Dear Pericles,

That sounds great. Your grandmother had a front room. Pretentious folk had parlors (Oz - parlours). Most people in the small town my grandmother lived in kept their parlors reserved for special events such as weddings and funerals. We actually used our front room for reading, talking, listening and occasionally dancing.

Working up a bit on nostalgic smells. Please think of yours.

Oh my gosh.

Memories, so many come flooding back with
the right song...

Kokomo - Beach Boys

"Off the Florida Keys there's a place called Kokomo
That's where you wanna go to get away from it all
Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo Montego, baby why don't we go
OOh I wanna take you down to
Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we wanna go, way down in Kokomo.

Martinique, that Monserrat mystique..."

That song reminds me of my nine plus years in the US.
Those were the days ...

Then there's another song that brings a lump to my
throat...

"Underneath the lantern by the barrack gate
Darling I remember the way you used to wait
Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me
You'd always be
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene..."

That was my dad's favourite song. He was a great
fan of Marlene Dietrich. Dad died of a massive
coronary at the age of 52 while we were in the
USA. I never got to attend his funeral or say
goodbye until our return years later.

cont'd

Nostalgia in Song...(sigh).
Indeed.

Who doesn't remember their 'first love?'...
I certainly do mine. And the song was
"Somewhere, My Love (Lara's Theme: From Dr. Zhivago)"

"Somewhere my love there will be songs to sing
Although the snow covers the hope of spring
Somewhere a hill blossoms in green and gold
And there are dreams all that your heart can hold

Someday, we'll meet again, my love
Someday, whenever the spring breaks through
You'll come to me out of the long ago
Warm as the wind, soft as the kiss of snow
Till then my sweet, think of me now and then
God speed my love till you are mine again."

Loved the work of Boris Pasternak...
Loved my days at uni.