A Story by Vanessa
Grannie and Grampi kept livestock and planted a kitchen garden. The meat was sold or used by the family. Grampi had a cow and she would bear calves. If the calf was male he would be sold for meat. Grampi said the cow was mine, and if she had a female it would be for Rachie. I didn’t really have an interest in the cow because he tethered it once beside the sail loft, right next to our drive way and where the jeep was parked. This meant I could not pass because I was terrified of it! It was huge! I did not like that cow. Just as well the calves became curry beef!
The pigs were kept in a pen part way up the hill to uncle Nolly’s. I did not care for them because the smell was terrible. The chickens roamed the hillside and while the chicks were cute the chickens shat everywhere. I did not wear shoes much at home, shoes were for church or school (and later for tennis, but school shoes doubled as tennis shoes if you were smart!). This meant I stepped in chicken shit ALL the time. I was constantly wiping my feet in the grass.
But my true love was reserved for the goats. I loved those goats! I was afraid of their butting me, but the kids were so stinking cute! Animals are a great way to keep the grass down, a personal weed whacker or lawn mower. You would often see people moving their goats, sheep or cows from location to location. Like the cow, the goats would be tethered around family hill to eat the grass. Once the grass had all been eaten they would then have to be moved. Grampi took them to Paradise, a hillside he had a piece of property on. It was decided one day that Rachie and I would go with him to move the animals. The animals were already there, but needed to be moved to a different spot.
We had to wake up very early. This was not a good start to the day for me. I was very tired. Mummy made bacon and tomato sandwiches for us and wrapped them in wax paper. Then we set out. We had to stop many times on that trip, because we grew so tired. The sun rose before we got there and despite leaving early it was a hot walk up what I felt was the longest hill ever. Half way up we stopped to eat the sandwiches, and it was the best thing I had ever eaten, and no bacon sandwich can ever compare with it!
Once we arrived there was a lovely cool breeze on the hillside. The grass was long and blew in the wind. I remember there was a tank with water in it, with lots of minions. We looked at those little fish with the fascination while Grampi moved the animals. The goats were happy to see us. Mine was white, and Grampi gave me a julie mango to give it. It took it whole, moved it around in its mouth, then spat out the seed! I thought this was hilarious! And totally worth the trip!
I don’t remember the walk home. Probably because it was mostly downhill. But I do remember that not long after Grampi was sad, because his cow was trying to eat leaves off the tree it was tethered to, and its chain got caught and it ended up hanging itself. A tasty curry, and no cow to terrorize me, seemed a good deal to me!
There was our Heaven
tending sheep and cows,
sliding down hillsides on
cardboard and the laughter
of children.
There was our Heaven,
stoning mangoes and
feeding them to goats just
to watch them spit
out the seed.
There was our Heaven,
where the wind blew through
wavy grass and we
fished tadpoles from the tank
and sang to the sea.
There was our Heaven,
where quietly we wondered why
this hillside was named Paradise
when church and school taught
it was always elsewhere.
There was our Heaven,
On Paradise Hill,
we alone knew the truth of it,
but forgot again on each
trek homewards