20 | Mahurangimatters 1 May 2013
memories of mum MOTHER’S DAY FEATURE
Darryl Soljan, chief bottle washer at Ascension Wine Estate I’m fortunate that my mum Phyl lives near us in Warkworth. My parents separated when we were very young. Mum was left with little other than me at 4, my sister at 2, and my brother who was about a year old and with a hole in his heart. I have lots of memories of Mum making do, making fun and making the best of the situation. My first memory of her is when I would have been 3. She was doing her hair in front of a mirror in the dining room. I remember the excitement of Christmas in the air. I also remember her singing Sleep, My Little Prince to me. As a child it was one of the few times I felt truly calm. Over 40 years later I can still remember the words, and I sang it to my own babies. Money was short, but Mum could stretch a dollar like you wouldn’t believe. She invented “Soljan Slosh” — a unique combination of mince, onions, sauces and veges, all cooked in an electric frying pan. We often ate it picnic-style on the floor. Mum would do the dishes on her own —she reckoned it was the only peace and quiet she got. Although our wringer washing machine broke down and I remember mum wringing all our washing by hand for years, and I’m not sure she enjoyed that peace
n.
ne, and sons Darryl and baby Glen
Phyl Soljan with her daughter Joan
and quiet quite so much. We would play Chinese Chequers and Happy Families after dinner. She still has the Happy Families card set, and my children play it with her sometimes to keep Nana happy. I shared a bedroom with my younger brother Glenn. Mum would let me pretend to go to sleep and then creep out to watch Kung Fu and Planet of the Apes with her. Most school holidays we would load up “Tina”, an olive green MK3 Cortina, and visit Mum’s parents in
Te Kuiti. Tina’s muffler often had a hole in it and Mum became expert at repairing it with one of those “bandage and wire” kits. The trip seemed to take all day and Mum would give us 50 cents to buy lollies at the corner dairy at the start of the trip. Mine would be gone in about 15 minutes, Glenn’s would make it to about Greenlane and Joanne would be eating her last lolly as we arrived. That used to really annoy us boys. The only other holiday I remember was one that Mum saved up for ages
for. We stayed in a caravan at Puriri Park in Orewa for a week. Mum was a great baker and had done lots of baking so that we didn’t need to buy biscuits or snacks. Apparently we ate it all in less than 24 hours. Mum worked as a cleaner, child minder, fireworks maker, light assembler, fruit picker and nurse aide. These were all low-paid jobs but still more than she got paid for the most important job of all – raising three kids on her own with manners and values. Somehow we always had enough. She made sure we played sports, and would juggle netball, soccer and league games all over West Auckland in winter. We also had lots of books. Other than life itself, a love of reading will be Mum’s legacy to me for as long as my eyes work. Mum’s a “giver”. She’ll be down to the last $1 in her purse and she’ll drop it in a busker’s case or a Plunket tin. She would never consider herself “generous”, but real generosity isn’t when you have $1 million and give away $100,000 — it’s when you give your very last dollar to someone who you think can use it more. Despite everything, Mum has always thought that was someone other than her.
Plume, the vineyard restaurant, a 'must visit' destination on any Matakana P wine or food journey and the perfect setting for that special day! w
Plume, a 2011 & 2012
Cuisine
"Cellar door tastings and delicious French-themed fare" Cuisine Magazine. For current opening hours please call or visit www.plumerestaurant.co.nz 49a Sharp Road, Matakana Telephone: 09 422 7915 reservations@plumerestaurant.co.nz
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