Let’s bring back retro Sunday

Retro really has become all the rage. From vinyl records to fashion, furniture design and goodness knows how many other industries, retro is suddenly very intertwined in our present.

And I, for one, am loving it.

Now, if there’s one retro move we have to make, it’s getting a retro Sunday afternoon back.

With most of the sporting events cancelled, I reckon it’s the perfect time.

Remember them? Those Sundays when lunch consisted of a big roast, with potatoes and rice and gravy, beans boiled into oblivion and mashed up with potatoes. And sweet carrots and cauliflower in a cheese sauce. Or cabbage with pepper and potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

The dining room table literally groaned under the weight and extra chairs were crammed in to ensure everyone had a seat.

The highlight was dessert: jelly and custard or ice-cream with homemade chocolate sauce.

Back then, lunch was served at noon, sharp, and was compulsory. Not that anyone in their right mind would want to miss out on the feast.

Afterwards, the dishes were a team effort and by the time coffee was served, the kitchen was clean as new.

And then, of course, there was the Sunday afternoon nap time. Children were banished from the house under the threat of being grounded for decades should they dare make a solitary squeak and wake the grown-ups.

Growing up in a mining community, those lazy Sunday afternoons were usually spent at the communal pool during summer.

Us young boys would play corners until we collapsed from exhaustion, only to start a fresh game the moment we caught our breath. The older girls would tan in their bikinis, flipping through magazines while keeping a close but discreet eye on the older boys.

We’d stretch out the day to its limit, often arriving back home with the sun a distant memory.

I reckon this Sunday would be the perfect time to get my mates around a pool again. The kids will probably want to take a nap, though.

Danie Toerien.

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