Jaunting Along

Early days in Ixopo; Grandpa's cousin Lesley, after whom my mum was named This always brought the conversation to talking about God, albeit in a convoluted and circuitous manner. God was the Elephant in the Room those nights, often alluded to, never referred to, and almost certainly not deferred to. After all, He wasn’t there.

Tending the fire for the evening's bath water: the fire heated up the drum in which water was stored T he boys themselves had a story to tell that night. Just the week before, Gerald had had an encounter with the fire in the furnace that was lit to heat the drum, from which we drew our bath water every night. If not too many people bathed at night, the water managed to stay hot enough that we could wash the breakfast dishes in the morning without having to relight the fire. Lighting the fire was a great treat in our every day at Lynn Avis.

A grand-daughter's memories of Lynn Avis LOOK AT ALL THE FIRE FOLK!                          LOOK at the stars! look, look up at the skies!                           O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!                                                                                   The Starlight Night, Gerard Manley Hopkins It was a still day. The veld so dry, there was a haze in the air, and motes from the fire hung there for long moments at a time before tumbling slowly to earth. Thin smoke rose high into the sky, feathering out towards the top, where the wind finally began. Despite grandpa’s warning that should the wind rise and change – in which case, dire consequences were sure to result … it never did.