Sian, she of the good ideas, is hosting a monthly story telling club. I really love to join in with this. I love to read other peoples stories but an added extra is that the stories sometimes spark off memories in me that I had long forgotten … like this one.
Actually, I wasn’t going to join in Sian’s story telling Sunday today because I wrote a story last week, for today, but reading it again last night, I decided not to publish it. But then this came to light this afternoon.
Last week I was visiting at Project 64 for the Yellow Orange challenge and came across this picture.
It brought back a memory so I wrote to Lili and asked her permission to use it. Of course she said yes!
When I was a young girl the walk to the shops or church involved walking past a couple of houses I didn’t like going past, both for different reasons.
One house had a lot of ‘big boys’ living there. They had cars and bikes and ‘things’ all over the front of the garden so I avoided it because it scared me. I can understand that even today.
The other house actually belonged to my mother’s friend Grace. She was not scary at all, rather nice in fact but, in her garden there was a huge bed of extremely tall Kniphofia. They used to scare the wits out of me! They were taller than me and waved about menacingly as soon as I went near them. I couldn’t bear to look at them, the colours were horrible and I thought that if one touched me I would surely die!
No, I have no idea why I had such a vivid imagination. Probably having lots of horrid brothers didn’t help.
My mother said that it was only a poor ‘ole plant, it had a pretty red and orange flowers.
No it wasn’t pretty! and it was called Red Hot Poker! For goodness sake even the name is scary. Perhaps it would burn me to death! I think I thought they might be the flowers of hell. Well, do you know I still can’t bear to look at them! I don’t think they are in the least bit pretty and I don’t really like red or orange and yellow together.
Thank you Lili, your picture is beautiful and not scary but to me the flower is not beautiful and it is still scary.
There will be wonderful stories over here today, take a look?
It is a beautiful picture. Isn’t it funny, the things like that we are frightened of and can still remember? I was frightened of visiting my friend down the road because I had to go past a house with a very loud poodle called Sooty – see, I can even remember his name!
Thank you for taking the time to do another story (and I hope the first one was good to write, even if it turned out not to be for sharing). It’s always good to see your name on the list!
Funny how we get these things into our heads! (Though I can relate to the unwillingness to walk past the ‘big boys’…..)
Isn’t it funny how things can spark memories? I love this story, thanks for sharing.
A great memory – funny how an image can provide a spark!
The strangest things bring back a memory…and I don’t like red hot pokers either.
I’ve not seen this flower before… it is odd looking, not one I would think to have in my garden 🙂 I enjoyed reading your story Miriam!
they are very strange flowers though I have not hard of someone being frightened of them before! I think our childhood imanginations are amazing and there is still ahouse near my parents that fills me with a sense of foreboding, with probably no real cause!
I remember walking two extra blocks to school to avoid a yard with big dogs. I was afraid of dogs until I was an adult. This is a wonderful story, and a beautiful photo. It’s so interesting how fears come upon us, and how, they stay with us for many years.
Glad I could help. Anytime and thank you for the mention.
What a great story! I think those sorts of fears must come from some ancient, scary encounter.
Rinda
Lovely photo. Isn’t it funny the things that get into a child’s imagination? Mind you, I wouldn’t have wanted to go past the ‘big boys’ house either!
Interesting story – I think they are beautiful but can imagine that they are a bit alien to small children!
What a story! Love it! I vividly remember not being able to sleep for a good few nights after I accidentally caught a glimpse of one of the scary bits in ‘The Triffids’ TV program. I was so frightened because there are plants everywhere and so if they turned bad, no-one would ever be safe. It’s amazing to think what tall tales one’s childhood mind could produce.
I don’t like red hot pokers either, I can totally see why you wouldn’t want to go near them as a child, LOL! Love your story …