Tales from the Walauwa

by Cat O'Logge

Just when the madness of football, and cricket seemed to be safely over and just when there weren't any more prospects of ear shattering firecrackers and such, they just had to go and hold the SAG games.

And once more the whole family had nothing better to do than watch the games. And the organizer just had to be someone who always follows my column because instead of the usual crude firecrackers, this time they started and ended with most spectacularly brilliant displays of fairy lights.

Patriotism

However, it must be said that I learnt a lot about the family through their comments about the SAG games. For one thing I learnt that Mother of the house is a very patriotic lady. At any given time of the day she was perfectly aware of Sri Lanka's position on the scorecard. Sometimes, she went a teensy bit overboard and wouldn't settle down for dinner properly if she didn't know just how that last competition had ended.

Daughter of the house made some comments during one of the table tennis competitions which didn't really agree with my opinions. I mean, there was that Sri Lankan player screaming loudly each time he scored a point and I firmly happened to think that he really has a talent for screaming loudly.

It was sort of like he was at some kind of vicious Christians versus lions competition in ancient Greece. I felt pretty defeated that I couldn't communicate with this remarkable fellow of remarkable screams because I really wanted to tell him to add a touch of chest beating to his high decibelled verbal display. It would have made things all the more interesting, don't you think?

Fish and music

I really liked the closing ceremony and not only because it meant the end of the whole family doing nothing, but watching TV the whole time. I finally learnt where fish come from because I happened to watch a dance based on fishermen's lives.

Ooh, how I wish I had a cousin somewhere near the coast to spend my holidays with. Father of the house kept saying that the music provided by the bands of the armed forces and the police band was a real joy to listen to. And indeed I too enjoyed watching the smiling musicians boom booming on their various instruments.

Another interesting highlight was the fact that at the closing ceremony when they had all types of songs, father and mother would sing along some ancient classic and the next minute daughter of the house would be heard singing and nodding her head to the tune of some modern song.

And even Leela and Magilin were up on the day it all ended and there they were all laughing and such at daughter's comic displays.

Pala had chosen not to come in, instead he had chosen to sit by himself on the portico steps, taking tentative peeps at the TV in the living room. Please, please, may all the feline forces of ancient Egypt listen to my humble voice. Could I please have something other than games to write about in my little column?