Wednesday 10 October 2012

Halcyon days

The southeaster is back, bringing with it a change in the light and a chill in the air even when the sun is shining. It takes me straight back to Fish Hoek beach, September 1973. It was our matric year and it seems that, back in those distant days, September school holidays meant beach and bikinis.

We would lounge on the lawn behind the colourful bathing boxes, where we could avoid being blasted by sand blown by the southeaster and having it stick to our carefully oiled bodies, and not get our hair tangled into rat's tails. It was the perfect vantage point to see who was arriving at the beach (read that as, only looking for specific cars). Most of the girls had hot bodies (an honourable mention must go to Mandy Lawson) and there was never a lack of male company. They were interesting times and no further names will be mentioned, but they were without doubt some of the greatest times of our lives, fairly innocent and definitely not dangerous.

We studied for matric on those lawns, books used as sunshades and headrests, and we all passed.
It seems that I'm not the only one who hankers after those halcyon days, judging by the daily posts to Facebook on various Fish Hoek pages. They will never come back, but we'll carry the memories forever.

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