Saturday, February 17, 2007

Origins

I am from daylight shining through summer evening curtains. I am from drizzle. I am from skiting down polished ice slides. I am from wellie boots and cagoules.

I am from “beamy ups” at the swing park. I am from Blue Peter and Crackerjack. I am from skipping and peevers. I am from knocking on the door to ask “Is she coming out to play?” I am from friends chumming each other down the road.

I am from words like ashet and foosty and girny. I am from Lassar’s paste on scabs. I am from walks in the hills and wind at the top. I am from gulls in the garden. I am from weekends of peat fires with Granny and Seanair in Argyll. I am from a fur coat and a Jaguar. I am from sweet-peas in a vase. I am from snowball fights under sodium streetlights.

I am from the path through our estate to school. I am from Harriers twice a week in Adidas spikes. I am from cross-country running. I am from the smell of cut grass and the compact mud beneath it. I am from Please Miss, Yes Miss. I am from open-plan classrooms and project work. I am from blazer, blue skirt, white blouse and school tie. I am from M&S white vests in winter, and most of summer too. I am from pageboy haircuts and skinny legs.

I am from ice-cream vans and 99 cones. I am from Tunnock’s caramel wafers and pots of tablet. I am from mince and tatties. I am from grated apples and I am from Love Hearts. I am from orange halves dipped in sugar. I am from roasted cheese. I am from school dinners.

I am from badminton in the church hall. I am from the public library. I am from Noël Streatfield books and the Famous Five and Spiggy Hole and Heidi. I am from faraway holidays on sandy beaches. I am from pictures of David Cassidy clipped from Jackie magazine. I am from radio Luxemburg under the pillow.

That’s where I’m from.

Where are you from?

Inspired by Belgian Waffle and a long chain of I am froms.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent - I recognise a number of those places.

y.Wendy.y said...

Lesley. This has to be the most beautiful post you have ever done.

I can see it all.

Anonymous said...

From camomile lotion and gripe water.
From putty and creosote from mown grass and damp moss.
From blackbirds and thrushes from sparrows and chaffinches.
From lax sticks with linseed oil from swallows and rooks.
From grapillon and dubbin from smoke and Rose Murphy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Hak10MFzI

Lesley said...

Thanks Heather and Wendz. It's actually quite addictive. once you start you keep on thinking of more and more things that made you. You should both try it.

Debz: I had to look two of those things up. I could have included creosote too: such a lovely smell. Reminds me of my Dad. And I had never heard anything by Rose Murphy before.

Jonathan Wonham said...

A lovely post. I think I'm going to print a copy.

Strangely, I can relate to "pictures of David Cassidy clipped from Jackie magazine."

"Lassar’s paste on scabs" sounds, well, perfectly vile.

And chumming? Surely something a bit suspect about that?

By the way, you've been tagged. Apologies.

Sarah Mackenzie said...

Apart from the Lasser's paste and David Cassidy (that was my sister's thing) you have me tabbed. I am from Scotland. Going to Burma in an hour though ;-)

Ms Mac said...

I too am from the Famous Five, Jackie Magazine and Blue Peter and Crackerjack.

Let's be best friends for evah!

Anonymous said...

I forgot about the David Cassidy pictures! Nicely done.

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is fabulous.

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