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Making Plans - completed 11 May - page 5

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#1: Making Plans - completed 11 May - page 5 Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:29 pm
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Gornetz Platz

Joey sat at the desk in her study deep in thought. She had had news from each of her three eldest daughters that morning.

First there had been a very brief letter from Margot. Joey was very proud of the way her youngest triplet had overcome her devil, and studied long and hard for her medical qualifications. Now she was working as a medical missionary with the Blue Nuns. Margot’s letter had told her mother that she was about to be sent to Calcutta to join the mission there. Joey was pleased that her third daughter would be able to make such a valuable contribution to the work there, but she did wish that it wasn’t so far away. It was unlikely that they would see anything of Margot while she was in India, and she might stay there for the rest of her working life.

The second piece of news had come from her first born. Len had dropped in at coffee time to share with her mother the information that she expected to be very busy later in the year. She and Reg were hoping for a second set of twins, after two singletons. Joey was very pleased about that, people didn’t have such large families these days so two more children, bringing the total number of young Entwistles up to six, should be just right to complete the family. She knew that Len was hoping to go back to the Chalet School to resume her teaching career when her youngsters were old enough for school themselves.

The final piece of news had come just after lunch. Con had telephoned to say that she would be busy soon too. Joey was very pleased for her, too, obviously; but she did wish that Con wasn’t so far away.

When the triplets had set off for university some ten years previously, she had accepted that Margot had a vocation, and was unlikely to be able to spend as much time with the family as Joey would have liked. However the plan was for Len to return home to marry Reg, while Con would live at Freudesheim and earn some money by writing magazine articles, before embarking on her historical novel. Len and Reg seemed very happy in their chalet just half a mile along the road from Freudesheim, and Joey was involved in the lives of her grandchildren daily. Con, however, had come home at the end of her three years in Oxford, and announced that she would be getting married to a young man she had met there. Jack and Joey knew nothing about him, although it transpired that he came from a good family. He was planning a career as a journalist, and he and Con had set up home in a small flat in the centre of London after their marriage. It wasn’t very satisfactory from Joey’s point of view, but she did still manage to see Con two or three times a year, and Con seemed very happy with her life. Then came the news that her husband had been promoted – he would be going to Washington as one of the foreign correspondents for his paper. At first Joey was really pleased – she assumed that Con would not want to cope with two small children on her own in London while he was away, so she would come home to Freudesheim. When Joey heard that Con was planning to go with her husband, and live in America for as long as he was based there she was incensed. Now Con had told her mother that the seventh Maynard grandchild would be born in America. There seemed to be no sign of her ever coming home again.

Joey’s thoughts turned to plans. She knew that her ‘paper people’ were inclined to go their own way - sometimes she couldn’t get them to do what she wanted. But she thought that her own children should be open to persuasion – surely they would be reasonable, and she could have the rest of her children living nearly as close by as Len did.

Stephen was doing well as an engineer – he was currently working in new Zealand, but she was expecting him to spend some time at home over the summer before his next contract. Joey knew that Len was expecting Jack Lambert to visit during the summer, too. Now she just needed to make sure that they got together, and persuade her husband that he should employ Stephen to work on the new extension for the Sanatorium, then Jack would stop all her nonsense of being an engineer too – she would be too busy, and they could have a small chalet built next door to Len and Reg and settle down.

Charles would be home for the summer too from his job teaching at a small boys’ preparatory school on the Sussex Downs. She would introduce him to Frieda’s Carlotta who was currently working as a nurse at the Sanatorium. He needn’t go all the way back to Sussex – there would soon be plenty of small boys who were too old for St. Nicholas’ – Charles could start a small school for them right here. Stephen could be quite busy building chalets, as well as the extension. It was a good thing that there was plenty of space in that clearing where Len and Reg had settled.

Mike was away with his ship and Joey didn’t know when he would next have home leave. However it wouldn’t hurt for him to wait a few years before finally settling down. Marjorie Graves would be just the person for him, she was currently training at Bedford and was expected to come back and teach at the Chalet school when she was qualified – they really needed more than one games mistress these days. They could have a chalet on the Platz too, and Joey would be on hand to lend Rösli to help with the babies in due course – Mike would come home whenever he could get leave.

Felicity had persuaded her parents to let her go to Milan where she was having a few dancing lessons and visiting the galleries and La Scala. She should come home soon – she could help out at the School by giving dancing lessons to the younger girls. Joey decided to invite Friedrich von und zu Wertheim to stay when Felicity came home. Jack could give the young man a job in the Sanatorium, since he had finished his training as a doctor and there would be no question of him inheriting the family property so he didn’t need to stay in Austria.

Felix had just started training as a doctor, so he would be back helping his father at the Sanatorium in a few years time. Marie Courvoisier wanted to become a nurse, so she would suit him very well.

Cecil and the younger twins were still at school, but Joey decided that it might be as well to start planning early – she didn’t want them going away like Con had done. Pierre de Bersac would be the right age for Cecil – he could have a job working in the administrative department at the Sanatorium. Joey conveniently forgot that Pierre had always wanted to get his qualifications to help André to run the estate attached to the Chateau which he had inherited.

Geoff should become a doctor too – he would just have to work a bit harder at the science subjects – his reports generally showed that he was doing better at languages than science. Angela Embury would have to be persuaded to come and train as a nurse – she would be just right for Geoff.

Phil, of course, would always have to take care after the polio, so she should stay at home, where her father and brothers could keep an eye on her. Besides Joey would welcome the company – it could get quite lonely at Freudesheim when Anna and Rösli were hard at it in the kitchen and Jack was away at the Sanatorium. Joey recognised that she couldn’t spend nearly every day in Hilda’s study or the Staff Sitting Room at the School.

Joey reached for her writing pad and pen. She needed to send some letters to her children.

Last edited by Lottie on Fri May 11, 2007 7:17 am; edited 9 times in total

#2: Author: brie, Location: Glasgow, aka the land of boredom

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:49 pm
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Shocked

wow i think joey needs to take a bit of a chill pill Laughing

thanks lottie

#3: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:08 pm
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Oh dear, the poor kids! I think Joey is going to be disappointed somehow!

#4: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:18 pm
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Shocked

Oh my goodness! I wonder how they're going to feel about Jo's plans!

#5: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:34 pm
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The best laid plans of mice and men....

Think (hope) Joey is going to be seriously disappointed.

Thanks Lottie.

#6: Author: JustJen, Location: waiting for spring training

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 5:37 pm
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Binks, would love to read the kids reactions to her letter

#7: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:53 pm
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How to drive your kids away permanently in one easy lesson!!!!!

#8: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:22 pm
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Oh no - the poor kids!

#9: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:39 pm
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I'd always though Steven and Jack Lambert too

#10: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:50 am
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I'd love to see Joey's reaction when the kids go their own sweet way and the kids reaction when they get these letters

#11: Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 5:11 pm
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Shocked

*giggles*

I cannot wait to see what happens next.

#12: Author: Liz K, Location: Bedfordshire

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:28 pm
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Pat wrote:

How to drive your kids away permanently in one easy lesson!!!!!

Exactly!

#13: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:27 pm
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If it were possible to feel sorry for Jo Maynard, this story would make me. Oh dear, will she never learn?

#14: Author: Clare, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:58 pm
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(((huggles the Maynard children)))

I'd be updating my passport and running for the hills if my mum was thinking like that!

#15: Author: Mary, Location: Sussex University

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 3:04 pm
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wowzers

#16: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:32 pm
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Sorry you've had to wait for the next installment. I've had most of this written for a while, but this part has been causing trouble. I hoped that, since I had got it started, posting the first part would encourage me to finish the next bit quickyly! It obviously didn't work. Embarassed

Dunedin

It was the middle of March and Stephen had been at his new job for just over two months now. He was really enjoying the challenges it offered, as well as getting to know a new country. He had been working hard all morning; now it was lunchtime, so Stephen felt that he could legitimately take a break and read the letters which he had stuffed into his pocket on the way out of the house.

The first was from Roddy. He sounded as though he was having a great time on the sheep station, but was really busy. He hoped to get a break later on, before they started lambing, and suggested that the two of them should go off to the Southern Alps for a week’s skiing. Stephen quickly jotted a reminder on his pad to ask for some leave in early June.

The second letter was from his mother. Why did she assume that they would all go back to Freudesheim every time they had some time off work? Anyway it would take far too long to travel all the way to Switzerland and back. He was in no hurry to leave New Zealand and find another job in Europe – he’d only just got here. As for her ridiculous plans for his future – words failed him! Jack Lambert was a nice enough kid, but, according to the gossip he heard from his old friends at Bristol, she had landed a plumb job after her degree, and would be in no hurry to give it up for a while yet.

