Birds and Childhood Memories

Today I spotted a hoopoe birdie on campus. After years of having seen the bright black and white striped – orange headed bird the psychedelic patterns created by the flutter of its wings reminded me of my childhood days.

My Dad’s office has a really large lawn with lovely flower beds, that bloom into a riot of colours in spring. Purple yellow and pink pansies, hollyhocks, white and pink flocks, zinnias….oh and yes…Californian poppies my favorite!! I learnt all my flower names in this very lawn. In fact I learnt a lot on these lawns.

I learnt how to cycle, on my electric blue two wheeler with training wheels. When Dad used to get back from office at six, I used to shower and get nicely dressed and powdered tog o for my daily cycle rounds on the road around the lawn. It used to be grey tar, green grass and a spray of other colours on the flower beds.

I learnt that they are called flower beds, and that when the flowers dry the mali will preserve the seeds so sow them next year so that lovely flowers bloom again. I also learnt about flower buds, leaves and stems. And about myriad other words related to flowers….bouquets, garlands…

I also learnt the names of different birds including the hoopoe, while these feathered ones settled for a splash on the puddles of water in the lawn. I learnt the scent of freshly cut grass… and of wet earth.

Unlike many kids nowadays I never had bird or flower picture books. I had them performing live for me. I could see a bunch of flowers budding and blooming, the bees and grasshoppers flitting over the flower beds and the grass greening with the splashes of water from the fat hose pipe.

I wonder if my children will ever know what freshly cut grass smells like….if they’ll ever have the patience and opportunity to monitor the growth of a hollyhocks stalk and wait for it to flower……..