Now and Yester Days.

Sunshine-y day, not a cloud in the sky. It’s going to be a great day. Birds chirp sweetly as if welcoming the fresh morning breeze, saying hello, gliding smoothly, returning the wind's invisible hi five. Ah, yes. It's going to be a good day.

Walking down the street, the smell of freshly baked bread and cake wafts through the air. Almost pulling the luring imaginary Tom and Jerry finger, calling you in to taste the sweet treats. Adding to the tease is that great song you used to hear playing on the folks classic radio...What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWzrABouyeE :-)  

 Fuzzy warm feelings grip you as you get lost in the reality of now and yester days.

The family would drive out for a picnic, right after church. The whole family would meet up, dad and mum's siblings: all the uncles, aunts, cousins, their friends...everyone was there. The final destination would often remain unknown, almost top secret to you kids but that was the thrill. Knowing something good was going to happen and all you had to do is be patient.

Would we buy food or would our mum's miraculously pull out baskets and baskets of homemade yummy delights? What a tease! More often than not, homemade yummy delights would win the day. 

From special full flavoured meat casseroles served with rice, potatoes or chapatis to fresh fruit salad: yellow yellow bananas, green and red shiny grapes, pink juicy and seedy water melon....Oh those darn seed. Ah and red apples. So red and picture perfect that it would make you think they were the very apples Snow White's evil mother used on her. Thank God they were just really sweet and fortunately had no curse or spell. 

At the picnic the folks or older kids would spread out the big coloured blankets as the rest played, and the games varied. From hide and seek to tipo (what kids call tag nowadays) to stuck-in-the-mud to kati to card games and the list goes on, as did with the games. 

At times it would be a simple trick played by an uncle, aunt, dad or mum-like remember when Uncle Wambua would surprise you with a painful flick and you could never pay him back or how Aunt Mukeni would tickle you  till you laughed so hard that tears streamed down your face. Happy cry :-)  One could hear the laughs, chuckles all the way from the parking lot and times couldn't have been better.

 Driving home on, dad would switch on KBC radio and just as you drive past the bakery, and the sweet smell of freshly baked bread and cakes would tickle your nose and fancy, Louis Armstrong would affirm what a wonderful world and day it was...sort of like he did today. Ooh Yeah.