The third letter was from his Auntie Mollie. He had been invited to spend the Easter weekend with her and Uncle Kenneth. He supposed that it contained the details of his journey, but it wasn’t quite what he expected. Dollie’s youngest had had a nasty accident, and Auntie Mollie wrote that she was going to take care of the rest of the family, while Dollie was at the hospital with young Charlie. She was very sorry, and was sure he would understand, the visit was just postponed – they would love to see him later in the year.

Stephen sighed and looked at his watch. There was just time to grab a sandwich and a coffee as well as write to Roddy and Auntie Mollie. Good! Hildreth was still in her office – he’d fix up that leave on his way out, then he could tell Roddy. Stephen remembered that Hildreth had spoken of being at school in Dunedin. If it was anything like his sisters’ school she’d be bound to know of some good places for day trips he could do over his unexpectedly free weekend.

Hildreth smiled as the young man came into her office. He was shaping up well, and they didn’t want to lose him too soon, although they knew that he would probably want to go home eventually. She checked the diary and agreed that he could have the second week in June as leave. As for the day trips, she explained that they hadn’t really had many outings from school, apart from to the beach at St. Clair, and it was getting a little late in the year for that now. But, if he was at a loose end for Easter, he would be very welcome to come back to her family’s place in the Canterbury Plains.

“Do come!” Hildreth went on as Stephen hesitated. “It’s a big sheep station, and we’ve always had an open house there over Easter. It started when I was at school and my mother was hostess, but she and Dad have retired now and my sister-in-law has taken it on since my brother, Gerald, took over running the property. But we all help out where necessary. There’ll be quite a crowd this year, because Pauline wrote that Claud and Georgie will be coming as well as Diana. She’s my elder sister, as well as Paul’s best friend from school”, Hildreth explained.

“Your sister-in-law won’t want me gate-crashing the party then”, said Stephen.

“Nonsense! I was going on to say that two of my school-friends will be there, and all their families. I’m the only one who’s taken to life as a career girl. There’ll be dozens of kids, because they’re bound to bring some of their friends too. We always did when I was at school. It’s something of a tradition, and we were very big on traditions at Tremayne’s. One more among that lot will hardly notice, and you can help read the riot act if the kids get out of hand.”

“Well! If you’re sure I won’t be in the way, I should like that very much.”

“That’s settled then. You can drive up with Dave and me after work on Thursday.”

The end of the following week saw Stephen sat in the back of the car on the way out of Dunedin. An hour or so later they arrived at the homestead, and he seemed to be surrounded by a sea of people. One face stood out of the crowd. A dark haired girl of about eighteen stood before him.

“Hello! I’m Rosie Ballantyne, and I actually live here! You must be Stephen Maynard. Auntie Hildreth told us you were coming. Shall I show you to your room? Is that your bag? Come on then!”

Stephen followed. He hoped he’d be able to get his bearings soon. This place looked to be nearly as big as Freudesheim. Rosie took him in through the large kitchen, which looked warm and welcoming. He could smell something wonderful simmering on the big stove. He suddenly realised that he was very hungry. Two flights of stairs and several turnings later, and Rosie was showing him into a slip of a room under the eaves. There was just enough space for a bed, a small cupboard and a chair.

“Sorry you’re all the way up here, but at least you’ve got it to yourself. We thought you’d prefer that. There’s a bathroom at the end of the corridor. Supper will be ready in ten minutes. Can you find your way down again?”

“I think so!” Stephen nodded. “Down two flights and follow that gorgeous smell, and the noise,” he added with a grin! “Coming through your kitchen made me realise just how hungry I am. I won’t be long.”

Rosie seemed to have appointed herself as his guide. She was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to take him along to the dining room. She appeared again, when he emerged the following morning, and offered to show him around outside after breakfast. He learnt that she was called after her mother’s adopted sister, her Auntie Merry, whose real name was Rosemerryn. It would have been confusing to have two of them called Merry, so her name had been shortened to Rose, like Merry’s own mother, but everybody had called her Rosie when she was a baby and it had stuck.

After asking if he knew anything about tennis, she produced a couple of racquets and balls, and offered him a game. She was easily the best player at Tremayne’s and was somewhat dismayed to be soundly thrashed by Stephen, who had actually been school champion, but would have died before admitting it. However she got her own back, when they went riding afterwards. She had learnt to ride almost as soon as she could walk, and she had to hide a grin, as Stephen, who had never sat on a horse before, struggled to stay on the very gentle animal she provided for him.

Stephen learnt that Rosie was in her last year at Tremayne’s. She was hoping to train at the Dunedin College of Education when she left at the end of the year. He was pleased about that. It meant she would be close to where he was based, and he hoped that they would be able to see a lot more of each other. Suddenly his long term plans began to take shape. He wouldn’t be looking for postings elsewhere in the world. He certainly wouldn’t be going back to the Gornetz Platz, except for an occasional holiday. It was too soon to say anything to Rosie, but he knew what he wanted. He wondered what life would be like married to a teacher. He wasn’t sure what his mother would make of it all, but he really didn’t care. He just hoped that Rosie would see things in the same light in due course.

#17: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:43 pm
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Sounds as though Stephen's future is already mapped out then! It took me three read throughs to finally work out that Mollie meant Mollie Maynard as was! Laughing

Thanks Lottie.

#18: Author: Karry, Location: Stoke on Trent

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:19 pm
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Lovely, a tremaynes crossover! Have just found these, so really excited about this! reading

#19: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:35 pm
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Love the Tremayne's crossover - it took me a while to see it.

How old is Stephen in this?

#20: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:25 pm
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I didn't realise the Tremaynes had their own books. Embarassed

But really loved the update and that we get to see the kids reaction. I wonder if all this would push Len away from the Platz?

#21: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:20 pm
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Fiona Mc wrote:

I didn't realise the Tremaynes had their own books. Embarassed

But really loved the update and that we get to see the kids reaction. I wonder if all this would push Len away from the Platz?

It's from the Merry 'triology' by Clare Mallory.

#22: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:13 am
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Oh lovely - both to see Stephen organising his own life and that this is a Tremayne's crossover - in part, anyway. So, Pauline married Gerald Ballantyne then?

#23: Author: Miranda, Location: Perth, Western Australia

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:41 am
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What a nice cross-over idea Very Happy

Thanks Lottie!

I hope Stephen does get to ski in the Southern Alps - they're gorgeous!!

#24: Author: JustJen, Location: waiting for spring training

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:05 am
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Puts hand up: please teacher, who or what are the Tremaynes ? I've never heard of them.

#25: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:42 am
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JustJen wrote:

Puts hand up: please teacher, who or what are the Tremaynes ? I've never heard of them.

Me neither!

#26: Author: Karry, Location: Stoke on Trent

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:50 am
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Tremaynes is not a who, it is a what! It is the school written about by Claire Mallory in the Merry series, set in Dunedin, in South Island, New Zealand. Classic beginning - orphaned girl left to elderly Aunts, wins scholarship to mother's school, enthuses her house (where mother was first house head) to rise to unexpected heights. Really well written IMHO. Would recommend them.

#27: Author: Laura V, Location: Merseyside

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:43 am
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I love Joey's wild ideas for her children Laughing

! which Maynard do we visit next?

#28: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:13 am
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the truth is that the trick with Joey is not to tell peple your plans for them

Anyway, the house the he went to, just sounds like a NZ version of Joey's

#29: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:07 pm
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I love the Merry books so I hope there is plenty more story about Stephen and the characters from the Merry trilogy, it's great to read more about them Very Happy

Thanks Lottie

#30: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:05 am
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keren wrote:

Quote:

the house the he went to, just sounds like a NZ version of Joey's

With one important difference; people were allowed their own personal space..... Very Happy

#31: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:05 am
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Stephen would have been about 24, I think, Chelsea.

Sorry to disappoint those of you who are expecting more from New Zealand. the next bit definitely isn't! Laughing

Sussex

“Sir! Sir! Please, Sir! Can I ask you something, Sir!” Charles stopped his musings over the latest letter from his mother and turned to speak to the boy who was calling him.

“Yes, Jennings. What is it?” Charles decide not to bother to try and explain the difference between ‘can’ and ‘may’ to the boy standing in front of him.

“Sir! Is it true that you dial 999 for an ambulance?”

“That’s right, Jennings.” Charles had long ago given up trying to understand the reason for any of Jennings’ questions.

“And Sir! Is it true that you don’t have to put fourpence into the box to make an emergency call?”

“Yes, Jennings.” Charles was starting to get worried now.

“So is it all right, Sir, if I just nip out to the phone box on the main road to make the call then, Sir? You see I haven’t actually got fourpence. I will have when Bod, I mean Temple, pays me back but I don’t have it at the moment!”

Jennings was about to rush off without waiting any longer, but Charles called him back.

