Sitting in the bathroom

while the youngest sings

“mommy shark doo de doo”

In the bath,

I’m left pondering the last 48 hours.

It’s hotter than I can remember since I was a kid,

and the internet service is painfully slow

I didn’t remember how hot

days could get,

Surrounded by the lush greenery

of my childhood farm,

but now that I’m thrown back

into 37 degree Celsius,

memories flood back

Painful mornings of hard work

Followed by days at the lake,

Spending hours playing fish

and mermaids

with other kids

While the mothers lined up under trees,

Reading and talking

Basically ignoring us all

as we negotiated the watery world

of summer survival

And now I watch as my children

run all around,

playing their own games

of summer and fun.

Filling up a pool of water,

running up and down the lane

chasing each other on bikes.

We had a big family supper

and I supervised the next generation

As they discussed who liked what best,

And fell off chairs

And spilt drinks

They laughed,

they cried,

they made so much noise

And I loved every minute of it all,

Grateful for the memories

and the air conditioning

my mother put in after we left home.