Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The School Holidays


Image1: Norman and Kimie at the Club pool. It is a hot day.They like it here, it is the bigger pool now, no more wading pool for them.

 Image2: Chow-time at the Pool Terrace. A welcomed tuck in after the swim.

Image3: From Left : Dickson (Chinese) Kimie, Big Daniel ( of Malay/Australian parentage)
Small Daniel (of Portuguese/French parentage) and Norman, resting in between takes

 Image4: Play Station with Small Daniel, Kimie and Norman at other times

 Image5: Kimie with Naqip, my youngest grandchild

The school holidays are here
Let’s give a big hooray!
It affects one and sundry
The kids for a start
The parents having a respite
Snow elsewhere would be common
Visiting for the next few months
But in  our part of the world

It is clear, sunny and warm
An occasional shower and thunderstorm
Or when the heavens erupt
With Bangkok getting all the floods
The end of year is often notorious
Heavy rains a normal recourse

At other times hot and sunny
At the club Norman and Kimie
No more the kiddie wading pool
Being allowed in the big pool is cool
Frolicking in the hot sun
Of noodles and rice an early lunch
Into the Club Library they then adjourned 

Later in the afternoon
The neighborhood kids came on
For their ‘sessions’ of  PS2 or PSP
Or a game of Monopoly
They’ll be around now more often
Staying on till late afternoon
A mixed potpourri of a peer group
Sometimes alone or at times a crowd
Small Daniel, Dickson,
Imran, Big Daniel their friends 
Sara Ayesha, Naqib and Nabil
are of  my third generation

Such a crowd forgetting themselves
on certain occasions
A little rowdiness quite rarely
Otherwise like other kids
they are exemplary 

Submitted to d'Verse week#19

13 comments:

  1. The best place to be is at the grandparents! It is fun and relaxing to see the children playing and spending leisure time. It is a relief time for parents. My youngest is taking his SPM now, soon, it will be a real relief that I am not sure I am ready for. I think I'll blog about that :)

    Wonderful poem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. School holidays are the same the world over, I love to see how excited my grandson gets prior to their beginning.
    Loved the poem and of course the photo's, Excellent post Hank.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  3. nice...my boys have been off all week so i have gotten to play with them a whole lot more...we leave this evening for the in laws, their grandparents for the holiday...i love these holidays as much as they...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep still remember I could not wait for every holiday, less school and more time to play. Sounds like a grand old time as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oceangirl - Once they fly the nest you'll yearn for their presence again. Interesting experience, yes!
    Yvonne - Rightly so
    Brian - The parents get to go for a holiday! The kids just happened to be there!
    Pat - It has been great!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful capture of those moments! Thanks for sharing with us...middle of a snow storm here, so I was really taken with the pics and the thought of sunshine!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always go to my grandparents. They spoil us. Hahaha... I love this post Pareng Hank..

    JJRod'z

    ReplyDelete
  8. Natasha,
    My grandchildren would love the snows. We need to go over. Here it is just rain and sunshine.

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  9. ParengJJ,
    The kids will get anything and everything with their gramps.The bond is classic and the same everywhere,I'm sure!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  10. holidays... happiest of all moments :D
    Even today when we get holidays in college.. excitement is same.. :)

    Nice read Hank !!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes, there's something about school holidays that no holiday in later life can ever recapture. Excellent post.

    ReplyDelete
  12. How fun! The pictures are adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jyoti - College holidays, school holidays, the feelings and joys are the same but the activities differ
    Dave - Very true, a special experience
    Mama Zen - Thanks

    Hank

    ReplyDelete