Friday 3 July 2009

Joys of Childhood 2



The poor mother of these two was in a no-win situation: my father wanted this little girl down. NOW! And there was no way in God's heaven that this little miss was having any of this whatsoever. She had a ball! She worked so hard that her poor mother - who was standing underneath most of the time - had to strip her down to just bright pink knickers at one stage! Dad reckons the mother was just there to break the fall! But there was no way she was going to fall ...



And the reason is before our eyes: her brother was beside her during the climb. His hand at her elbow ... just in case! I took him to be 7 or 8 and the girl to be 3 or 4. It was a joy to watch. Wish I had recorded Dad's constant chatter for you ...

Sydney Park, the old Bee-hive kilns, St Peters

11 comments:

Lowell said...

Reminds me so much of our youngest granddaughter...has no fear and cannot be dissuaded by old people who she is convinced just don't have a clue as to how competent she really is!

Great shots and commentary. I'd love to have heard your dad, too!

Joan Elizabeth said...

I love the top shot but it is only when you get to the last shot that I understood why your dad was worried. There is such joy in the fearlessness of childhood ... for the kid.

Unknown said...

Looks like they are having fun!

Lois said...

My grandkids are the same way. These are marvelous pictures Julie!

Julie said...

I love you all ... but ... I am sans grandchildren just yet!!

Ann said...

Beautiful. Kids are fearless. They get wrapped in cotton wool a bit too much these days.

brattcat said...

These photographs are wonderful. Capturing these children taking on the challenges of the ropes with such confidence. I have hope for the world to see such children.

AB said...

I like the first shot - the girl's expression is wonderful.

Sally said...

Bloody hell ; I saw all those wedding people....we must have been crossing each others' path! They were going IN to the reception at the time; saw some ladies dressed in amazing Korean outfits.

Banjo52 said...

I think this is my first visit, Julie, but I'll be back. You're really giving me a sense of your city, but more importantly, some great scenes and humans regardless of place.

The red rope in this one seems full of implications, and it's a great example of what one component (force?) in a picture can do. The vibrancy of red (red-orange?) suggests life, of course, but it's also a tangle that resembles a prison for the boy. That apparent contradiction adds a whole lot of complexity to shots that could have been "merely" sweet.

Of course, I could also bring up red as blood, but you know from my blog that once I get started, I tend toward Too Much Information (or B.S., did I hear someone say?).

Again, great pics and text. I'll be dropping in from now on, and thanks for your help on Banjo52.blogspot.

Banjo52 said...

And one more thing . . . !!!

1. I realize there are two children, but the two of the boy alone stuck out for me.

2. Your pics here made me think of James Wright's poem, "Mutterings over the Crib of a Deaf Child." Especially since you like Yeats's "A Prayer for My Daughter," I thought you might want to read or re-read the Wright, which I must admit, still gives me chills. I found it here:

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2004/12/16