HOME MOVIES

Memories of winter evenings, after tea, when Dad would put up a screen and set up the projector and we'd settle down to watch the familiar movies, squealing to see ourselves a few years younger, my seventh birthday party, the picnic in the woods when our cousins came to visit, Aunty Mary's wedding with the two youngest bridesmaids looking furious and uncooperative, sister A1 shuffling around on her bottom instead of crawling, some of the old (probably in their 40s and 50s) aunties laughing uproariously at jokes there was no soundtrack for. And quite often the show would end when there was a strange noise from the projector, the picture would freeze and then dissolve into the psychedelic image of bubbles of melting celluloid accompanied by Dad swearing, Mum switching the lights on and then bedtime.