Poppy, just up the road from Aunty Pip's place, where you have recently run and played and rested and practiced your yoga, is the land your mama ran barefoot across for years. there are other peoples' houses there now, where your nanny and bugsy-pa built one of Stringybark Road's original houses. You won't even catch a glimpse of the property from the road, which was a dusty, gravel (dirt) road flanked by strong-smelling yellow wattle trees and magical soap trees that we used to strip leaves from and split, to rub between our hands in an effort to clean up before getting home and washing them 'properly' under the tap in the red bathroom before dinner. we never thought to try those soap leaves on our feet. and they must have been filthy! we walked, ran, rode our bikes and when it rained so much it flooded, we paddled in the overflowing creek and played in the culvits during the roadworks to put the road through to the other end. very dangerous. never do it. (the other end is where you play at Aunty Pip's and you can see Daddy's school across the road there. but in between the Guivers' house (Honeysuckle, which the Young's bought and sold again in order to build in between) and Matthew Flinders, it was all bushland. we used to follow the bullock track to get to that Ballinger Road end. and to get to the tennis courts right around the other side of Flinders. our road was a dead end for years).
up the road in the other direction, it was always greener. it was all swamp originally. lot 26 was swamp when purchased by nanny and bugsy, while they were still living in Toowoomba. and then in Emerald. I was four when they decided it was time to tackle the swamp and build. there were sundews then, growing in the ditches in the other direction (if you were to head up the road that way now, you would come to the roundabout and the entrance to SCU). there used to be so many tiny, sticky, sparkling sundews that we didn't hesitate to lift them, with their surrounding wet soil, to bring home to add to our own little gardens. perhaps that's where my fascination with carniverous plants began! we ducked and pushed our way through the thicker undergrowth up that end of the road to discover secret, still places covered in cool moss and protected from the sun by rambling native bushes. and blackboys! the xanthorea johnsonii- you can't call them blackboys anymore (uncle Richard or bugsy will have to spellcheck that). the pretty picture book, about Sally's secret spot in the bottom of her garden, reminds me of those special places.
Aunty Pip's land was part lychee orchard when they bought it. everyone was a little bit sad to see those trees go. we had enormous lychee trees too, though I can't recall ever seeing lychees on them! they went as soon as the contractors came in to clear the sub-divisions and build three new places for three new families, whose children will never be able to run across the paddock/strawberry patch because it too was sold off and became The Springs. ten acres gone. just like that.
Poppy, when you're running up and down the vast expanse of lawn at aunty Pip's place, I'm watching-a big smile across my face at your speed and grace and crazy antics-remembering our fun and freedom up the road! I'm sure it won't be long before you will want to clamber up onto that big, noisy bike and tear around with your cousins so that you can cross the space in half the time! sure, wear sunscreen; sure mostly wear a hat; sure, be careful and keep an eye out for snakes and obstacles BUT be sure to take off your little sparkly lelli kelli shoes from time to time and play barefoot! life is short!
I love you.
Mama xxx
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