Description
More about the Barber story:
The round shape of ‘oom Jan’ dressed in his white barber’s jacket (white long sleeve jacket with a double row of black buttons on the front) sharpening his ‘skeerlem’ (vintage straight razor blade) on the long strop is vividly etched in my childhood brain. The strop – made from leather – always hanged from the side of his barber’s chair. The strop – which looked like a man’s belt – was treated with a special wax so the strop could be used to sharpen the straight razor by swiping the blade back and forth on the strop (flipping it over with every second swipe). The razor was used for the final finishing of the haircut around the ears and the neck. See the YouTube video on how to sharpen a straight razor. The straight razor would scrape against one’s neck and around the ears as the conclusion of the session. Oom Jan would then take a broad brush and dip it into some talcum powder. A fine, good smelling cloud, would fill the air and mix with the sunlight that enters through the windows. The floating powder would accentuate and punctuate the dappled sunlight coming from the window. When you smelled the talcum powder, it was a hint that he was going to take the cape of your shoulders and shake the loose hair into a large bin in his manly barberry. Then – next – it was time for dad to get out his wallet. Dad always paid for his three sons, Deon, Martin and William’s haircuts in cash.
Oom Jan die Barbier
Oom Jan – die barbier – se baadjie is wit met knope van swart been,
Sy haarsny gereedskap is skerp, blink en gereed,
Die stempel van gehalte pruik trots op elke element.
Oom Jan se fingers weet hoe om hare te sny.
Die hare spat terwyl oom Jan vertel van die kruis – die Hout-kruis,
Sy vingers werk vanself as hy oor die Groot Swart boek praat.
Die hele barbier-saal luister – van hulle knik hul koppe instemmend,
“Oom Jan kan ek n ‘square-cut’ kry asseblief?'” “Charlie wat se jy? Kan jou seuns n ‘square cut’ kry?”
“Ja wat hulle verdien n nuwe haarstyl. Ek dink the ‘girls’ sal baie daarvan hou.”
“Dankie, dankie! Baie dankie Dad! Uiteindelik – n square-cut.”
Oom Jan lag wanneer hy die groot doek van my skouers afhaal – dan skud hy die hare uit.
Hy hou die spiëel agter my.
Van die groot spiëel voor my sien ek dit…sowaar, n ‘square-cut!’
‘Dad Charles’ gooi sy kop agteroor soos hy lag,
Ons drie seuns se oë vonkel: “Ons het a ‘square-cut’ gekry!”
Ons wonder onmiddelik, wat gaan die ‘girls’ sê?
Will, Maart en Deon gaan hul ‘bell-bottom’ langbroeke – en hulle nuwe E A Relling hemde –
en hoë platform skoene kerk toe dra die Sondag!
By W Van Zyl.
Uncle Jan the Barber
Uncle Jan’s barber’s jacket is pure white with two rows of elegant black buttons
His equipment is sharp, shiny and ready to cut,
The stamp of quality glimmer proudly on every tool.
Uncle Jan’s fingers know how to cut hair.
The hair rains everywhere while Uncle Jan tells of the cross – the Wood Cross,
His fingers work on its own when he talks about the Big Black Book.
The whole barber hall listens – some are nodding their heads in agreement,
“Uncle Jan, can I get a square cut, please? Charlie, what are you saying? Can your boys get a square cut?”
“Yes, they deserve a new hairstyle. I think the ‘girls’ will love it. ”
“Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much Dad! Finally, we are going to get a square-cut.
Uncle Jan shook the loose hair out of the big cape as he removes it from my shoulders.
He holds the mirror behind me. The back of my head reflects in the big mirror in front of me.
I can see it. It is very straight … a real ‘square-cut!’
Dad Charles throws his head back as he laughs,
Our three boys’ eyes sparkle: “We got a ‘square-cut’!”
We wonder what the ‘girls’ are going to say.
William, Martin and Deon will wear their bell-bottom pants – and E A Relling new shirts – and high platform shoes to church this Sunday!
By William Van Zyl
The barber’s tools and chair. Ink and watercolour sketch. Schmincke watercolours (half pans) at the top. Credit: W van Zyl – March 2020.
The question is, ‘how can we remember the past – specifically those great childhood memories?’
Here are a couple of things you could do:
1. Find the right cues
You need the right cues (about four keywords) to recall a particular incident. A great way to refresh them is by talking to your friends and family members (people a few years older than you). Read/learn new things if in some way they fire the same neurons that connect to those memories — like this article. Listen to music; movies can also get your brain in that same mind-set—triggering memories…
Download pdf or read online for free.
https://williamvanzyl.atavist.com/
