I am the oldest of four girls,

And four girls can be a crowd.

Time alone with Mother was the stuff of wishes.

One  morning I awoke early and realized:

My sisters are still asleep!

There was a faint rattle of cutlery.

And Mummy is down in the kitchen by herself!

I slithered out of bed and crept down the stairs

Masterfully negotiating the squeaks

Hardly believi...

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HEY! FATSO!

It was a spring-loving day.

YEAH! PORKY!

So early the sun shone deeply warm.

CHOPCHOPCHOP!

Across the fields an easy wind sighed

Fragrant with cherry blossoms.

PIMPLEFACE!

Her bare feet disturbed light eddies of dust.

HEADLIIIGHTS!

Around her thick long hair a red sash glowed.

She felt very beautiful.

...

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She went to gather apple blooms all in the month of May,

An eager child who dearly loved a warm and sunny day -

                    an eager child who dearly loved

                                     a warm and sunny day.

Quite unaware of noise and dust that thinly filled the air

She skipped along the gravel path without a thought or care -

                    s...

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One lovely cool night in the ovens of August, Mum said,

‘Children, sleep in tomorrow. The heat’s drained us all.’

Oh, joy and excitement!  Not to get up at seven!

The richness of privilege when you weren’t even sick!

We went to bed early, my sisters and I, and giggled for

hours,  milking the marrow of : You can sleep late.

But Nan, who was two, dropped off like a s...

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