Down my memory lane

This Sunday was hot & sunny after a week of long rain. We were on a long day out to a nearby swimming pool. We were going by walk as it is within a short distance to our house. On our way we had to pass through a pathway streamlined by trees on both sides. As it was not a residential area, I felt calm & peaceful with a cool breeze following us which made my mind peep into the memoirs of my childhood.
When I was a kid, every summer we used to visit our grandparents place for holidays. My mother’s parents used to stay in a city while my father’s parents place was a village which gave us quite different and pleasant experiences in both the places.
I and my brother used to await a lot for our summer holidays to enjoy at our grandparents place.
As I told, my mother’s town is a city and my grandparent’s house is on the roadside. The house is quite small with tiled roof, two coconut trees planted on each side and a huge backyard with so many trees.
There were 2 varieties of Jasmine, Kanakambaram, Maruvam plants on one side. All types of green vegetable plants, tomato plants, brinjal plants on one side and all fruit bearing plants are on the other side. The taste of custard apples, papayas from the trees were so sweet that I can sense it even now whenever I remind about it. We used to watch the vehicles on the road & the monkeys passing by, sitting in front of the house in shade during mornings after breakfast. We used to play in the backyard in evenings and enjoy our dinner in the moonlight and sleep outside in the backyard, solving the riddles posed by our grandfather. Those days were really sweet and memorable. Of course sometimes scary too, when we found snakes hiding inside the Jasmine bushes.
Coming to our father’s village, it is a very small village having nearly 150 – 200 houses. Our grandparents house is at the end of a small lane with only one house and a rice mill opposite to it. There was a well in the backyard and lots of open space with full of greenery on one side of the house. And we used to compete to drag the water from the well. We used to play all the day in the shades of the trees beside the house. My father’s elder sister used to stay in the same village and her house is nearby to our grandparents house but on the roadside. We used to shuttle ourselves to both the houses and enjoy a lot. Sometimes we used to go to the lake on the outskirts of the village with our cousins. We used to play hide & seek under the huge banyan trees nearby the lake while our cousins were enjoying their swimming. And we used to swing holding the huge banyan roots hanging from the trees and feel lots of fun.
There was no power in our grandparents village earlier when we were too small and hence used to have our dinner by 6pm and go to bed by 7pm. We used to sleep in the moonlight on the house top. There were no steps to reach the top. There was a ladder and we used to love to climb it up to reach the top of the house carrying our pillows, our parents bringing the bedding. Sleeping on the floor & counting the stars at night was really enjoyable to us.
Especially during Diwali all of us including our uncles, aunts & cousins used to gather at our grandparents house to celebrate Diwali nomulu. All the kids used to have lots & lots of fun getting the lotus flowers, banyan roots, etc., etc. for the pooja. Elders used to fast till evening, when the priest c0mes and perform pooja. Then all of us used to enjoy our dinner with delicious prasadams.

Though our grandparents are not with us now, the memories are as new & fresh.

 

Thank you for the quick fb Sreema.
I am glad that you enjoyed my post.
As you said, childhood memories are indeed green good memories which cannot be easily erased.

Regards,
Latha.

 

Hi Sunitha,
Thanks for dropping by here dear and I am glad that you liked it.

Regards,
Latha.

 

Indeed those are very precious memories for me.
I am happy that my post reminded you of your own sweet memoirs with your grandparents.
Thanks for peeping into my blog dear.

Regards,
Latha.

 

Thanks for liking my post Bhargavi dear.

 

I am glad that you liked it RGS.

Regards,
Latha.