Winter

I can still remember the cold winters during my childhood in the little town where I grew up. The pipes would freeze so you had to wait for it to defrost before you could take a bath. Every morning there was a thick layer of ice on our front lawn, it never snowed but the morning dew had a thick layer.

My Dad used to return home early in the morning from his regular night shift and would brief my mother on the reading of his thermometer at work. Dad was funny in that way. We had a rain meter, and about 3 thermometers around the house. If there was rain he had to know how much. If it was cold, he had to know and had to get an up to the degree update. “It is –5 this morning”, I could hear him in the kithcen when my parents were having their morning coffee while we were curled up in bed waiting for my Mom to callus later on.

I can remember the naked trees that were robbed from their leaves by the morning breeze. I can remember the sound of the wind around the corners, a sound I would never forget and haven’t heard in a long long time. My sister and I shared a room and used to put all our blankets on one single bed and keep each other warm. Sometimes when she sleeps over in winter we still do that.

I miss the winters down there.

The Higveld would’nt know what a winter is if it bites it in the ass.