borap

Blustery lightning bolts earlier today. Windy old world, faded to grey ...

My family is German-Hungarian, most likely from Bohemia – way, way back. Might explain the connection I feel to the song, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen, my all-time favourite.

In modern usage, the term "bohemian" can describe any person who lives an unconventional artistic life, where self-expression is their highest value; art (acting, poetry, writing, singing, dancing, painting, etc) is a serious, if not central, part of their life.

Yep, writing is my passion - an unconventional literary gypsy pretty much sums me up.

Mum and Dad escaped over the border just before the Hungarian revolution and migrated to Australia. As often happens with ethnic groups, I was born here, but didn’t learn to speak English till I went to school.

Hungarian is my first language. Histrionics is in the blood.

They almost didn’t make it, but for divine intervention – the wind ...

Abandoning their family, friends and belongings, they locked the door to their tiny unit, never to return. Crawled on their hands and knees for hours under fences to escape the border guards. Dad was an athlete, so he was able to leap the high barriers and pull Mum to safety. Tin cans were strung along the periphery. The slightest movement would have alerted the guards and they would have been shot to death.

Luck was on their side that night and the fierce wind caused the cans to clank noisily, providing camouflage against their pursuers. After a hellish night, they reached a refugee camp in Italy where they remained for a year before legally migrating to Australia, where they remained ever since. They never went back to Europe, not even for a holiday. Sadly Dad passed away a few years ago.

Love you, miss you, thank you. Mum nurses a broken heart, her childhood sweetheart gone.

Was overjoyed to receive an email from some long-lost relatives in Romania last week. Loving the European connection!

Greatly saddened to hear a much-loved cousin is still in a nine-year coma after a brain haemorrhage. Attractive, bubbly, intelligent, wonderful mother. Professor of English Literature, spoke five languages - just gearing up to move to Australia.

Why does shit happen to good people?

My sleeping beauty, life as you know it is over.

I treasure the old black and white photos she sent me decades ago. We never met, but were childhood pen pals. I feel I knew her so well. Thankfully, I am now in touch again with her brother, sister-in-law and third cousins.

Life goes on …

… had a Transylvanian uncle too - but he wasn’t a blood relative!!

Awful pun (but it’s true!!).

Overcompensating.

Getting misty - need to bawl my heart out.

Anyway the wind blows (sound of gentle gong) ...

Credit for image and lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody video from album 'Queen - A Night at the Opera' 1975.