“Jennings! Come back here now! I don’t think that would be all right at all. The ambulance men will be very cross if they are called out here on a wild goose chase, and they might not be able to go to someone who is really hurt.”

“But Sir! I don’t need them to chase geese for me. We couldn’t actually see any geese, so I don’t think they’re here to be chased. But I do need an ambulance, Sir!”

“Why do you need an ambulance, Jennings? You look perfectly healthy to me.”

“Oh! I am, Sir! I’m fine, Sir. But it’s Darby, you see. That’s Darbishire, Sir! I think he needs an ambulance, and since he’s lying on the ground not saying anything much, I thought it would better if I went and called it for him. You see I don’t think he quite feels like going all the way to the main road himself. Although he might have fourpence. I didn’t ask him. But of course he doesn’t need fourpence. But I still don’t think he can do it himself.”

“Wait a minute, Jennings!” Charles interrupted the boy before he could get any further. Obviously there was something wrong here, and he would need to investigate, to find out just what mischief the two boys had been up to now. “Why is Darbishire lying on the ground? It’s much too damp after all the rain earlier. Matron will have something to say to you both if she has to have him in the san for a few days.”

“Well you see, Sir! It was like this, Sir! It’s because of the rain, you see, Sir! Darby thought because it had been so wet the fields would be a bit marshy so we might be able to see some geese on them, Sir. But there weren’t any when we went up to the fence and looked over it. Then Darby said that we needed a hide. That’s a place where you can see the birds, Sir, but they can’t see you. So we looked round, and thought the old oak tree would be a good place to use. I let Darby go first, Sir. Then I climbed up behind him. We’d just found a good branch to sit on, and Darby was leaning over a bit to look through the leaves. He said he thought he could see something, so I leaned over a bit too. I don’t know why he did it, Sir, but next thing Darby had jumped down to the ground. I asked him, but he didn’t answer me. So I climbed down to see what he was doing, and he was just lying there, pretending to be asleep. Then I noticed his leg, Sir. It looked a bit funny. I tried to get him to stand up so we could go to Matron, but he just groaned at me. So I though perhaps the ambulance men could come and help carry him to Matron.” Jennings had to stop to get his breath at that point.

Charles thought for a minute, while walking quickly across to the oak tree by the fence. It sounded very much as though Darbishire had fallen from the tree and broken his leg. Perhaps it was just as well that the ground was so wet after all, at least it would have been soft. Jennings was right – Darbishire would need an ambulance, but Charles certainly wasn’t going to let the boy do the telephoning. Goodness only knew what might happen if he did! At the same time Charles didn’t want to leave Darbishire lying on the ground by himself any longer.

“Now listen to me very carefully, Jennings. I want you to go and find Mr. Carter, now, and tell him that I think that Darbishire might have a broken leg, and ask him to call the ambulance. Then I want you to go and tell Matron, and ask her to come out here.” Charles hoped that he was doing the right thing by trusting the boy to carry the messages correctly, but there was no-one else around. He saw Jennings depart in the direction of the school, then turned to Darbishire. The boy was conscious now, but obviously in pain, Charles did his best to make him comfortable before Matron came. Then Mr. Carter arrived, showing the ambulance men where to go. They soon had the boy onto a stretcher. A quick consultation between the two masters saw Charles climbing into the ambulance to go to the hospital with Darbishire, while Mr. Carter went back to school to telephone the boy’s parents.

Some time later Charles was sitting in the relative’s room of the children’s ward while he waited for Darbishire to come back from the theatre where they were setting his leg. He looked up as he heard the door open. A young nurse stood there with a tray of coffee and biscuits. He smiled gratefully, it had been a long time since tea, and he had missed supper.

“I thought that you could probably do with a drink, and I know I could. Do you mind if I join you for ten minutes while I have my break?”

“Of course not!” Charles was delighted to have some company. He was getting very bored by himself. The only things to read were children’s books, or his mother’s latest letter which was still in his pocket. He wasn’t in the mood for the books, and he had read the letter enough times to know what it said, although he hadn’t yet worked out what he was going to do about it. However, another look at the pretty nurse helped him make up his mind. He wasn’t averse to the idea of marriage when the time was right, and he had no objection to nurses. But he wasn’t going to give up everything and settle back on the Gornetz Platz with his mother ruling his life all the time. He would spend the summer here in Sussex. Perhaps Nurse Carmichael could be persuaded to show him around a bit on her days off. Nurse Carmichael, who said that her name was Charlotte, was only too happy to agree.

#32: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:26 am
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Lottie wrote:

Sorry to disappoint those of you who are expecting more from New Zealand. the next bit definitely isn't! Laughing

I won't be disappointed if all the other Maynard children are going to be "crossed-over" with other school stories too! This was great, Jennings was spot on! Very Happy

Looking forward to the next scene, thanks Lottie.

#33: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:37 am
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Thank you! Looking forward to the other crossovers!

#34: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:01 am
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Crossover, what crossover? Thanks for the update. Did enjoy it

#35: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:03 am
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Jennings and Darbishire are in books by Anthony Buckeridge. They attend a prep school with long-suffering mastersand matrons.

Jennings is definitely of the same type as William Brown.

#36: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:40 pm
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Jennings was BRILLIANT there!

Thank you.

#37: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:17 pm
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That was utterly fabulous!

Jenninigs was just absolutely perfect Laughing

#38: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:00 pm
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Love Jennings

(what were Joeys plans for him? can you quote them at the beginning of each section?)

#39: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:19 pm
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Love Jennings!

Thanks Lottie

#40: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:05 am
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The Jennings was brilliant - exactly like him, with that splendid unawareness of what might be important....and did I spot a Jane Shaw ref at the end? Very clever Lottie.

#41: Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 11:15 am
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love this.

I always thought Jenings was a fictional creation until I had a small boy of my own.

now I realise he is actually a piece of acute observation.

#42: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:05 pm
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That was a wonderful Jennings! Utterly brilliant and totally Buckeridge-an, if that's a word (and if it wasn't, it is now!).

#43: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:22 am
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Well spotted Cath V-P - that was a Jane Shaw refernce at the end. Smile

As requested by keren

Quote:

Mike was away with his ship and Joey didn’t know when he would next have home leave. However it wouldn’t hurt for him to wait a few years before finally settling down. Marjorie Graves would be just the person for him, she was currently training at Bedford and was expected to come back and teach at the Chalet school when she was qualified – they really needed more than one games mistress these days. They could have a chalet on the Platz too, and Joey would be on hand to lend Rösli to help with the babies in due course – Mike would come home whenever he could get leave.

Plymouth

Mike closed the door of the senior officer’s room quietly and sighed. The young Wren at the desk looked up at him enquiringly.

“I’ve been given shore leave for the next four days, but I’ve nowhere to go”, he explained.

“Surely your family will be pleased to have you home for a long weekend?” Mary Walker was surprised by his lack of enthusiasm, most people jumped at the chance of a few extra days leave.

“I expect they would, but they live in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland, so by the time I could get there it would be time to come back again. I was expecting to be able to stay aboard the ship and explore the countryside around here for a couple of days, but I’ve just been told that the maintenance crew need everybody ashore while they get on with their stuff.”

“I’ve a suggestion to make”, the girl spoke after a moment’s thought. “If you don’t mind talking ‘shop’ all weekend you’re very welcome to come to my family’s place. Grandad retired just after the last war and Dad’s not been on a sea based ‘ship’ for some time now, so they would be really pleased if you told them all about your last voyage.”

“Well, if you’re quite sure that I won’t be getting in the way.” Mike didn’t need much convincing – he had seen the pretty young Wren on previous visits to the office, but she was usually too busy to take much notice of him. He looked forward to getting to know her better.

Later that evening, Mary was sat in the passenger seat of the car which Mike had borrowed from a fellow officer. They were heading west, towards Falmouth, and Mary decided that it might be a good idea to warn Mike about her family before he met them all.

“We’re all going to my Aunty Susan’s this weekend. That means there’ll be enough food to feed an army, or, rather, a navy. Mum says Aunty Susan always liked to do the cooking for everyone. Mum was glad because Aunty Nancy used to make her do the cooking, when she wanted to be off sailing or exploring, so it was really jolly good when they met Dad and his family.

“Uncle Roger and Aunty Ann will be there; and I think Uncle Giles is coming too. He isn’t really my uncle – he’s one of Aunty Ann’s brothers, but he and Uncle Roger have been great friends since they started in the Service together. Mum was rather surprised when Uncle Roger married Aunty Ann – he always used to get very fed up with Aunty Susan fussing over him when the were kids, and Mum says Aunty Ann is even fussier than Aunty Susan was. Oh – you might know their family.” Mary suddenly remembered something she’d seen in the files at work. “Didn’t you serve under Lieutenant Marlow for a while? He’s their younger brother, Peter.”

