by David Hockey
Chapter 12 Holiday planning
Bob was finishing his first mug of tea Friday morning when the postman pushed two letters and a small package through the front door. He bent to pick them up, took them to his easy chair and opened the package. It was the cheques for the company. Then he looked at the letters. One had a Portuguese stamp and he deduced it was from Maria. He opened it and read that the agency was going to run a church-visiting tour in the fall along the south coast and that she would be running it. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘it’ll be nice to see her again.’ Then he read that she would be guiding two Lake District tours, one in July and one in August and gave their dates. “And,” she added, “you might be interested in the August holiday because it will be conducted in English, not Portuguese. A group of adult English-language learners asked us to arrange it. They’re combining a holiday with a chance to practice their English. You could join them for they would be glad of another person to talk to. What do you think?” ‘That’s not a bad idea,’ he thought. ‘It’s one place I want to see and it shouldn’t be too expensive since I’m already in England. I’ll write to Maria and ask for more information.’
The second letter was from his aunt, Aunt Sally. Now that was strange. It wasn’t his birthday and he wondered why she would be writing to him. Normally they only exchanged Christmas cards. When his mother was alive they’d visit her every two or three years. She was also Bob’s Godmother and she always hugged and kissed him a lot when he came. Her husband put up a swing and a slide in the back garden and they went on long walks together, looking for blackberries, watching the birds or picking flowers.
She wrote to tell him that she was tidying her estate and had some things his grandmother gave her and she though he might like them—a mantel clock and three paintings. Did he want to visit and collect them?
‘Of course I do. I haven’t seen her for five or six years. I’ll drive up in the van. It’ll be a nice adventure; no more tiring train and bus ride. I’d better go on a weekend. No, that’s not the best time; too much traffic then. I’d have to go during the week. I’ll talk to Ken about it then write to her.’
There was a knock on the kitchen door and it opened. “Hello Bob. Another nice day! Are you in the lounge?”
“Yes I am. Come and sit down Ken, I’ve something to discuss. Want a cup of tea?”
“No thanks, just had some.” He sat down. “What’s up?”
“Holidays. I’ve just had two letters. The first one, from Maria, says she’s guiding two Lake-District tours this summer. I want to go on the one she’s running in August because it’s for an English-speaking group. When did you say you were taking your holiday?”
“In September. The cruise is from September 3rd to September 12th. We leave from and return to Rome, so we’ll arrive a couple of days earlier. I’m thinking of taking two weeks off. Pass me the calendar. Yes. We will fly over on Sunday, August 31st, so I’ll be away from then until Monday, September 16th.”
“In that case I’d be back before you leave and we won’t miss any calls for more toys. I’ll write to Maria and tell her I’ll join the August one. The other letter was from my Aunt Sally. She lives near Boston. She’s got some things my grandmother gave her that she wants to give to me: a clock and some paintings. I’d like to drive up and collect them but I don’t want to drive on a weekend when the roads are clogged with traffic. So I want to take, say, three days during the week. When do you think would be best? I’d like to go soon but I don’t want to go when you might also be away.”
“Well I won’t be taking any extra holidays for a long time. I want to organise the new shop, find and train a helper and make several hundred sets to build a stock. Then I’ll think about taking a few days off.”
“I’ll help you in the shop until I visit her. I was going to Southampton and Bournemouth to visit shops but it’ll be better to go after the conference.”
“Why don’t you go and see your aunt before the conference, I’m sure you’ll be busy afterwards.”
“Yes, that’s probably true. All right. Then I’ll go next Wednesday and come back on Friday. That’ll give me time to prepare for the conference. Can you manage the move from here to the new shop without me?”
“With luck we’ll be moved by Wednesday. I’ll see what Jack says about that.”
“Then I’ll write to my aunt and tell her when to expect me. I’ll do that now and post it this morning. She’ll probably get the letter on Monday.”
“Okay. I’ll start another fifty farms. You can collect the villages any time you want. They’re on the shelves.”
Bob was just about to write to his aunt when there was a knock on the front door. He opened it and a man wearing a hard hat said, “Hello. Is that your van in the parking lot?”
“Yes.”
“Well can you move it please. We will be digging around there. It’s where the station’s sewer pipe runs. If you move it to the other side of the lot or lower down the road it’ll be okay.”
“I’ll do it now,” Bob said. He drove the van just past his garden and parked it on the road.
“It’ll be all right there,” the man called.
