Ruby Henderson - Past & present: something precious 2021!

Photobook from Australia

Present:

I flip through the pages of the pictures, each one a memory captured. The cornflower blue leather is smooth under my fingers, the white thread bumpy along the edges. The black inside cover is slightly fluffy, with its tiny grey circular indents in rows across the page. Light from my window dances across the plastic film holding the pictures in place. At the bottom of each one is date and time in black-bordered orange letters; 27/04/2015 09:27, the first picture says. The picture curls as I flip the page. With the new pictures come new memories.

Past:

27/04/2015 16:13 - We had just arrived on the Gold Coast. As we exited the airport I spotted a tree. Its branches hung low to the ground, the trunk barely existent. My 7 year old brain could only think of one thing to do. Climb it. So that's what I did. I raced over to the tree, and shook off my shoes. I promptly climbed the tree and clung to the branch like a sloth, but up the right way. The palm tree’s leaves swished in the warm breeze, while the waves splashed on the beach behind me.

28/04/2015 10:17 - The next day, once we had settled into our hotel, we went straight to the beach, as the heat was too much to bear! As soon as we got there, I sped into the water, splashing myself with the cool liquid relief. I hadn’t had long in the water when Mum called me back in. “Look what we found!” she called. I ran back to see Mum, Scott and Greta bending over something. It was grey and white with black and yellow spots. “Ew” I said as I realised what it was. It was a dead pufferfish. Its glassy black eyes popped out at me. Its spikes were in, following the grain like fur along its back. It was actually kind of cute with its big round structure.

04/05/2015 12:55 - We were at the zoo, in the insect section. They asked us if we wanted to hold one of the insects. I accepted. She gave me the massive tan-brown bug. Its body was big and the end of it curled like a scorpion’s tail. Its legs felt ticklish and weird against my hands as it gripped onto me and walked around. My mum complimented my bravery, saying things like “I could never do that!” as she clicked the photo.

Present:

As I look back at the photos now, I am so grateful that the photo album was put together. It has so many joyful and funny memories in it. I cannot help but laugh at the look on my face in the photo where I’m patting the kangaroos; the smile of ‘Mum, do you have to take a photo?’. It’s a smile I’ve used many times. I finally shut the book and throw it back into its box, my memories of that time pressed between its pages.

Lily Schaumann - Writing and correct tense usage.

I close my book, bored and with nothing to do. Suddenly I notice my pink and gold jewelry box, and I gently pull back the lid. As I look inside the light draws my eyes, reflecting off a pair of intricate golden earrings. I trace my finger along them, feeling the texture of the pattern and I smell the familiar metallic scent. I admire beautiful design, how it mesmerizingly catches light. Suddenly I remember who once owned these earrings and I imagine what their life was like.

Spain, from 1936 to 1939 the civil war raged. On one side was the Nationalists, lead by Fransisco Franco, a friend of Hitler and a dictator who had support from Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. On the other side were the Republicans led by Francisco Largo Caballero and Juan Negrín. The Nationalists eventually won. After the war, Spain was a wreck. Confusion and terror reigned as fear and greed overtook people. One person, jealous of my great grandparents' money, got them taken away for questioning, saying they were allied with the Republicans even though they didn’t take a side in the war. My Abuela, (grandmother), Isolina, had her parents taken away from her and had to live with her cousins.

Years later, she got married and had a child and despite not knowing any English, my grandparents decided to move to New Zealand. Along with them came a pair of gold earrings, with the charro button, the symbol of salamanca, the region of Spain that the town Bejar is in. My grandfather grew up in Bejar, and it was where my grandparents met.

Thirteen years later, my Mum was born, and then eventually so was I. Sadly when I was young my Abuela died and I have no memories of her but I will always have a place for her in my heart. The earrings were then passed to my Mum, who eventually passed them to me.

As I look at the earrings, I wonder about her life and what she would be like now. I pick up the earrings and put them on, feeling strong, special and close to my Abuela.

Rosa Van Turnhout - Past & present: something precious 2021!

Present

I look at the clock, it reads 10 o’clock. I slowly make my way to my bedroom. I lift the covers of my warm bed and see a face looking back at me, a smile spreads across my face. I pick the item up, a small brown toy dog that looks a million years old. The stuffing from its eye is coming out and there are lots of extra stitches where I have tried to cover up any splits or holes. The dog sewn mouth is in a huge smile and its paws are filled with quickly escaping grit and sand because its purpose was to be a doorstop. I stand there for a while and admire the toy I have had for so many years and all the memories flood back.

Past

When I was probably three or four my family decided to go visit my dad’s brother (my uncle) in Perth in Australia. My mum, my dad, my nana and my sister all packed our bags and flew to Australia. When we arrived all I remember was these two massive Staffie cross dogs running up to me, my mum who at the time was a bit afraid of dogs jumped back but I ran up to the dogs and hugged them. The dog’s names were Daisy and Maddie and although they looked like two big scary dogs they were the biggest softies you would ever meet. Everyone was very surprised that I loved my uncle and aunt’s dogs so much but I spent almost every minute with them. A few days into the trip my nana, my mum, my aunty and I all went out for lunch. They lived very far out from Perth in the outback but there was a nice garden that had a small shop next to it so we pulled in there. We had our lunch and then my nana (Eileen) took me into the shop. At the time I was very young so I wanted everything in sight but I especially wanted the toy dog that I saw in front of me. My nana brought it for me and we headed home. When I got there I named the dog Daisy after my uncle’s dog.

Now that I think about it, the reason that this dog is so special to me is because of my nana. A few months after we got back from Australia my nana was diagnosed with skin cancer and she only had a few weeks to live. She passed after about 2 weeks. Every single night since I got back from Australia that toy had been beside me and had been all over the world with me it gives me a feeling of connection to my nana.

Present

Now and then I think about all the memories I have had with this toy dog and although it is a bit childish I love it so much. After I have thought about some of these memories I head to my laundry, I bend down and whisper “goodnight Daisy” to my 8-month-old puppy, who I named after my toy. I feel very connected to my Nana through my dog and it is kinda like my secret gift to her naming my dog Daisy.