“ Oh, yes! I served under him for almost two years. I remember thinking what a lucky fellow he was to come from a naval family like that. None of mine know much about it at all – they’re mostly doctors, although Dad did get called up during the war. But do go on about your family – you seem to be just as fortunate as Lieutenant Marlow!”

“Aunty Nancy and Uncle Roger are bound to have an argument at some point over the weekend – they always do. Aunty Nancy works for the Sail Training Association – she always says that sail’s the thing, while Uncle Roger prefers to have a nice little engine under him, but Great Uncle Jim will sort them out – he seems to understand them both.

“You mustn’t mind Aunty Dorothea – she’s inclined to go off into a dream sometimes – she writes sailing adventure stories for children, they’re usually set in the Lake District or on the Norfolk Broads. Aunty Titty writes too, she writes about her travels – she’s been right round the world travelling on all sorts of different ships.

“Don’t worry if you don’t understand a word Uncle Dick says – nobody else does either, but he seems quite happy doing experiments at Cambridge. Aunty Bridgie tries to make sure he has a normal life outside the lab, but he’s a bit absent minded at times.

“I don’t know how many of my cousins are coming – there are fifteen altogether as well as my brother and me. We usually all camp out in the gardens. I hope you don’t mind camping, by the way. I never thought to ask you. We’ve all done it for so long I just assumed that everybody does it.”

“That’s fine”, Mike hastened to reassure her. “I haven’t had a chance to do much camping, but I always liked it when I did. Your family sounds nearly as complicated as mine”, he went on. “I don’t have so many aunts and uncles, but I’ve got”, he paused for a moment to count up, “ten brothers and sisters, seventeen first cousins, and my parents have five wards too”. He turned his head slightly to watch the expression on Mary’s face when he said this – it didn’t disappoint – he was used to using it as a conversation stopper.

Mike enjoyed the weekend very much, and he told Mary so as he drove her back to Plymouth very early on Monday morning. He also asked if she would be free the following weekend, but said that it would be good to go somewhere by themselves this time. Mary had been pleased by how well the weekend had gone, and readily accepted his suggestion.

There was a letter from his mother waiting for Mike when they returned to Plymouth. He read it with a frown on his face, then folded it up and put it into his pocket. The frown was replaced by a smile - he was hundreds of miles away and he had a date with the prettiest Wren in the Navy – he wouldn’t let his mother rule his life.

#44: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:25 am
—
Thanks for the quote at the beginning.

This was great, the Marlows, and Swallows and Amazons (I recognized them both....)

This is a super drabble

#45: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:00 am
—
Can just see Nancy and Roger still rowing! Excellent. Laughing

Thanks Lottie.

#46: Author: Miranda, Location: Perth, Western Australia

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:38 am
—
Love the combination of cross-overs Laughing

Quote:

he always used to get very fed up with Aunty Susan fussing over him when the were kids, and Mum says Aunty Ann is even fussier than Aunty Susan was.

I'm not sure which of them would win the fussiness competition personally...

#47: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:17 am
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Marlows and Swallows and Amazons! Brilliant!

#48: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:19 pm
—
This is extraordinarily clever! Well done.

#49: Author: brie, Location: Glasgow, aka the land of boredom

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:16 pm
—
Thanks Lottie

And thankfully I have actually read swallows and amazons, so I recognised the cross-over this time!!

#50: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:07 pm
—
Brilliant double crossover there!

So that's John's daughter then, by process of elimination?

#51: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:06 pm
—
Thanks, Lottie, all these crossovers are great. And it's good to see a family that's even more complicated than the M/B/R clan.

#52: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:39 pm
—
Yes Laughing

Finally a crossover I recognise: the Marlows. I didn't recognise the other one Embarassed

Thanks. Love this drabble

#53: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 5:02 am
—
Fascinating combination. Laughing

#54: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:05 am
—
francesn wrote:

Quote:

So that's John's daughter then, by process of elimination?

And Peggy is Mary's mother?

#55: Author: Smile :), Location: Location? What's a location?

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 11:22 am
—
Afraid to say I don't really know most of the crossovers but to see Joey planning for her children was hilarious!

Thank you Lottie

#56: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 2:09 pm
—
Yes, Fran & macyrose, Mary is the daughter of Peggy (née Blackett) and John Walker.

Quote:

Felicity had persuaded her parents to let her go to Milan where she was having a few dancing lessons and visiting the galleries and La Scala. She should come home soon – she could help out at the School by giving dancing lessons to the younger girls. Joey decided to invite Friedrich von und zu Wertheim to stay when Felicity came home. Jack could give the young man a job in the Sanatorium, since he had finished his training as a doctor and there would be no question of him inheriting the family property so he didn’t need to stay in Austria.

My apologies to those of you who have already seen most of the next bit on the MCR. This is what prompted me to think up the rest of the Maynards' stories.

London

Igor stalked down the corridor to the studio with a scowl on his face, he was so deep in thought that he never even noticed Rose’s cheery greeting. His favourite partner, Drina Adams was lost to him for a while; he thought that they should have been husband and wife as well as dancing partners - Sebastian and Adamo – it would have been most suitable, and he had been confident that they would have been as great as Nureyev and Fonteyn. But she had gone her own way, as usual, and had married that American; now she was expecting a baby, she wouldn’t be able to dance for months, if not years.

Felicity walked timidly along to the dance studio at the famous Dominick School. She was here at last. Her parents had never really understood her longing to be a dancer. She thought back bitterly to her schooldays – musical girls had been allowed to spend half their time on practice and special lessons, but she had had to do all of her ordinary lessons till she was eighteen, with only weekly ballet lessons, and as much practice as she could manage to cram in. Things had been a bit better after she left school – she had not wanted to go to university like her elder sisters, and she was too old for ballet school by then, even if it would have been allowed; but she had persuaded her parents to let her live in Milan with an old school friend of her mother, and to take lessons from Signora Lerrani. Her parents, assuming that she stayed at home with Bianca as much as she did when at Freudesheim, had been happy for Felicity to carry on with her dancing – they thought that it was a useful social grace, and assumed that either her guardian or her dancing teacher accompanied her to the art galleries she visited, and on the trips to La Scala. Felicity subscribed to the old adage – “What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over” – she knew that her parents would be horrified if they realised how she wandered around the streets of Milan by herself. However, she had needed to learn to be independent – if she ever had a chance to join a ballet company, she would have to be able to cope with living alone. She had just had to keep discouraging all of her mother’s well-meaning attempts to pair her off with one of the young doctors at her father’s sanatorium. Now she had turned twenty-one and could please herself for the first time in her life. Opening the door of the studio, Felicity seemed to see nothing but a see of faces, then one stood out from the rest. A very tall, very dark young man came across to welcome her. He looked completely self-assured, and Felicity suddenly realised that he also looked kind and dependable, he would be a solid lump of comfort if she found things a bit strange at first in what was, to her, a foreign country.

Igor looked up as the door of the studio opened, a very fair, very slight girl slipped shyly into the great room, seemingly overwhelmed by everyone there. At first glance he assumed that it was one of the school pupils with a message for the ballet mistress, but something about her made him look again. This was no teenager, this was a young girl with determination written all over her. She must be the newest member of the company – he had heard something of her story from his godmother and his father. Suddenly Igor felt all of his protective instincts coming out; he would show her the best places in London, and look after her when they went on tour. He would have her as his partner – he wouldn’t let her have babies yet – they would be great dancers together for ten years or so, then she could produce the next Igor Dominick for him – he knew that his father hoped for it one day. Felicity’s thoughts and feelings didn’t occur to him, of course she would fall in love with him – they all did, but this time he had fallen in love too. All the other pretty dancers faded into the background in comparison with Felicity – he would care for her and cherish her, even love her, for the rest of his life. He would tell her so as soon as they were released from the studio.

After the rehearsal was finished, Felicity was thinking about the letter she had received from her mother before she left Milan, and the fight that she had had to get here to London. When Igor came and offered her a coffee, she only hesitated for a moment before accepting. Her life was her own, and she had finally escaped from living on the Gornetz Platz with her mother watching her every move.

#57: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:22 pm
—
Lottie wrote:

Quote:

My apologies to those of you who have already seen most of the next bit on the MCR.

Where is this posted on the MCR? I looked through all the fan fiction threads but couldn't find it.

#58: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:30 pm
—

macyrose wrote:

Lottie wrote:

Quote:

My apologies to those of you who have already seen most of the next bit on the MCR.

Where is this posted on the MCR? I looked through all the fan fiction threads but couldn't find it.

It was an entry for the February competition.

#59: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:55 pm
—
Thanks, Lottie, I found it. I'm looking forward to see who you'll be crossing over with next!

#60: Author: Sarah_K, Location: St Albans

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 5:01 pm
—
I can't help feeling Felicity's swapped one type of cage for another even if she doesn't know it yet!

