On the way home from my Dad's we stopped at a historical museum, I love places like this, do you remember this post.
I have heaps more photos to share tomorrow, but this post is for my cousin.
Karen, do you remember playing on these up in the top paddock of Nana's farm?
And how about this old dunny?
I explained to my children how I had once used a dunny/thunderbox toilet like this. They were horrified. From memory, I used to be horrified whenever I had to use it too. I was terrified of red-back spiders and lets not even mention the smell!
But many years later, after my grandfather got sick and my Nana moved from the big house to the farm cottage, that dunny was just an empty box. It soon became 'the girls' (that included my younger boy cousin, myself and my cousin) cubbie. I told this story to my kids, they looked at me with blank looks. I went on to explain that my older two boy cousins, built us a second level out of the old door that had blown off in the wind, so we had upstairs and downstairs. I continued telling them that we would drag great sheets of corrugated iron to extend our cubbie, two and three rooms would extend our cubbie out the front, old carpet or towels went on the ground and old curtains were passed on for us to use to separate each room. They listened in wonder. After I had tried hard to explain how you could, indeed, make a great cubbie house from this old toilet, Miss Moo Moo asked:
"But who was supervising?"
I couldn't stop laughing, she looked upset at that. I told her no-one needed to supervise us. She didn't understand. I felt so sad that her childhood is so very different to mine. Those days building and playing in those cubbies were the some of best of my life.
I didn't tell them that nearly every time we came to the farm, the wind had taken part of our cubbie house away and it always being adjusted and remade. I didn't tell them that the big boys had a cubbie house made in an old chicken coop that we were not allowed to go into. And I definitely didn't tell them that it was the place where I had my first, and only, cigarette. Actually, it was a cigar, I had two puffs and never smoked again in my life! but that's a story for another day!
Pretty lace in the old restored church at the museum.
Such sweet memories. We had an old upside down water tank for a cubby but our neighbours had a proper flash one built from weatherboard with windows and a door and a stove and chairs and tables and a blackboard. But the best one was one we made in a tree and used lawn mower clippings for the carpet. It is a shame our kids have to be so supervised !
ReplyDeleteKaren, it sounds like we had such a similar upbringing, we have talked about this before. I love the sound of your old tank cubbie house and lawn clipping carpet! – that’s what it’s all about!
DeleteWe too, had friends with a ready made cubbie house, we barely used it when we visited their house, instead, we climbed trees and made cubbies under their trampoline with blankets.xo
Where on earth would you have got that cigar from!!! :) Do you remember the perfume/poisons we also used to make from Nana's rose petals and all those beautiful old medicine bottles we would find under the house and the tank stand, where we were also not allowed to play because of snakes!! And those big boys used to trash our cubby house all the time. One thing that really sticks in my mind is the time I got dunked in Cow poop, do you remember, the boys decided to judge our argument and I got found guilty!! (I'm still sure it was your fault!)I only just remember the old train carts, was it up at the old sawmill? We had such a wonderful upbringing didn't we, that farm, it has molded us to who we are now. We have been looking at farms at Canowindra, old houses with dunnies as well, maybe a cubby house for my girls in the future! I miss you, heaps! xoxo
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, who’s idea could it have been to sneak into our uncle’s house to steal a cigar!?!– I am laughing my head off just thinking about it right now.
DeleteIt’s funny how we remember the same good times – I didn’t want to go on too much in my post – but yes! The tank stand and the perfumes and potions, and the snakes, and those bloody big boys! And... the court session played out over who started our argument. Yes I remember the fresh steaming cow poo and yes, I am very sorry to say: I started the argument!
The trains were up by the sawmill, we didn’t go up there much, we weren’t allowed to, only with the boys a few times I think. I remember scorpions under rocks – not my favourite place.
I’m interested to hear of your latest house hunting. Miss Moo Moo asked yesterday, “why didn’t we go to Auntie Karen’s for the last weeks of the holidays” – I looked at her and said, “good question – why didn’t we” - Miss you xoxox