The Early Year – The Wooden House 2

There are narrow steps leading to the top of the hill. Up there is the pride and joy of Grandma and Grandpa. They have planted many fruits tree – bananas, guava, jackfruits, rambutans etc. and a small plot of vegetables. The fruits and vegetables were somehow nicer and sweeter to eat. It could be because the fruits and vegetable were allowed to mature with nutrients before harvesting unlike today fruits and vegetable were harvested while they were half matured.

They also reared chickens and ducks for eggs and meat. We were never allowed to go out by ourselves to the hill because there were snakes and iguanas lurking around to eat little naughty kids like us. Sometime chickens or ducks went missing because of the iguanas. There was a rear occasion when an iguana was caught by the neighbour and they gave it to us. Dad skinned the iguana and cooked it for dinner. I cannot remember how it tastes; I supposed it was like eating chicken.

On one Chinese New Year, when the adults were having a party of their own, my elder brother and I sneaked up to the top of the hill. We started to pluck guavas and my elder brother got ambitious. He climbed up the tree and while he was reaching out for the fruits, he slipped and felled. He felled on top of the chicken coop zinc roof with such a loud bang. It sent the adults scuttling up the hill and was surprised to see both of us were laughing our head off. Since it was CNY, we got a stern lecture to never do it again instead of a whacking.

In the old days there were no television and computer games, yet we were never bored. We spent out time exploring our surrounding, catching spiders, playing with ants and chasing butterflies. Someday we get to help Grandpa and Grandma and on rare occasion we get to chase chickens or ducks and try to capture them when they broke free from the coop. There are also squirrels in the garden and flying foxes at night. Our Indian neighbour would now and then invite us over to his house. We would play with his children and explored his garden. Everyday is a different day with new things to discover.

Grandma would have us look out for pregnant mice and watched them where they make their home. She would wait for the young mice to be born. She, then, would take them and swallow it down and washed it down with some brandy. She said “it will keep me warm, strong & healthy." Everyday she would collect 2 eggs as soon it is laid and while it is still warm, she would prick a hole on the top of the eggs and sucked out the egg white and yoke. I guess she is right because she lived up to 98 years old and would have lived longer if she did not have a fall.