Memory mosaic
1.
We got Barney when I was about ten years old and he was a tiny ball of fluff the size of one of my shoes.
The cutest and funniest memory I have of Barney goes back to when we’d had him for only three days. My brother, sister and I were in the pool when he backed up, took off and leapt in to join us.
This was when we didn’t have the pool fence around the pool, so he was able to just run and jump in, although we weren’t expecting it!
I remember he hesitated for just a second at the lip of the pool, and then jumped as though expecting to walk on water.
He plummeted to the bottom and my brother had to quickly pull him out to safety.
2.
In one of the back paddocks is our barn. The ground is completely covered in hay now from the hundreds and hundreds of hay bales we’ve kept in there over the years, usually to feed the cows during winter.
There’s not much in there now, one of dad’s old cars and a couple of lawn mowers.
In the back corner of the barn is where we keep the wood for the fire during the colder months. Growing up it was my chore to get a wheelbarrow full of wood a couple of nights a week.
One night while playing in the wood heap, I was jumping from log to log when I slipped and put my hands out to break my fall. I ended up breaking my wrist. It was certainly a good way to get out of getting the wood for a few weeks!
3.
Over the years we’ve had a fair few run ins with snakes hiding in the long grass around our house. My dad is constantly out mowing he lawn to keep it short in hopes of keeping snakes away, but they have even found their way into flowerpots and under shoes at the back door at times.
One summer afternoon my brother and I were swimming in the pool and trying to impress each other with our bombs and dives. I was on the edge of the pool when I noticed a long stick in the gutter on the edge of the pool. Suddenly the stick’s head moved and I screamed for Jake to get out.
I’ve never seen anyone swim so fast, and he still sometimes tells people he must have broken the world record.