Thanks Lottie

#61: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 12:15 am
—
Oh, that is so Igor!!!!! I hope Rose isn't jealous......

Hmm, have started wondering how Joey might cope with Joanna Lloyd's Catherine..... Laughing

#62: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 11:25 am
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I'm just wondering what book that is from Confused

I'm so woeful at knowing them. I've only recognised the Marlows so far Sad

#63: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 9:56 am
—

Cath V-P wrote:

Hmm, have started wondering how Joey might cope with Joanna Lloyd's Catherine..... Laughing

Sorry, Cath V-P - I don't think I know Catherine well enough to write that, besides my plans are already made, but feel free to write it yourself!

Cath V-P wrote:

I hope Rose isn't jealous......

I think Rose has a fairly philosophical outlook on life, so I expect she'll get over it. I don't think Igor ever noticed her anyway.

The characters are from Jean Estoril's Drina books, for those who hadn't recognised them.

Quote:

Felix had just started training as a doctor, so he would be back helping his father at the Sanatorium in a few years time. Marie Courvoisier wanted to become a nurse, so she would suit him very well.

London

Felix looked round the crowded room. Everybody seemed to be having a good time, with the possible exception of his mother. Of course she had a smile on her face and was trying to make it look as though she was really pleased about Felicity’s marriage to Igor, but Felix knew that that wasn’t how she had hoped that her fourth daughter would spend her life. He had wondered if Felicity was getting married just to escape from the Gornetz Platz, but he didn’t think so now – she and Igor looked very happy together, and he knew that Felicity wouldn’t swap her life as a ballerina for anything. Spotting his mother starting to head in his direction, Felix decided to make a hasty exit. In the corridor outside he almost bumped into a fair girl who looked vaguely familiar.

“Sorry”, he said. “That was my fault. Not looking where I was going.” He looked more closely. She was very pretty, but he could detect signs of strain in her face.

“Is there anything wrong? Can I help at all? I’m Felix Maynard, by the way, and I think you’re Rose Conway, aren’t you. I remember seeing you dance when I first came to watch Felicity at the Dominick.”

Rose looked at the tall fair young man. She didn’t remember seeing him before, but he looked sufficiently like Felicity to reassure her as to the truth of his remarks.

“Yes – I’m Rose Conway. And you must be Felicity’s brother. She said you’d be here today.”

“I’m one of them, anyway. The other four are around somewhere. But I’m her twin, so we’ve always been closer to each other than to any of the rest of the family.”

“I hadn’t realised that she came from such a large family – Felicity never speaks about any of them much, apart from you. And thank you for your concern, but I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help. I was just wondering what to do with the rest of my life. Occasions like today make one stop and think.”

“I know what you mean.” Felix recognised the truth of her remarks. “I just dashed out here because I could see my mother about to pounce on me. I didn’t want another argument about why I’m not going to work at the Sanatorium with my father, and why I don’t want to marry one of the neighbour’s children there, and settle down next door to my sister, and just down the road from my parents. My mother seems to have trouble accepting that we have our own lives to lead as we grow up.”

“My parents are like that, too. They want me to try and get a television contract. They’ve always thought I could make more money that way, and they’ve never really understood that I only ever wanted to dance. But I’m not getting so many chances now – there are other, younger dancers coming along. I’ve been asked if I’d like to teach at Chalk Green – that’s the Dominick’s residential school in the Chilterns”, Rose explained. “It’s a tempting offer, and it would be good to help the pupils make the best of themselves and their opportunities. I loved the two years I spent there as a child.”

There were sounds of a sudden commotion inside the room, and the two in the corridor realised that Felicity and Igor were about to take their leave. Everybody crowded to the outer doors to see them off. Before they left, Felicity turned her back on everyone and tossed the small posy, which was all that she had carried as a bouquet, over her shoulder right into the unprepared arms of Rose. Amidst the chorus of good wishes Felix suggested that Rose might like to slip away with him to a wine bar just down the road, preferably before his mother caught up with him; then they could continue their conversation in peace.

Over a bottle of Chardonnay, Rose discovered that Felix had decided to specialise in treating people with spinal injuries. He had been offered a job at Stoke Mandeville, near Aylesbury. He thought that his father accepted the fact that he didn’t want to work with TB patients, and so wouldn’t be coming back to the Gornetz Platz, it was just his mother who had such trouble letting go. Rose suddenly found the prospect of Buckinghamshire much more appealing; and Felix was pleased to think that she might be close by. He looked forward to getting to know her a lot better. Rose looked down at the flowers lying on the table by her wine glass – her mind was made up. The first step was agreeing to Felix’s suggestion that they should spend the following day exploring the area between Chalk Green and Stoke Mandeville. Afterwards they could see where the future took them.

#64: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 11:29 am
—
Hope Felicity can cope with Igor, a solid lump of comfort he is not, unless love changes him. Question

Glad you have found someone nice for Rose. Smile

She and Igor would not have made a happy partnership, he would have treated Rose very unfairly.

#65: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 1:37 pm
—
Thanks for the update.

#66: Author: brie, Location: Glasgow, aka the land of boredom

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 3:40 pm
—
Thanks Lottie

#67: Author: Josie, Location: London

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 10:03 pm
—
Just found this. It's great, Lottie. Thanks. Very Happy

#68: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 11:34 pm
—
Oh, Felix is much better for Rose than Igor, especially if she does decide to start teaching.

Thank you for the kind suggestion, Lottie....I have stacked the bunny cage in the garage with the others..... Laughing

#69: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:15 am
—
Thanks, Lottie.

#70: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 8:08 pm
—

Quote:

Cecil and the younger twins were still at school, but Joey decided that it might be as well to start planning early – she didn’t want them going away like Con had done. Pierre de Bersac would be the right age for Cecil – he could have a job working in the administrative department at the Sanatorium.

Scotland

Sister Gilmour watched the young nurse completing her round of the ward. She was recording pulses and temperatures for the endless charts, but she wasn’t hurrying, she was taking time to talk to her patients, and settle them more comfortably if necessary. In Daffy’s eyes, Cecil Maynard had the potential to become a very good nurse indeed. She knew that many sisters in the big Glasgow hospital would disagree with her – they regarded talking to the patients as time wasting. Their emphasis was on getting things done as quickly and as efficiently as possible, and keeping everything spotless and tidy in case of an unexpected visit from Matron or one of the consultants. The patients’ welfare came a very long way down their list of priorities. The only thing on which Sister Gilmour agreed with them was the need for cleanliness. That was absolutely essential in a hospital, and woe betide any of her nurses who didn’t turn up for work with immaculate uniforms, and clean up as they went along. A certain amount of tidiness was a good idea too, but Daffy preferred her ladies to be happily occupied with crafts or books and, if that meant a bit of untidiness, that was fine with her. She was firmly convinced that they would recover from their operations much faster if they weren’t bored stiff, lying in straight rows looking up at the ceiling all day!

Cecil finished her round of the patients and put the thermometer away safely. She didn’t want to face Sister’s wrath if it got lost! However Sister Gilmour seemed kinder than many of the sisters she’d trained under during the last three years; perhaps she would be a good person to talk to. Cecil’s training would be finished when her stint on Women’s Surgical was over, and she had to decide what to do next. She knew that there would be a job for her at the Sanatorium on the Gornetz Platz, but that was the last place she wanted to go. Her blood still boiled at the memory of her mother’s recent letter. Did she really think Cecil was going to give up everything she’d trained for, to go home and get married in a few month’s time? Cecil had always known that she didn’t have the brains or the inclination to train as a doctor like Margot and Felix, but that didn’t mean that her desire to heal people after they had been ill was less important.

“Nurse Maynard! Could you come into my office for a minute, please?” Cecil jumped at the summons. She didn’t think she’d done anything wrong, but she’d learnt not to make any such assumptions while training.

“Yes, Sister!” At least Sister Gilmour was smiling – perhaps it would be all right to ask her advice.

“You finish here at the end of next week?” It was actually more of a statement than a question and Daffy carried straight on, “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after that?”

“Not really, Sister.” Cecil shook her head.

“I’m sorry that we won’t have a vacancy for you here.” Cecil wasn’t surprised by that, she knew that all the nursing positions were filled on that ward, and that a new probationer would be taking her place as soon as she finished. It was a pity, because it had been the best ward in the whole hospital which she’d worked on during her training. “I could put in a word for you, if you want to apply for one of the vacancies elsewhere in the hospital.”

“Thank you, Sister.” Cecil replied politely, but she shook her head again. Then she took a deep breath and went on, “I don’t think I really want to work in the hospital. I know it sounds ungrateful, after all the training I’ve had here. But all those straight rows of tidy patients in the other wards! It just doesn’t seem like the best way to help them get better. I think maybe I’d like to work as a District Nurse, if I can persuade my parents to let me train for a bit longer. That way I can really help with whatever’s needed to get them completely well again!”

