The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Friday 29 May 2015

Just because we could

Some days, wisps of memories force themselves out from some forgotten recess of my mind and play themselves out, like an old-time movie, before my eyes. They are happy memories; memories of childhood summers. And they are vivid. So vivid that I can feel the languid air of the fan as it gently caresses my warm skin. So seemingly recent, that my eyes are blinded by the silver light of mid-morning bouncing off of my white bedroom walls.

Outside my open window the cicadas sing shrilly to their hearts’ content; drunk on the heady heat of an unyielding sun. I can almost smell summer – that strange scent of dust and dry vegetation. I am staring at the ceiling, noting the strange patterns that the paint and the light seem to be conspiring to create on it.



It’s time to get up. But do I really want to? The hours stretch out endlessly. It seems like sunset is an eternity away. There are so many minutes to fill up. I gaze back up at the ceiling, thinking I can see the outline of a sheep in the furthest corner of the room. Perhaps it’s not just the cicadas who are drunk on the heat and the light. I can hear nothing else but their crazy, tuneless song but I force my ears to drown out their dizzying sound.

Now I am able to hear the clock tick-tocking away in our hall. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. How many more tick-tocks till nightfall? Maybe  I would stay in bed and count them, while conjuring up imaginary patterns on the ceiling.


Somewhere outside the cool, blue expanse that is the sea beckons and friends are impatiently waiting, anticipating a game of hopscotch or hide and seek. I could get up. I should get up, throw on a dress and start my day. Or I could lie on my entangled sheets and continue to count each tick. And each tock.

Just as quickly as it came, the memory fades. Ah, childhood, when time seemed endless and we wasted it by the bucket-load. Just because we thought it would last forever. Just because we could.

14 comments:

  1. BEAUTIFULLY said LOREE!I was just thinking yesterday how fast my days are going by!I can remember thinking when will this day be over!To think back to childhood days...........for me is a long time ago but I do recall MOST of it!Even nap time in Kindergarden I can recall!

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    1. Weren't those kindergarten naps just the best thing? I still remember the tables we had: hexagonal and pastel-coloured.

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  2. How lovely. And looking at your pictures, I feel like I'm in heaven!

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    1. Thank you. I enjoy taking photos of the water.

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  3. I wished I could listen to cicadas when I wake up ! But I only hear the meowing of my old cat and the rain outside ! Your post is beautiful and I love the pictures.

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    1. Glad you liked them. Now would that old cat be Arthur?

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  4. That brought happy tears to my eyes, Loree of many good memories and a whole other sense of...everything. Beautifully written.

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    1. Isn't childhood just the most wonderful time? Pity we often waste so much of it.

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  5. Loree-Your words paint the picture of those sweet days when we could take our time deciding if we would wait a few more minutes to rise. Would it not be wonderful to go back in time and recapture those moments of childhood! Hope you have a great week.

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    1. I would love to go back, even for just one day.

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  6. Your writing is getting better, Loree. Sweeter. More finely-tuned and breath-catchingly lovely.

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    1. Thank you Suze. Your comment means so much to me.

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  7. Loree your writing is very profound and evocative! It is as lovely as your beautiful photography!

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  8. i miss my childhood days sometimes. when i think of it, i wish i could remember everything.

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