MEMORIES FROM ZIMBABWE

I have seen similar lists over the years, but this one made me stop and think about things 'back home' and say a quick prayer for many people I know still living in Zim ... and if some of them mean absolutely nothing to you, find a Zimbo to explain what you missed out on in life!

You played "Bezant" at midnight, full of Castle and ended up in the rockery

You shot every snake you saw even though you knew they were essential to the balance of nature

You argued that Castle was for men and Lion was for kids and pommies

You still refer to felt-tip pens as Neos

You still have Wrex Tarr's LPs

You remember Christmas beetles

You played in a sand pit and on the jungle jim

You remember Jacaranda trees in full bloom, followed by the Flambouyant trees

You still remember the taste of Mazoe Orange Juice

You still refer to an expert as a "fundi"

You still say "braai" instead of "barbeque", "kopje" instead of "hill" and "gomo" instead of mountain.

You had waffles and ice-cream soda in the Barbours tea-room whilst your mom had tea and a toasted and buttered fruit bun.

The following names mean something to you: "Archies", "Sandros" "Bretts" "Le Coq D'or" and "the Tube"

You sat at Castle Corner and don't remember who won the cricket
match

You were there when the "chicken farmer" beat England

You think the "All Blacks" are the Zim tennis team

You thought that an evening at the Reps Theatre was the height of culture

You still call a Mongolian restaurant a "Manchurian"

You loved the Choc 99’s from the Dairy Den

You know at least one person who has streaked at the Harare Cricket
grounds

thought the Borrowdale Road was a motorway

You wore Bubblegummers for the first years of your life and Toughees thereafter until your old man thought you were ready for vellies

You cleaned out the stocks of Liqui Fruit, Nik Naks and canned drinks in Messina as soon as you got over the border

You cannot be convinced that anyone other than Lions Den Butchery made the best biltong in the world

You spent 5 glorious days on a houseboat on Kariba, more than once

You own at least 5 different Colmans and they are all decrepit

The best day of your life was when your Dad gave you a 22 to replace that underpowered peashooter of a pellet gun

You see absolutely no use for sun cream

You always thought Simon Parkinson should pack it in and when he did you nearly cried

You owned a pair of blue or red patapatas

You had breakfast at Wimpy at the country's only Ultra City just outside Masvingo on the way to the border

You had to wait for yonks to get your metal ID disk

You freewheeled down any sort of hill to save fuel; you remember petrol rationing coupons

You watched many a movie at the Mabelreign or NiteStar drive-in

You remember when Noreen Welch laughed on national TV and got sacked

You knew someone no matter where you went

You swam in a gala at Les Brown swimming pool

You remember party line telephone and had to listen for your ring before you could answer the phone

You thought Chicken Inn burgers were the best in the world

You remember the socializing that went on in the early petrol queues

You knew Neil at the cricket