It’s funny how your senses can trigger a flashback to another time and place. Sometimes a smell can take you right back to an event that you’d completely forgotten about. For me, there is a particular song that always takes me back to one childhood summer: Sonia Dada – Lover (You Don’t Treat Me No Good No More). I don’t hear it very often any more but whenever it comes on the radio I’m transported back to the early 90s. My sister had bought the cassingle (hands up if you can remember cassingles!) and my Dad loved the song. Whenever we got into the car, he’d put it on and sing loudly. Luckily it was usually just my sister, our cousins and I in the car, so it wasn’t too embarrassing!
It was one of those gorgeous summers when you’re a child and you’ve got no worries in the world. We had Christmas at my grandparents place in Bunbury which was always fun. They had a quarter acre block with the most gorgeous garden. All the aunts, uncles and cousins would converge and there would be many a game of backyard cricket, badminton, table tennis or aleasheo. When you needed time to chill out, you could take a book and lie in the hammock under the shady trees. If the weather was right, we’d go crabbing and fishing in the estuary. I honestly don’t know how we managed to fit so many people in my grandparents tiny boat, but I guess we were all a lot smaller then!
Granny always had a supply of home-made biscuits we could raid; almond bread, father’s favourites, melting moments and if it was anyone’s birthday then there was a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries on top. There was also always a pot of tea on the go – made with tealeaves thank you very much. To this day, whenever I see a pot of tea I think of my grandparents.
So whenever I hear Sonia Dada on the radio, I think about that Christmas, I remember my Dad singing and I smile.
What triggers good memories for you?
