i grew up in an electric house. throughout childhood i had no experience of domestic gas. i did however experience gas once or twice a year, when m&d would take we kids on budget camping holidays, in n, s, or w nsw. on those, mum cooked on a little two-burner "companion" gas stove. also, on those early morn sydney departures for said hols, when we'd pull up in some roadside place for brekkie enroute, dad would light a single burner screwed directly onto one of the companion gas bottles, to make tea & toast.
i've lived in my current house for 23 years. it's my first with electricity and piped gas [the latter perceived as a bonus when i bought it, but now viewed with shame]. minutes ago i wandered out to the kitchen to do something i've done countless times over these decades... watered the kettle, bunged it onto the cooktop, & ignited the respective burner.
somehow, this time, uniquely, that initial whoosh of the first flame, transported me back to 12, on the side of the road, or in the tent. how weird! i've long known how evocative of old memories smell can be, but not so much sound... so this was a pretty amazeballs sensation, coz the effect was instant, & the image was crystal sharp.
#memory #evocation #whimsy
