20 April 2014.
I have a very distinct memory of being eight years old,
standing on the stoep of our home in The Dry Dock of District Six. It was my
birthday and I had received 70 cents from my Uncle Boetie – a five bob and four
five cent coins. A fortune considering that Star sweets were four for a cent
and a packet of chips were two and half cents.
As I looked over the docks I could see a steamer being
tugged in and a flotilla of boats scattered in the Bay. The tallest building
was the Sanlam building which indicated the time digitally. It was an Indian
summer’s day and I was considering which ice cream to buy – a two gun Charlie
or an ice cream in a wafer shaped like a rocket with sprinkles on top. I was also
considering buying a set of Ten jacks and a ball from the Sweeteries in Hanover
Street and in my mind’s eye I could see jars and jars of candy – sugas and
meetofbos and licorice ropes and sherbet and almond rock and amadia blokkies
-the feeling of pure joy…
Fifty little birds came visiting on Thursday, so cute and
fluttering, wearing sunhats sun protective cream! Eight and nine year olds with
their teachers and parent support - enjoying the morning and left when the bell
tolled 12 times.
It was exciting but so hectic, teachers of the Foundation
Phase – take a bow! Zakiyyah you have the most amazing techniques of class
control and it works! So we greeted, welcomed and chatted about the benefits
and hadith of planting and how whenever we plant a seed with Bismillah we are
performing an ibadah! I showed them the development of the lemon tree from a
seedling to a “teenager” to an adult plant – I am sure that they are going home
to cut open their Moms’ lemons to see whether the seeds look green enough to
plant.Zakiyyah explained too that in Australia many people plant lemon trees. When they fruit they are picked and put outside in brown paper packets inviting anyone to take them home and enjoy! I tried to imagine that in Schaapkraal, naaa let me rather not share my thoughts in public.
They lined up in neat little rows and we skipped over to the compost heap to see and understand how the manure, straw, garden and kitchen waste, wood chips and twigs all breakdown and turn into compost. Basil poked a stick right down in the middle a few times and when the steam came out we knew it was really cooking down there.
And over we traipsed to the strawberry section. Today
especially for the children, butterflies flew around in all colours, browns and
black and blue and speckled, alas someone caught a butterfly and broke its
tender wings, accidently I am sure. So we let it flutter down to the sand where
it would enrich the soil as well.
We broke off pieces of rocket, and either the children were
really hungry or they dared each other - but many of them popped it into their
mouths and asked for more. They were fascinated with the peas and beans
climbing up the wigwams and the tomatoes hanging and then we made holes with
our fingers and planted 5o spinach seeds. Ha, ha, ha lots of spinach for the
Ramadhan! Planting marigolds to attract bees and butterflies to pollinate the
plats really grabbed their attention. Ja, I said, the bees dip into the nectar
and the pollen cling to their legs and off they fly to the next and the next
thus pollinating all the flowers, without them we would have to do it by hand,
so we need honey bees for both the vegetables as well as the fruit trees, but
the fig trees are pollinated by fig wasps!
The also realised that almost anything can be recycled to
plant in – from a tea pot with a chipped spout to old baths and catering trays.
The pupils licked their lips when I said that from all the
strawberry plants we would harvest many strawberries and they promised to visit
again to pick some. And then they had a snack and ran around until it was time
for air kisses and goodbyes and poof, just like that they were gone.
The last week we experienced all kinds of bugs, lady bugs, crickets, beneficial bugs and alas those bugs that has one running from room to room with buckets for sick ones. Remember to put the good bugs back to all of those who have had a bad tummy bug - the pro biotics.
Yesterday, I sat in a circle, a circle that was a halqah of Egyptian women who came with their children to spend the day relaxing running around and chatting. Although my conversational Arabic leaves a lot to be desired I could understand most of the talks and Thikr.
What a warm group of women sitting and encouraging one another to improve themselves and their relationship with Allah. I loved it, and felt blessed to be a part of this group. As we said goodbyes Um Khalid and I smiled and she said: "Yasmina, how else could it have been remember that we knew each other since the Arawaag!"
Don't forget to plant food and each one teach one!
Yasmine
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