to do it:
Write. Write enough so someone else can feel the mood, know what happened, find the goodness. (stop at 2,500 characters please!)

Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation are not compulsory, just write as you can – the only important thing is the content - not literary merit. Short or long - it does not matter.


I hope you enjoy, contribute and find a little distraction here when you need it.

Croix

[CMF]

Hahaha Jackson...'fell'...or 'pushed'? lol

Love the trampoline one, cheeky boys 🙂

[Doolhof]

The story about the Christmas decorating reminded me of one year when my niece helped me decorate our Christmas tree. She was about 8 years old. She ran around and around the tree with tinsel only in an area covering a height of about 50 c.m.

That was all that was on the tree plus a star on top. After Christmas I had a really hard time getting that tinsel off the tree it was wrapped so tight and thick.

Jackson, your story of the trampoline reminded me of the time we were be looked after by Grandma. I didn't want to go to bed, so I ran outside and climbed up a tree. Grandma told me to come down. I told her I would only come down if she came up to get me. Naughty me, I was in that tree for hours!

]

[Croix]

Daylight
My Uncle Tom was my favorite uncle. He took me seriously and did not tousle my hair or ask me what I wanted to do when grew up, or offer silly suggestions like racing car driver.

One summer's night he called for me and we went off in his old truck, the one with the round hatch in the cabin roof. I could stand on the seat and look out over the roof over the fittings.

We drove down quiet London Road till we got to the causeway where we stopped with the headlights looking out over the water.

“Good, it’s half tide, and going out”. We got out of the truck into the cool night. I was allowed to pump up the Tilley lamp and then hold a burning pad under the wick while my uncle shielded it from the breeze with his oldest leather apron. I turned on the valve which I knew to do. The mantle hissed and ‘wumped’ into life.

“Goodo boyo”. Turning off the headlights Uncle Tom started to wade out holding the lamp until he was up to his knees, he set the lamp down on its float where it bobbed and swung, wire handle squeaking.

I followed and was entrusted with the string, pulling the lamp along behind and feeling like some ship’s prow.

As I looked down in the water I saw a bright ring of light around the lamp going down to the sandy floor. A patch of daylight with a dark center.

There was a crab, slowly moving sideways from some seaweed, with large claw raised, small one tucked in front, eyes black. Then I saw the little red stars, points of light surrounding the light. Lots and lots, not moving.

Prawns hovering, each transparent body almost invisible, gills rippling, just pairs of tiny lights that were their eyes.

[Jackson1994]

Yeah ok I'll admit, I pushed him, but Mum doesn't know that 😛 and neither does my grandpa that had to rescue him, looking back i just laugh and think my god we were absolute buggers.

Haha doolhoof that tree story is so funny. My mum never hit us with and I don't think she even intended to, it was more of a threat, but the minute we heard the second draw of the kitchen open and our full name we knew to make a run for the trampoline cause Mum had the wooden spoon and she'd never catch us especially if we kept jumping.

I remember when i was about 10 I was soooo angry at my mum for something really silly, so I told my mum I was leaving forever, moved my bike from its usual spot and hid in a really good spot, i thought it was funny but looking back it was actually quite awful. I was sitting there having a good old laugh that mum was calling everyone in the neighbourhood looking for me

[CMF]

Aaaahhhh the good old wooden spoon. I remember at meal times my brothers, who are much older than me, or my dad would sit with the wooden spoon next to them as a 'threat' if i misbehaved or didn't eat my dinner. My dad would sometimes reach for his belt and i would be quiet in an instance. He never used it, but the thought was scary enough. Back in my day if you were sent to the school principal for misbehaving you could get the strap. Wow, how awful looking back on it now.

I used to be 'bell monitor' at primary school, such a big responsibility lol. I had to go to the office a few minutes before recess and lunch was over, ring the bell and play the music for everyone to return to classrooms. We had to let the bell ring maybe 6 -7 times, one day i just let it keep going for about 13 rings. Nothing happened, no one said anything, i don't even know what i remembered it but gave me a bit of a chuckle.

[Guest_9809]

I was mostly educated in very small bush schools where there were maybe a dozen kids in total, from kinder through to high school done by correspondence.

We moved around quite a bit with my Dads work, but I recall for about half a year I attended a 'big' school in our local small town. There were 20 odd kids in my 4th class, and I hated it. So many kids, and I was painfully shy.

But there is one really nice memory I have of that time. We used to get a crate of milk delivered to the school every day. And at recess we all got to choose a bottle of either chocolate or strawberry milk. Yum.

Taurus xx

[kanga_brumby]

I have several stories One of which I shall avail now. This one is of going on camping holidays. To a caravan park which was beside a river in northern Victoria. We would arrive at the caravan park setup the caravan. bedding etc. As soon as we were setup mandatory on went the bathers over to the river. Pickup some rocks from the center of the river move them one at a time to the side of the river. forming a wall in the river, restricting its flow slightly. T o make the river in that section go faster. So in total there were eight 8 walls in the river. and two areas where we could go swimming in still water. At this point we would inflate inner tubes, air mattresses what ever. Walk up the road about one kilometer. launch ourselves on our devices into the river. Drifting down the river at a leisurely speed till we saw the up coming walls. Jostle for position sling shot straight through the caravan park. Take our time again go for about another kilometer down stream. Exit the river, walk back to the caravan park. repeat the walking floating positing floating walking. Unfortunately one year it almost killed me. a tree had fallen over the river I didn't know about it. I hadn't got out in time and I got trapped beneath it never again.

[Quercus]

A memory for today...

Across the brown carpet with the geometric pattern. Slow quiet steps. Little santuary. Shrine to travel and our wide country and it's beauties. A small yellow folder with a gold clip. Soft hands. Gentle. Gentle. This is her favourite.

The quiet pop of the clasp. Smell of aged paper something particularly 'her'. A collection. Painstakingly gathered in an era of poverty. Kangaroos. Royal Faces. Bridge. Animals. Opera House. History. Black marks more often than not showing the name of home. Envelopes with an ancestor long gone. Preserved with utter love and care.

Footsteps. The scent hinted at fills my nose. Ah that's where you got to. No one seems interested in these anymore. Do you like them? Let me show you my favourites. Blue Wren. Red Robin. Slowly. Quietly. Absorbing the stories like heat.

How I love you.

[Guest_1055]

Hi Quercus,

I didn't quite get that, was it some sort of old memory box that had pictures in it. Perhaps having a scent of something old as you opened the box?

Shellxx

[Quercus]

Haha nah Shell it was a stamp album. Smelled like old stamps and Grandma's perfume.