Home away from home

What is it about a cubby house that brings the inner child out in us all?
Is it where you first played house when a kid? 
Did you have friends over and pretend to be so grown up?
Was it a place you could take refuge in when in trouble?
I think it is all these...

When a kid, my sister and I would set up chairs in a round shape and collect lots of blankets to make the roof and sides.  We would want it as dark as possible with no escape hatches for the poor unsuspecting dog and cat to make a mad dash out of.  We would take in toys, food and bedding to make a cosy nest that we did plan of course to sleep in.  A place of imagination and childhood fun.



Mushroom kids !!

But a cubby house out side is another matter all together.  My sister, cousins and I had a cubby up the back of our horse paddock.  It was made of thick plastic stretched between trees and a frame made by us.  We had a table and chairs, a campfire, hammocks made out of hessian bags, a vegie patch and an area to tether our horses.  It was great !  It was called... and I am not joking about this.. "The Cooked Mushroom Country Club Cubby".  Yep it was.  Why I have totally no idea.  There were wild mushrooms up there so maybe thats the answer.

We had our own flag and team song " We are the mushroom kids" which I can still remember the words too.  Other kids from the neighbourhood could be inducted as well.  There were badges to earn and diary's to keep.  I can not recall how many members we did have but it was quite popular.

Our poor horses would spend their days tied up watching us while we did kid stuff.  They were such patient animals who we all adored.  We would call them, jump on and ride them to the top of the paddock and spend the day getting filthy and having so much fun.

I would go there by myself sometimes to just think.  If I had been in trouble I would grab my beloved horse and spend time with her there.  She always solved everthing for me. I was a great place to just get away with out going too far from home.

I think the cubby started to fall victim to the weather after a few years and, we grew older and more  interested in other things.  Its a shame really but we really did have the best time.

The ferals now do a similar thing.  We often have a house built within ours.  The pull every imaginable blanket or sheet out of cupboards and off beds.  They make it so dark you need a torch to see inside.  They take so much stuff in they can hardly move and the poor cat and dog are also dragged along.  Lilly wombat used to as well but she quickly learnt to disapear when they were on the hunt for animal victims !

They also have a great cubby their dad built them in our garden down by the bush.  It is raised off the ground so snakes find it harder to get in.  It has a slide out of it into a grubby sand pit.  It has windows, carpet and a good locking door.  A verandah too completes it.  Do you think they want to play in this expensive work of cubby art??  Not a chance.  They would rather pull branches off trees and pile them on top of each other and wiggle underneath.  I suppose we should have known.

They did decided though to sleep in there one night.  All bedding was dragged down, pillows and sleeping bags, torches and the dog.  We tucked them in , said good night and walked back inside. I started counting and I doubt I even got to 20 when they were back in the door. Apparently the Weed was scared but I know they both were.

So cubby houses are I think a great memory to have.  The are a fun way to practice life skills and can teach kids to be creative.  I will probably still spend hours yet to come re folding all the blankets as the ferals create another master piece but hey, at least they are having fun.

Did you have a cubby?


                        Cheers Dilly xx