I’m sure we’ve all played with a toy boat in out lives. Even if we’ve not been near the sea, lake or river… there was always a puddle big enough to accommodate an ice cream stick sporting something resembling a sail.
I remember, as a small boy being sent off to somewhere in the middle of nowhere, to start school. The family decision made without my input… well, my aunt taught at the school, so… I would slot into the system seamlessly. The theory.
I remember being a little weed who was often picked on. No such thing as bullying… you were junior so you had to go through the junior initiation… polish the bigger boy’s shoes… make their beds, sweep the dorm floor, that kind of thing. Yep… it was the same every year… the juniors got the treatment. Trust my luck, in my first (and only) year there was only one new boy in the dorm… ME!
Something else I vividly remember… and will always remember when I walk past a mature pine tree. We carved little boat hulls from the large chunks of bark we prized off the tall pines in the playground. Sometimes the handy work would take days… fluid dynamics wasn’t a well-known science in the hinterland. Boy… did we have fun with our handmade craft.
So, if you’d like to join in this week’s Tuesday 200 word challenge then please:
- Create your own post and title it – T200 - Boats…
- Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it…
- Get your post in by next Monday as the new T200 is sure to arrive the following day
- Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.
- Good luck… it’s only a bit of fun so do enjoy your participation…
Today’s photo was taken in Alvor, in the Algarve. I dream of retiring somewhere along that coast one day… well, moving there to pursue a full-time writing career… dream, yes… I will continue!
I used the photo as the cover for my first novel over on the site where I first uploaded a portion of the book… click here if you feel like having a look. Flip, the picture sure brings back memories… thanks Diane for prompting the idea…
PS – For those who care… the middle of nowhere was Springfontein, in the Free State. In later life I drove by quite often, to and from home hundreds of miles away. Somehow, I never managed to take the turn-off into the village, even though the school and dorm are clearly visible from the motorway…
Paper boats on my Grandmother’s lake.
That sounds like fun… I hope that’s the title of your 200 worder!!
I’m strongly considdering sending Chaos Boy to boarding school, but I’m afraid he will never survive it being a very small boy and most likely the one they would pick on
He may also have fun? No… to be honest… I wouldn’t like to send my children away when they’re small, they need their parents!