Writing 101, Day eleven: My home when I was 12

 

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Tell us about the home where you lived when you were twelve. Which town, city, or country? Was it a house or an apartment? A boarding schoolor foster home? An airstream or an RV? Who lived there with you?

Today’s twist: pay attention to your sentence lengths and use short, medium, and long sentences as you compose your response about the home you lived in when you were twelve.

 

June 19, 2014

 

My home, to me as a twelve year old girl, was a house in a rural area called Erasmia in South Africa. I lived there for 5 years with my parents and two sisters.

There were not many houses at that time. Today it is a town on its own and also a suburb of Pretoria(today called Tswane).

This house, in Peter Street, had three bedrooms, a kitchen- big enough to house a dining table, a lounge, bathroom and toilet.

I shared a bedroom with my younger sister . We each had a bed that was folded  up against the wall during the day. On top was a shelve from which hang a curtain to cover it up. When using the beds at night, we had to make sure that the two front legs were wide open.  It happened at times that, while turning around in my sleep, the legs would collapse. It was quite a shock when you suddenly fall out of bed! I can still remember it clearly!

The kitchen was the best place to be. Most of our daily activities took place there. We had a black Esse wood stove. My mother baked delicious dishes in it. Wintertime it was warm and cosy in the kitchen. My parents usually closed the inner door to keep it lovely and warm. We would sit around the table and listen to the radio. First the news at 7pm and the bible reading at quarter past(boeke vat) . The best was the evening story 7:30 pm – “Die geheim van Nantes” and/or “Die de Plooys van Soetmelksvlei.”

I can’t remember much more of the house. It had three round windows in the front. This was kind of unusual for those days. There was a small “stoep”(veranda) at the side. A double door let you through to the lounge.

The garden was quite big. It went up a hill or “koppie”. At the top were big boulders and some tall trees. We loved to play there. It felt like in the jungle. All covered between the branches. Nobody could see us when we were up there. We usually played Tarzan and the apes. We climbed these trees like real monkeys.

At the bottom of this hill there was a chicken run. We always had hens and fresh laid eggs. There were also turkeys – they were for Christmas time!

This is all I can Remember at the moment. 

The “Koppie” and front of the house with its round windows.

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More photos of  my home at 12

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Writing 101: day eight : Death to adverbs

Thursday morning I went to our Mall

sat down and did a lot of writing

because day eight was:

Go to a local café, park, or public place and report on what you see. Get detailed: leave no nuance behind.

 

12 o’clock, lunch time for many. I am sitting on a wooden bench against a wall in our Mall in Upper Hutt.

On my left there is one of those  glass boxes in which you put $2 and  use an electric arm with claws  to pick up one of the objects in the box. It is a red one and there are big toy bears, dogs and colorful birds to pick. To my right are 3 more of these show cases. On the side of the one nearest to me are the following words  “Win every time”. In it are sweets and balls to win. It is a yellow one..In the middle is a pink colored one where you can play some games paying $2 for a game. They call this one”prize cascade”. The third one is blue and  has some chocolates in it to pick with the electric arm.They call it “Kiwikrane”.On each one is the company name: Prize out.

Also on my right hand side is our  Paper plus shop. The sign above the door is in blue with Paper Plus, Kiwi on green Bank on red and last Post shop on red.All the writing is in white on the different colored backgrounds. Before entering  the door there are tables with novels  for sale. $20 each. On the right hand side of the door is a display window with flags of different countries. Also some books and objects,  telling about the Soccer World cup starting tomorrow.On the left hand side of the door is a sign :

Lotto… Play here.

Opposite me, is Farmers, a big chain shop. Big signs say red dot sale with also some 50% off the price items.The wall above the shops windows and doors are a light green. There are glass panels in the ceiling to let in some natural light.

Ladies are walking past me some with shopping bags, some without. Some are in a hurry some just sauntering around. Young mothers with push- prams. Mothers holding toddlers hands. One toddler plays with the lid of a pink rubbish bin. The mother takes her hand and walks away. The pink bin belongs to a small kiosk that sells ice cream. It is painted in pink and is called Wendy’s . Everybody is dressed warmly in jackets,coats, hats and warm woolies. A toddler wears a blue hat with small bear like ears, very cute! It is nice and warm in the Mall.

Also straight in front of me is an open coffee shop next to an escalator. There is also a ramp for people riding their mobility scooters. Also useful for trolleys to go down to the ground floor. Right in front of me is also an ATM with  people using  it to get hold of cash.Then to my left is the Ware House which I can’t  see because the Wendy kiosk is in the way.

The floor has got white shiny tiles. A cleaner with a broom is keeping the floor clean.An elderly gentleman joined me on the bench. He is reading his phone and resting a while.

 

 

Thoughtful writers create meaning by choosing precise words to create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind. As you strive to create strong imagery

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