Memories of the forbidden bikini

 

Hi R
Because I live in the Land Downunder, the good news about our constant sunshine is also the bad news.  Two glasses of good red wine have stopped the throbbing in my nose and upper right chest after a day procedure at RNS (local hospital).

It's important to pass it on to our children and grandchildren, even though they already know, that skin has 'memory', and my nose and right chest remembers the times I allowed them to be exposed to the sun.

My Anglosaxon pale skin areas were exposed pre awareness of skin memory and future damage from the sun's rays. Initially, it was when, our family was out there having fun perhaps caravaning in Dad's homemade caravan in New Zealand. If you caught too much sun on the weekend you would peel by Wednesday or Thursday when my sister and I had fun peeling the skin from each other's shoulders, like little monkeys.

Then there was the 'greater awareness stage' - a time when I wanted the look of the time, which meant being brown, even though I was a " 'pakehah - white person in Maori'."
By this time we had moved to Australia and I was a teenager, with a brand new forbidden bikini. Bondi had the whitest of sand and my visit there included a full body spray of coconut oil, resulting in my entire body being fried by the sun. It also meant that the wearing of the forbidden 'bikini' was revealed when I returned home looking like a tomato - and that was how my dad treated the burn ie with ripe tomatoes.

Fortunately our education has moved us on from this state of mind. However many of us remain there and still want to be tanned.
I actually don't want that any more and am reminded today that it's OK to be white.
Clara

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Spring has sprung - Fragrance evokes memories

Hi there Nanooka and to those in the North who are leaving  the warmth and humidity behind, with mixed feelings, I'm sure.
From down-under.......... My house is fragrant with the perfume of spring. Therefore it is full of memories since to me, fragrance is the ultimate trigger.
"Spring has sprung
The grass is ris
Please tell me where
The birdies is"

The change of seasons has to be a most evocative time as nature demonstrates the dynamic cycle of life. The exact opposite happening at the same time, in different hemispheres, is a reminder of the world's rotation, our dependence on  amazing, ongoing cycles, emphasising the need to be keep nature in balance. It is also a renewal - an opportunity to start again - to do it better. Several attempts at the music behind these spring images, gathered  over the last few weeks, didn't feel right for different reasons - this Jethrow Tull Flute is edgy, combined with harmonious. I thought this described the process of change.

As a Granny - well a Nonna, I love to share with a child the everchanging beauty which surrounds us, and help them to be aware of the fragility of our planet.  This is an essential role of the Matriach. 
Clara

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