Bob locked it, returned to his kitchen, pulled out his shopping list and added ‘order gravel or stone for driveway.’ Then he wrote to aunt Sally telling her when he planned to visit. He walked to the post office and mailed it.
Ken was in the middle of shaping the wood for the barns when he went in to collect some village sets.
“I’m going to make the coffee before I start Ken. I’ll take it to the garden. Join me when you are ready.”
“Won’t be long.”
After their break Ken returned to making farm sets and Bob sat in the kitchen giving the village sets their second coat of paint. About twelve thirty, as Bob was shading the hedges, Ken walked in saying he was ready for lunch and watched Bob for a while. Then he said, “I think the third coat of paint on the hedges, houses or trains could be done with rubber stamps. It’d be easy to do the shading on the hedges but the window and door outlines could also be done, I think. It would make that job quicker.”
“Ah but the lines can’t smear and they’d have to be in exactly the right place.”
“I think that we can manage that. I’ve some soft rubber and I’ll make one for the hedges when I have time. Not this weekend because I’ll be making the table for the conference. That’s all I can do for us because Mary wants some help and we’re also visiting friends.”
Ken carried the tray with tea things and his lunch bag to the garden while Bob fetched the lawn chairs. They discussed the move to the new shop over lunch. They’d use Bob’s tools and equipment to begin with but buy new ones when they knew exactly what was needed. Keen to know when the move might occur they decided to walk down to the shop and see what Jack and John were doing.
Jack’s van was parked next to the side door. He and John were screwing gyprock to the ceiling of the paint shop when they walked in. The ceiling of the main floor was covered, only the ceiling of the sanding booth remained to be done. But none of the walls had been covered yet.
“This is great Jack” said Ken. “I’d offer to help but it looks as if I’d be in the way. You two can manage those sheets much better than I could. I know they’re very heavy.”
“We’re used t’it. We’ll start t’walls arter this.”
“Can you work on the weekend Jack?”
“Aye. ‘O aba’t you John?”
“I could work in the mornings,” he replied.
“Okay. We’ll finish gypin’ t’walls Saturday and do t’joints Sunday. Monday we’ll give ‘em a second coat.”
“When can you paint them Jack?”
“Tuesday. Tuesday mornin’, I guess.”
“And the second coat of paint?”
“Wednesday, s’long nowt goes wrong.”
“So we can begin working in here on Thursday. That means you won’t be here Bob. Err, have you written to your aunt?”
�
�Yes I have. And posted it.”
“Oh okay, it’ll be all right. I’ll make the benches and move the jigs on Thursday. Yes, we’ll be alright. Well thanks Jack. And John. You’ve done a great job. I’ll pop in on Saturday and see how things are going. How about you Bob? It looks great, doesn’t it?”
“Yes it does. Thanks Jack, John.”
“I wonder what Joe and Jane think about the place now,” said Bob, as they left the parlour. “I’ll have to ask them.”
Five minutes later they were back at Bob’s place. Ken returned to the shop and Bob continued the painting. He was finished by three and put the kettle on for tea before visiting Ken. Ken had finished the long blocks for the hedges, barns and houses. “I’ll shape the pigpens and the pen sides after tea. Then I’ll cut the blocks.
“You’re very quick Ken. Are you sure you need a helper?”
“Oh yes. This isn’t quick enough for me!”
“Well I’m finished painting so I’ll do some sanding.”
They continued working until seven when everything except the painting and gluing was done. “I’ll do the first coat on Monday,” said Ken, “and leave the rest to you. Then I’ll start another fifty trains. Now I’m going home for a scotch and supper.”
“I might go to the Crown for mine.”
But ten minutes later he decided he was too tired to do that and put a curry in the oven to warm and opened a bottle of beer. ‘You know,’ he told himself, ‘I think it’s time I bought a microwave.’
That evening he simply watched television. Working such long hours was a bit too much for him. He’d be glad when the work was done in the new shop. Ken could work all day and all night then and he wouldn’t feel so pressured to help.
He didn’t have the energy to write to Maria that night and decided to do that Sunday. He knew that after a couple of drinks tomorrow night he wouldn’t feel like writing then. It wouldn’t make any difference when he wrote it if he posted it on Monday. Friday nights he’d try to make a rest-night.
Over breakfast the next morning Bob organised and rewrote his shopping list so he wouldn’t have to drive backwards and forwards across the town. His plants and seeds were the last stop, for the nursery was on the way back to Small End. He put five of each toy in a bag in case Jenny wanted some. He’d try to work in fives or tens from now on, it made the paperwork slightly easier. He locked the house and carried the bag to the car.