MARBLES

I have an African Violet on the table by the patio door and I caught sight of this colourful marble in the saucer ...

This got me thinking about the games we used to play when we were children.  Yes, girls also used to play, but we never mastered the real boy-technique of holding the marble in the hollow of a bent forefinger, and being able to send marble shooting away by flicking it with a thumbnail.  We opted for the sissy-thing of tossing them underhand and then trying to hit the ghoen in the circle.  The boys were more adventurous and enthusiastic, and amid cheers and jeers, attempted to mark the opponent’s marble and chip a piece off!  This would then be a very proud trophy to take home and show to Mom and whoever else was interested.    Dougie used to ask Mom’s permission to go and “titch Thomas” in the afternoons.  (Thomas being his main opponent) I always wondered what that meant, but assumed that someday the great secret would be shared with me.  The “twaksakkie” with precious trophies was carefully guarded and hidden away from younger siblings who had absolutely NO idea of the blood-sweat-and-tears shed to obtain them!

One of my favourite pastimes was to hold a particularly colourful “alie” close to my eye and look against the bright light to see the kaleidoscope of colours ... and to turn it around, only to see a new vision of the little miracle between my fingers.  Just picture this : a little girl with scrunched up face, one eye closed, one eye open, face all creased in concentration, examining this little gem ... that was me – on my own little planet of make-believe!

I always wondered how on earth this little masterpiece was created.  In my child’s mind, I was in absolute awe to imagine that there could be such an intelligent being who could insert rainbow colours into this glass orb.  Surely, it was nothing short of a miracle.

I watched an interesting programme on TV recently, and even today with all the modern technology, the creation of these gems is really complicated and time consuming.  55 years ago it must have been even more so.

Now, this topic is making me feel really old, and hopefully I don’t sound like an oldie who has nothing better to do, than to sit and ponder days gone by.  I am fired with enthusiasm to do all my wonderful hobbies and exciting creative things which I sadly neglected while I was a working mother.

Whenever I feel a little glum or under the weather, I think of the colourful marble and the bright sunlight, and this gives me joy, lust for life and drive to conquer the day which lies ahead!