“Is there likely to be a problem with the training? I would be happy to recommend you for it.”

“I don’t know. It’s always been assumed that I would go home and work at my father’s Sanatorium in the Swiss Alps. I know he’s doing great things with TB, and it’s nearly been eradicated now, but it’s just another hospital. I want to see my patients being able to get on with their lives after they’ve recovered from their illness.”

“Would you consider taking some time off after your training’s finished? I have a suggestion to make.”

“There’s nothing planned at the moment. I don’t really want to go home with things as they are. My mother’s likely to put a lot of pressure on me to stay there, and it’s very hard to resist her.”

“If you can cope with another mother, I suggest you spend a month or two at my family’s place at Lochside. My parents are about to retire, and my mother’s assistant, Mrs. Burnet will be taking over from her. My father’s been the local doctor for many years, and my mother’s always helped him, but she specialised in herbal remedies. My brother’s already joined my father and his partner in their practice, and I know they’ll be needing another nurse. Why don’t you go up there for a bit? You can go out with my mother and see if it’s the sort of thing which would appeal to you.”

“That sounds really interesting! Lochside sounds as though it’s rural, too. That’s the one thing I do miss about home. The mountains, and the lakes in the valleys. You have to go a fair way out of Glasgow to see a hill properly, and it could hardly be described as peaceful, here, at the best of times!”

Two weeks later saw Cecil stepping off the steamer from Portcraig and looking around her. The sea air smelled wonderful after the stuffiness of Glasgow, and the views were magnificent. She wasn’t sure that she’d want to go anywhere else ever again.

“Miss Maynard?” Cecil turned round and saw a youngish man striding towards her. This must be Sister Gilmour’s brother coming to meet her as arranged.

“Yes, I’m Cecil Maynard. Are you Dr. Gilmour?”

“That’s me! Although they mostly call me Dr. Bill round here, otherwise it gets confusing with Dad being a doctor, too.” He grinned at her, “Is this all your luggage?” He picked up Cecil’s suitcase and carried it over to his little car.

Cecil followed with her attaché case, and watched while he stowed them both in the boot next to his medical bag. That friendly grin had made the last of her uncertainties vanish. She listened eagerly, as Bill pointed out various landmarks, and told her about some of the scrapes he and his sister and their friends used to get into as children. By the time they reached Twinkle Tap, they were chatting away like old friends. Cecil felt as though she had come home at last.

#71: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 8:23 pm
—
Oooh! Was that a Dimsie crossover?

#72: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:16 pm
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I think it was! Laughing

Love the reference to 'straight rows of tidy patients'!

#73: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:44 pm
—
Thanks for the update. Very Happy

#74: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 8:28 pm
—

Ruth B wrote:

Oooh! Was that a Dimsie crossover?

I'm pretty sure it was, although it took me awhile to recognise it. I assume that Sr Gilmour is Dimsie's daughter.

#75: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:54 pm
—
Great, a Dimsie crossover. I also like the idea that Cecil wants to stay away from the Dear Octopus.

#76: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 2:55 pm
—
Fabulous - I love Dimsie, and it's nice to see Daffy all grown up.

I wonder what crossover comes next? I'd vote for a Maynard boy meeting a young Abbey girl, if you read EJO, Lottie!

No matter what it is, though, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

#77: Author: Smile :), Location: Location? What's a location?

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 3:56 pm
—
Loving all this, Joey must be so angry by now.

#78: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:38 pm
—
Sorry - the next part has been proving really troublesome, Mad

and I'm not sure that it's quite right even now, but it's as good as it's going to get, I fear! Rolling Eyes

The only consolation with having had to wait so long for this, is that you won't have to wait very long for the rest of it. I'm going on holiday tomorrow, and I had planned to finish posting it all before I went, so you should be getting two more updates before I go! Very Happy

Sorry, Caroline - I don't know the Abbey books well enough to include anyone from them here!

Oxford

Phil looked out of the window of her room at St. Anne’s. She could see right across the Banbury Road towards the University Parks where the leaves on the trees were beginning to change colour. She had done it! She had just matriculated here at Oxford University, and she was reading Maths. She thought back to the struggles she had had to get here. Ever since she had had polio as a small child, she had been subjected to extra fussiness from her parents at home and from the staff, particularly Matey, at School. Why couldn’t they just let her get on with her life? There was nothing wrong with her except a slight limp, and very few people even noticed that any more. Even now she was a year behind her twin, because she had been kept back at school for fear she over-taxed her strength. As if polio had affected her brain!

She had been here for ten days now, and so far everything was fine. She had a room in the middle of college, it was very convenient for the library, the dining hall and the common rooms. The tutors were really friendly, and the tutorials had gone really well. She had been prepared to find the work much harder than she’d been used to at School, but so far she had managed a reasonable attempt at all the questions she’d been set by using the books which had been recommended. The bits which she hadn’t been able to make sense of by herself had suddenly become perfectly obvious when explained later. Now she could settle down to some steady work before her exams in the summer. Well, she admitted to herself, she didn’t think it would be all work – there should be time for some fun, too! The previous evening had certainly been just that.

“Hello! It’s Philippa Anne Maynard, isn’t it? Remember me? I’m Ned!”

“Oh, yes!” For a minute Phil wondered who the young man was who’d spoken to her. Then it came back to her, she’d met him playing Monopoly at the Maths Institute. “You beat me last Sunday!” She remembered asking if his name was short for Edmund or Edward, and had been surprised to learn that he was really Nicholas Edwin Dodds, but he’d been known as Ned since his schooldays. He suggested that she should be called ‘Pam’, but she was having none of it. After that, they got into a protracted dispute over stations and utilities, and jokes over names were shelved, but obviously not forgotten!

Phil was surprised to see Ned at the ceilidh. She’d been accustomed to folk-dancing at school, where, obviously, there had been no boys. Her brothers and their friends had always scorned it as a sissy activity whenever they had done any at home. Somehow, she hadn’t really thought about the fact that there would be boys to dance with here. She’d envisaged dancing with Beth Macrae, who was in the next room at college, and as keen a dancer as Phil was. She was pleased, however, to see another familiar face in the crowded room. Ned proved to be an excellent partner, and Phil enjoyed the evening immensely. Beth was getting on very well with Ned’s friend, Jasper Morton; although they soon discovered that he preferred to be called Jim. Only too soon, the dancing was over, but Ned and Jim walked Beth and Phil back to St. Anne’s and promised to meet them the following afternoon, and give the girls a guided tour of the best bits of Oxford.

Phil paused in her recollections. This was no time for daydreaming. She needed to get changed and go for lunch. Otherwise she wouldn’t be ready to go out at fourteen hours – no she must remember that it was two o’clock here!

The walk proved fascinating, they saw all the usual things such as the Martyrs’ Memorial and Carfax Tower, as well as the odd ones like the dinosaur on the back wall of Keble. They narrowly avoided being locked in the Parks as the gates closed at sunset, and they finished up having tea in the boys’ room at Wadham, where the girls learnt how to make toast using bent paperclips hanging from the electric fire! Before the girls left, Jim had promised to meet Beth at Scottish dancing on Monday, and Phil and Ned were planning the return Monopoly game the following day. All four certainly planned to be at the folk-dancing the following Friday.

Back in her room, Phil sighed as she wrote her letter home. How much should she tell her mother? A detailed description of matriculation seemed safe. She could probably get away with mentioning the ceilidh, and describing the walk with Beth. She thought it better not to say anything about Ned just yet. Although Phil was now certain that she wouldn’t be going tamely back to live on the Gornetz Platz when she graduated. After all there were so many opportunities here in Oxford! And they weren’t all related to Maths, although nothing had yet made Phil think she wouldn’t be able to go as far as she wanted with it. Maybe she’d never leave Oxford!

#79: Author: brie, Location: Glasgow, aka the land of boredom

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:45 pm
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Thanks Lottie!

I dont recognise the crossover though... but then thats nothing new for my un-cultured self Embarassed

#80: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:24 pm
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Thanks Lottie - good for Phil! Laughing

#81: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 6:52 pm
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Lovely Lottie! Thank you! Just wish I was a little more cultured and could recognise more than just the Marlows! x

#82: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:26 pm
—
Here's the next part!

Cambridge

“Guten Tag, Herr Maynard!” Geoff’s supervisor dismissed him. Geoff made a suitable reply and left the room. It was the beginning of his second year at Churchill and he was really enjoying himself now. He had got used to working independently, and he’d just been congratulated on how his accent had improved – it had been worth taking that holiday job in Bonn. His vocabulary was good, and he had spoken quite fluently when he had started his course the previous October, but he hadn’t really thought about the fact that his nursery acquired German accent was a mixture of Tyrolean and Swiss.

