Taexalia

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My Hut … Memories From The Belt Croft

Taexalia and Polly

Taexalia and Polly

When I was a child I had the luxury of spending most of the school holidays on my Granda's croft, away from the city. I remember when Granda's car would arrive to take us on the long journey to Belt Croft. I say long journey because it always seemed to take forever to get there, yet as an adult I know it must have only been an hour or so. Funny how things always seem so much bigger in a child's mind.

I remember the year I "built a hut" for myself in a corner of the garden. I had found my way into the bushes and discovered an area that would make a perfect hideaway. The ground was riddled with "weeds" and I set myself the task of clearing the floor. I remember I found a piece of metal on Granda's workbench and I used that as a knife, trowel and general tool of great usefulness. I can see my small hands in my mind's eye and I can feel the myriad of cuts and grazes they suffered as I worked every day to create my secret hideout.

The "hut" had no walls and no roof ~ the hedges, shrubs and small trees protected me even when it was raining, although in fairness to Grandma she would always ensure I was inside when it was bucketing!

The first year of my hut was the best, it was still "a secret" ~ although I'm sure Granda and Grandma really did know what was going on. It was the summer of making it, of clearing the space, finding things I wanted to keep in it and feeling like I had a space of my own.

Naturally it wasn't long before my siblings caught wind of it and there were takeover bids, invasions and tantrums. I remember a sense of defeat as I thought I had finally found a place that was just mine, and here I had to give in and share this too.

I remember when I found an abandoned, lichen covered old gate. I humphed it round to my den and fixed it up and, looking back, I'm amused at my childhood self who started out making a wild space and resorted to human-made methods of trying to set boundaries.

I remember the best part of my hut was the creation process ~ the hard work, blisters and cuts, the monotonous grind of the weed cutting (you may note that the siblings did not appear for their share until that part was done!). I had a vision and I made it real.

What will I envision today?

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Posted on June 30, 2007 in Memories, Wordy.

One Response to “My Hut … Memories From The Belt Croft”

  1. Misssy M says:
    June 30, 2007 at 5:57 pm

    Am loving that photo.

    My gran’s house went on the market recently- very sad. I know what you mean about everything being bigger as a child. I used to think her garden was massive and her tree at the front was the best for climbing and hiding in, when in fact the tree is nothing more than a big shrub and the garden is tiny.

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