h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would just like to say what a pleasure it was to read your writing on hopscotch.
I would love to have a good talk to you about the old childhood games.
They cost nothing to play,lasted for hours and we got plenty of pleasure from them to.
Many thanks again for the memories.

Thanks for your reaction.
I've got RSI in my hands these days, otherwise I'd love to share more memories/thoughts and feelings about children's plays.

Anyhow, to me it belonged to a save world, like the moon and stars, snowflakes, donkys, circus, changing cloths,hiding in the forest,
fireworks at dec. 31, iceskating, etc. etc.

I am glad I have "infected" my four grown-up daughters with it.


Fantasy/imagination is an elemtary ingredient of life, as long as we live, isn't it?


Greatings from Amsterdam,

Alfredo

In my very early years in this big world I wanted to be able to fly a kite.
So for my birthdays I asked one and got it.

I had seen kites flying at the beach (of Holland) and that was for me the trigger to ask one.

So one day I went to the beach with my mother and one of my elder sisters. When we reached the waterline my sister hold the fly in her hand and I walked away with the rope in my hand, but try after try he went up for a second and went down as if it was its destination to do so.

Well, “let it be” said my sister.
By these words I was shocked, because I interpreted her words as; “I will not bother you anymore”, while I wanted to try it as long as needed.
I kept my wishes silent.

As far as I can recall , I asked at another birthday again for another kite.
I don’t recollect any victory, so my dream went to his knees.

These days I am about half a century older, and I still have the same wish; to fly a kite all by myself.
And in this year there seemed to be a chance to do it, because I do have
My own room in a farmhouse of a prior love, in the middle of nowhere at the border with Belgium.
Wind, space, silence and three kites that I had bought about ten years ago, but I could never find any help and opportunity to do it.

I took the smallest one with just one rope and try to fix all the parts in the right way, including one long colourful tail.
And running with the rope in my hand it díd indeed go up in the sky, but not for long.
I concluded that if I might change the balance of the kite, I might succeed. So I connected anóther tail at it.

I rán anway with my rope in one hand, and there it went; all away up in the sky!
Higher and higher!
Glorious and joyfully!

It was my own dream come true; all by myself, all for myself.
What a joy did I feel and of course I made many pictures of it.
Sometimes the wind created with my kite its own “paintings”,
and especially with sunset the image could be really impressive.

Yés, I did it.
Yés, I did enjoy it.
Yés, I did repeat it.
And
Yés, I will repeat it many times in the time to come.



It reminds me of the song of the Small Faces in the sixtees.
"Itchycoo parc"

Quote;
“What do we do there? Well get high.
What will we touch there? We'll touch the sky.
But why the tears there? I'll tell you why.

It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
I feel inclined to blow my mind .......
It's all too beautiful “.
End Quote from the last verse of "Itchycoo parc".


Althoug my own order was different.
First I “touched the sky” with my very own kite
and because of that
“I went high!!”.



Alfredo, Amsterdam June 2005.

Here is my photoblog with pictures of my flying kite and me, these days.


http://www.20six.nl/magician1