Actually the job had had another benefit too – it had meant he hadn’t been home to Freudesheim to spend the four months of the summer vacation listening to his parents comments on his course. He thought that they really should have got over it by now. He remembered back to four years ago, when his O-level results had arrived. By anybody else’s standards they were good. Grade 1 for English, History, French, Russian, Latin, Maths and Physics; 2s for Geography and Chemistry; and 4 for Biology. He hadn’t wanted to take Biology but his parents had insisted that he would need it to be accepted at medical school. He didn’t want to go to medical school either, but they hadn’t listened to him. Thank goodness for old Johnners at school – he had refused to accept Geoff into the science sixth; that had caused another unpleasant half hour in his father’s study, but at least he had finally been allowed to carry on with Russian, French and History, and to take up Economics for his A-levels. Now he was a third of the way through his German degree, and also taking extra classes in Spanish. His goal, although he had admitted it to no-one except his twin, was to be accepted for the Diplomatic service.

Geoff strolled back through college towards his room. His mother had been quite upset when she had seen Churchill for the first time. She had expected something like the colleges she had seen in the centre of Oxford, and indeed they had passed several like that as they came through the town. He thought she would even have been happier if it had been more like his elder sister’s colleges – both Somerville (where Len went) and Con’s choice of St. Hilda’s had been imposing red-brick buildings. Geoff looked around him with pleasure – this was the 1970s and he liked the clean straight lines of the concrete. He sighed – it seemed as though he would never be able to do anything right as far as his parents were concerned. The wrong subjects for A-level, the wrong degree course, the wrong college, probably the wrong girl and the wrong career, too. He knew that his mother had wanted him to work at the San with his father, and had dropped very broad hints about Angela Embury. He had always liked her well enough, but not in the right way to want to marry her.

“Oh, sorry!” Geoff just managed not to trip over the girl in front of him. “It was my fault!” He carried on as she started to stammer an apology. “I was miles away, and wasn’t looking where I was going.” He looked more closely; something about her made him think of young Phil – not the girl’s colouring, because she was dark haired and beautiful, while Phil was as red-haired as he was himself. There was an air of uncertainty about her, she had that lost look he remembered seeing on Phil’s face sometimes, when she had had to go and face a new situation and had been sure she would be teased about her limp.

“My name’s Geoff – Geoff Maynard, second year, German. Why don’t you come for a coffee?” He waved to a group just going into the buttery. “It’s all right. We don’t bite”, he added, as she hesitated. “At least only the buns, or whatever’s going today. Do come. We’re a very friendly bunch as a rule.” He finished with a beaming smile, which proved to be her undoing. He hastily guided her to a nearby bench and produced his big handkerchief so that she could ‘mop up’; he never knew what to do with tears. Fortunately these didn’t last long.

“I’m Kate Lacey,” she said with a final gulp. “It’s my first year and I’m reading History. I didn’t think it was going to be so hard. My Mum and Dad were here. At Cambridge, I mean. Mum was at Girton with Aunty Libby, and Dad went to St. John’s. They never said it would be like this.” Kate stopped, suddenly aware that she might be about to look very stupid.

“Let me guess”, said Geoff. “You’ve just had your first supervision, and you were told that you hadn’t read nearly enough books and had written rubbish.” She nodded. “They do that all the time. It’s to try and make sure nobody gets away with slacking. How many books were there on your list last week?” He looked at the reading list she produced. “And you tried to read all the compulsory ones from cover to cover as well as some of the optional ones too?” She nodded again. “I thought so. It’s impossible. The art is in reading enough of the introduction, and then finding the relevant chapters. Ignore the optional ones, and just find enough of the other ones to give you several different viewpoints. You’ll be fine then. Is this your essay?” He tweaked it from her hand before she could object and started to read it. “It looks good to me. Don’t worry about it. What about your partner? How had she done?”

“She’d written about half that amount, and she told me that she couldn’t find some of the books so she just hadn’t bothered with them.”

“And the supervisor didn’t say much to her, I’ll be bound.” Geoff commented. “It’s just as I thought. You’re really good, and they don’t want you slacking. She’ll be a good average, and they’ll not fuss so much. Now come on. What about that coffee? It’s my treat.”

“O.K. Thanks. If you’re sure you don’t mind being seen with a silly ass like me.” Kate handed the handkerchief back and got up.

“Of course I don’t mind being seen with you! You’re the prettiest girl in College! Although you certainly are a silly ass to make remarks like that!” But Geoff’s smile took any sting out of the words. Kate had put her first little root into the soil that was Churchill College, and Geoff knew, that, whatever his mother might want, Angela Embury wouldn’t get a look-in – Kate was the girl for him.

My apologies to Margaret Biggs for making use of her character before having a chance to read the book! Embarassed

And my grateful thanks to her, Clare Mallory, Anthony Buckeridge, Jane Shaw, Arthur Ransome, Antonia Forest, Jean Estoril, Dorita Fairlie Bruce and Malcolm Saville for creating characters which inspired me to write this drabble, adding descendants where necessary! Rolling Eyes

ETA And EBD, herself, of course! Embarassed

Without whom, there would be no CBB and no drabble!

Last edited by Lottie on Fri May 11, 2007 7:12 am; edited 1 time in total

#83: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:42 pm
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Thanks Lottie, I really enjoyed these, even if I didn't recognise all the cross-overs! (Who is Ned?)

#84: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:35 pm
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Awwww, Geoff was lovely there - wonder if he's thought about teaching?

Thanks Lottie.

#85: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:35 pm
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brie wrote:

Thanks Lottie!

I dont recognise the crossover though... but then thats nothing new for my un-cultured self Embarassed

Don't worry neither have I on any bar one. I'm just as bad :oops:but really enjoyed the drabble. Do we get to see Joey's response to all the kids responses to her letter?

#86: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 11:59 pm
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Great - two updates! It's been fun watching the Maynards gently slide away into other worlds..... Very Happy

#87: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 7:16 am
—
Thank you for your kind comments, everybody. Here's the last part. I'll come back and explain any characters who haven't been recognised, if need be, after my holiday.

Gornetz Platz

Jack picked up his cup and carried it to the other end of the long table. He pulled out a chair at the side and sat down next to his wife. Joey finished reading her letter and looked at him enquiringly.

“Do you want more coffee?” Jo picked up the pot as she spoke.

“I don’t mind if I do”, he held out his cup, and Jo poured the last of the coffee into it.

“Is that enough, or shall I ring for Anna and ask her to bring us some more?”

“That’s enough for me, thanks”, he said “but I do want to talk to you. Can you come along to my study when you’ve finished clearing here?”

“Okey-doke! Just give me ten minutes and I’ll be there. Are you going to tell me what it’s about?”

“All in good time, Joey, my love!” Jack grinned at her infuriatingly, drained his cup and left the room.

Jo sighed, Jack knew that she hated that particular endearment. She hurriedly finished her own coffee, collected up her letters and rang for Anna to clear away. Ten minutes later saw her sat in one of the two chairs by the window in Jack’s study.

“What’s up, Jack? You’ve seemed a bit preoccupied lately.”

“I’ve been busy making arrangements for handing over the running of the San to young Reg. Not that he’s so young these days – he’s older, now, than I was when we first came out here - more than twenty-five years ago. Anyway he’s more than capable of running it. Of course he and Len will move in here – this place has always been designated for the head of the San. It will suit Len, too, since she’s just accepted that job Nancy’s offered her as head of the Modern Languages department at the school now Jeanne’s retired. It’s come at the right time, too – all their youngsters will be at school full time from September.”

Jo had been startled into silence by Jack’s first statement. Now her natural loquaciousness took over.

“What? Giving up the San? What are you going to do? Where are we going to live if Len and Reg move in here? Will they want us living with them?”

“Stop, Joey! Madge always did say that you were an animated question mark, and you’re no better now than when I first knew you more than forty years ago. Now let me answer those questions before you throw any more at me. Yes, I’m giving up the San – it’s more than time that I retired – I’m past sixty-five you know!”

“Oh, I know that really – it’s just that you don’t seem it. Sometimes I don’t feel as though either of us is a day older than when we got married. What a time that was – fleeing from the Nazis, and the triplets being born, moving to Plas Gwyn.”

“It’s nice that you think like that, Joey.” Jack made haste to interrupt what looked as though it could become an entire history of their married life. As for where we are going to live – of course Len and Reg won’t want us living with them, although I expect they’d be happy for us to visit occasionally. We’ve got Die Blumen at the Tiernsee – we could live there. We could buy somewhere else of our own to retire to. Maybe a little place in the Welsh mountains close to Madge and Jem, or we could buy Len and Reg’s chalet from them if you wanted to stay here, although, personally, I think it will be easier to retire if I actually move away from the San. We could go back to Guernsey – we could ask Janie and Julian to look out for a little house for us. We could go anywhere you like. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. We need to make some plans.”

