Image: Elizabeth Taylor, Set of “Giant”, by Frank Worth.
When my Aunt Freya was a girl she went on a trip with her mum and dad across the Nullarbor to Perth.
Freya was only sixteen when this happened and was already very much a tomboy within family. To her the trip was the most boring thing she could imagine. Hours and hours of flat dry land, a straight road for hundreds of miles and her parents for company. At sixteen her mum and dad still wanted to play with her the games they played when she was six let alone recognise she was now a young lady in the magnificent years of bloom.
They stopped for lunch at a place where the road bent slightly and there were two other cars pulled up with the occupants sitting under the tarps they had attached to their vehicles to provide some shade against the searing heat of the mid day.
Freya coming from the Hunter Valley knew about heat as there were plenty of days above 35C during the summer months and Freya often thought she would melt as she sat under the old mulberry tree in the back yard soaking up whatever cool she could.
But it was 1957 and no one had fans, air conditioning was a dream away and no one saw the dangers of skin cancer so Freya being the young and vibrant lady she was dressed in the coolest way she knew. The smallest amount of clothing the better was her idea of coping with the heat.
As her parent busied themselves setting up a shelter and getting there lunch organised Freya noticed the other people stopped there were obviously cowboys as they were entertaining themselves with rope tricks and practicing their lassoing.
Captivated by this Freya watched on and soon attracted the attention of a boy about her age who invited her to try her hand with the rope.
Years later I was having lunch with Aunt Freya when she told me this story. She described herself as an embarrassing and awkward tangle of ropes. The young boy in question laughed himself silly at her attempts to twirl the rope in any way like he could.
It was her last attempt at being a cowgirl. It was a day when she realised just how unco-ordinated she was.
Needless to say she grew to be a very successful woman, a famous writer who stopped over on her trip to Melbourne to have lunch with me and sign her latest best seller.
Written for: http://magpietales.blogspot.co.uk/
Morpethroad 
I love that story! And the picture is priceless, but Taylor looks like an expert at lassoing. LOL
Thanks Brenda, she does but aunt Freya was not…..thanks again for reading.
I have a soft spot for the klutz’s of the world. 🙂
Well she was smart to leave the lassoing to the experts. And writing a best seller is better anyway. Entertaining story Michael 🙂
Thank you Jackie glad you found it so.
What a lovely story … her adverturous nature probably contributed to her success! Bravo!
Thank you Georgia, glad you enjoyed this one.
🙂
A positive up beat story. The awkward days of youth.
Thanks for reading and your comment Kim. Have a good day.
You have a most fascinating set of relatives, Michael!
Thanks Gabriella, the real ones are even better.
Loved this, Michael. I believe Freya and I would have been good friends as I, too, was a tomboy at heart. I was happiest glued bareback to a horse and found myself hitting the ground more than once in uncoordinated attempts at fancy cowgirl moves! Thanks a million for the memories 🙂
Thank you Mandy, one never knows how ones writing might impact on those who read it. Glad it brought back some memories for you.
Yee-Haw! At least she gave it a shot. 😀
Thanks RoSy she did and some of us only learn through experience.
Wonderful story…
Thank you Tess. Appreciate you reading.
Thank you for such a warm and wonderful story.
You are most welcome. Thanks for reading my story Karen.
I love these Magpie Tales!
Thank you Lyn I love you reading them.
The one that got away ??