“Goodness, Jack! What a surprise! I never thought of moving away from here. I do love the Tiernsee – there’s nowhere else in the world quite like it, but it’s so far from all of the children and the grandchildren. But there’s nowhere which would be near all of them – they’ve scattered to the ends of the earth, or so it seems.”

“That’s the way it goes, Joey. We’ve done our best by them, now we have to let them go out into the world and make their own lives. As far as I can see they’re all getting along very happily.”

“But what if something happens? Suppose they need us for something?”

“The world’s shrinking, Joey. We could even get to Australia or New Zealand in a couple of days, now. It’s not like it was when Dick and Mollie were in India; they had to go by ship, and it took weeks to get there. On a jet you can go right around the world in two or three days.”

“I know that, really, but they’re my babies, and I don’t suppose I’ll ever stop worrying about them.”

“Maybe not, but you have to keep those worries to yourself! The children know we’ll do anything we can, if they need us. But they don’t want us breathing down their necks all the time. They can make their own decisions. If that’s not what we might choose for them, it’s not our place to interfere. You wouldn’t want Madge and Jem still telling you what to do, now, would you?”

“Gracious me! No!” Jo shook her head, vehemently.

“It’s the same thing, really! Now what about our retirement home? Guernsey, Wales, or somewhere else?”

“Guernsey’s a good idea – it would be quite apt to spend our declining years in the place where we started our married life. Do you think Les Rosiers would be for sale? I presume we’d keep Die Blumen, and still use it as a holiday home.”

“I like the idea of Guernsey, too. It will be nice to be near to the sea, after all these years in the mountains. Yes, we’ll keep Die Blumen – the Tiernsee is special to me, too, you know, Joey. So is that settled then? We’ll start looking for a place in Guernsey, and Len and Reg can move in here over the summer holidays.”

“Shall I write to Janie, today? I presume we’ll only want a small place – five or six bedrooms and three sitting rooms should do it, as well as kitchen, dining room and so on.”

“Good idea! That sounds about right. We’ll want some rooms for the family to stay when they visit, and we’ll need a study each. The sooner we start looking – the sooner we’ll be settled. I expect we’ll want the decorators in before we move all our stuff over. There’ll be too much here for what we’ll need there. Probably Len and Reg will be grateful for some of it – they haven’t got enough of their own to furnish this place. We’ll have to go through it and sort out what’s to be kept. Then I thought that we might have a little holiday before we move in and start life as a retired couple.” Jack waited for Joey’s reaction to his last remark – he wasn’t disappointed.

“A holiday? To the Tiernsee? Or did you mean we might go somewhere else? It would be lovely to see some of the grandchildren again.” Jo’s dark eyes looked dreamily at him.

“I thought you’d like to see the family, Jo. That’s just what I had in mind. I thought we’d start by going to Toronto to see Robin. Then we can visit Steve and Rosie and their family in new Zealand. I’d like to see Mollie and Kenneth, too,” Jack said thinking of his own twin sister, whom he rarely saw since she had moved to the other side of the world when they were both in their twenties.

“Oh, Jack!” Joey was almost too overcome for words.

“We’d go to India, as well. We ought to see what young Margot’s getting up to out there. Then we’ll go on and see Geoff and Kate in Tanzania. That should give plenty of time for the decorators to finish, and we can go and unpack in our new home in Guernsey”, he finished with a twinkle in his eye.

“But what about Con? Can’t we go to Washington, too, please?” Joey sounded very little older than the schoolgirl Jack first remembered seeing.

“No need – haven’t you read your letters this morning?”

“I’ve not had time to read all of them yet. I came here to see what you wanted,” Joey retorted promptly. “Is there something I should know?”

“I expect you’ve got a letter there – I heard from Con this morning – they’re going to be based in Paris for the next few years, so we can run over and see them when we’ve settled in.”

“Then there’s Charles and Charlotte in Sussex, Mike and Mary in Plymouth, Felicity and Igor in London (when they’re home), Felix and Rose in Buckinghamshire, Phil and Ned in Oxford, even Cecil and Bill are only in Scotland. So we’ll be able to see them, or have them come and see us at any time,” Joey finished. “Oh, Jack! I’m almost looking forward to it!”

“Only almost?” Jack queried.

“Well, you know me! I never did like change! But this time I think the changes will be very good. And I should get several books out of the trip,” she finished characteristically.

THE END

#88: Author: Miranda, Location: Perth, Western Australia

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 7:28 am
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What a lovely ending - all the children have done exactly as they want, and Joey is happy (or at least resigned to it).

Thank you so much Lottie, I've really enjoyed this! Have a wonderful holiday (where are you off to by the way?) - you've certainly earned it after this drabble Very Happy

#89: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 8:54 am
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Elbee wrote:

Thanks Lottie, I really enjoyed these, even if I didn't recognise all the cross-overs! (Who is Ned?)

I was assuming he was a Marlow - the son of Karen Marlow and Edwin Dodd? And thus half-brother of Rose, Chas and Fob.

But I could be completely wrong!

Thanks Lottie - this was inspired, and I love what a success all the Maynards are making of their lives. And that Jack sees that, and is helping Joey to see it too. I'm trusting that with Jack's help, she will learn to be friends again with her adult children and become part of their lives again by setting them free.

#90: Author: Karoline, Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 10:14 am
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Thanks Lottie, I really enjoyed these Laughing

#91: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 1:38 pm
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Lottie, this was very good indeed - incredibly clever! Very well done, I really enjoyed it.

I didn't recognise all the crossovers, only most! My absolute favourite was the Jennings one - I thought you caught him to a "T".

Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday.

(And at least you got yours finished in time - I don't think mine is going to be!).

#92: Author: Elder in Ontario, Location: Ontario, Canada

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 3:35 pm
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Thanks, Lottie - this was great! I never have time to read half the stories I would like to keep up with and only 'found' this one half way through it, so have just 'treated' myself to a re-read of the whole drabble - it's such fun to see all the Maynards going their own ways, regardless of what Joey would like!! And I surprised myself by recognising all the crossovers, too - unless my guess about Ned is incorrect, but I see others have the same idea about who he might be.

Enjoy your holiday.

#93: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 3:49 pm
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What a lovely ending! Thanks Lottie.

And have a great holiday!

#94: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 5:34 pm
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Lottie wrote:

You wouldn’t want Madge and Jem still telling you what to do, now, would you?”

“Gracious me! No!” Jo shook her head, vehemently.

Loved that - a little dig to get Joey thinking about her own actions.

Lottie wrote:

“Shall I write to Janie, today? I presume we’ll only want a small place – five or six bedrooms and three sitting rooms should do it, as well as kitchen, dining room and so on.”

That's a 'small' place, is it??? Confused

Thanks Lottie - lovely story.

#95: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 5:38 pm
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I giggled over the "small place" too!

Thank you, Lottie.

#96: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 1:41 am
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Oh that was nice Lottie - and the crossovers were such fun.....

#97: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:01 am
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Loved the update of what Joey and Jack got up to. Thanks and have a great trip

#98: Author: Rosalin, Location: Swansea

Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 1:34 pm
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Loved this drabble, thank you Very Happy

I've now got a list of new series to check out. Why are there only 24 hours in a day?

#99: Author: wheelchairprincess, Location: Oxfordshire, UK

Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 3:10 pm
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Loved the drabble, just read it all. I didn't recognise any of the crossovers! Looks like my reading has been shamefully neglected.

#100: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 8:54 pm
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Have really enjoyed this.
Thanks.

#101: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 12:34 am
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Just caught up on this Lottie and I've enjoyed it so much. I love the Swallows and Amazons complicated family history - when I was a lot younger I used to spend ages working out who could marry who Laughing

#102: Author: Smile :), Location: Location? What's a location?

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 5:53 pm
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What a lovely ending Lottie. This was a great idea and very well done, even if I only really knew one of the cross overs!

#103: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:40 pm
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Lesley wrote:

Lottie wrote:

“Shall I write to Janie, today? I presume we’ll only want a small place – five or six bedrooms and three sitting rooms should do it, as well as kitchen, dining room and so on.”

That's a 'small' place, is it??? Confused

Compared to Freudesheim, it's tiny!

Thanks for all the lovely comments, everybody. I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Caroline did identify Ned correctly.

In answer to your query, Miranda, I've been to the Golden Valley in Herefordshire, but I failed to see Plas Howell, Plas Gwyn or the Round House, but I didn't actually look very hard this time! Embarassed

#104: Author: Lexi, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:44 pm
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Ooh I went there at Easter, lovely isn't it? We stayed just next to Peterchurch, so nice EBD connections Very Happy

The CBB -> St Scholastika's House

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