Thirty-one
By early December they were feeling quite settled living at the farm. A routine had been established, of sorts, and there was always work to be done on a daily basis. Self-sufficiency- and, therefore, survival- was pretty much a full-time practice. When they’d left the bungalow to live at the farm they hadn’t been sure how it was going to work, but things had soon sorted themselves out. There were now new rabbit snares to check every day, horses to be looked after, other farm animals to tend to, work to be done on the land, maintenance of the infrastructure, and work on the ground behind their building to make a garden.
Since they had been working daily around the farm and contributing to its upkeep they had received a regular share of eggs, milk, butter and cheese that Emma produced, and sometimes a chicken. The eggs and dairy products were welcome additions to their diet, which they’d really missed when they’d been at the bungalow.
Their overall happiness increased greatly: they had been isolated in Bexhill, but now felt part of a small community, working together towards something. As a family unit their mutual love and respect deepened every day. The change in Megan was astonishing and so heart-warming for them to see. When they’d met her she had been a scared and somewhat introverted girl who had suffered greatly from what she had been through, but now she was maturing quickly and blossoming into a young woman. Her confidence had increased dramatically since her recovery from the shooting and she seemed to look at the world through new eyes. She was keen to learn everything they could teach her, whether it was practical things around the farm or her schooling in the evenings. She and Sally had become firm friends and spent a lot of time together.
During the first week of December they began coppicing; Jamie, Peter, Phil and Sophie went out several times to the nearest copse to work on it. Bill said he had too much work to do at the farm, but Jamie suspected that he didn’t like the idea of leaving the women and girls on their own and unguarded, though he didn’t say anything to him.
Jamie gave them a short talk on tool safety first and how to use them properly. Their main tools were a bow saw, a pair of loppers and a billhook and, like any tools, there was a right and a wrong way to use them. He showed them how to cut the trunks down to the stool, how to minimise the chance of infection to the tree by angling the cuts to shed water, and then how to sned the branches with the billhook or loppers. Snedding was a very old word, meaning to trim the smaller outer branches and leaves from the main trunk, leaving it smooth.
They made piles of all the brash- the discarded small branches and leaves- which would become home to many different creatures in time, and at the end of each day they brought a horse with the cart to take the logs back for storage and seasoning. The younger folks enjoyed it and easily out-paced Jamie, sometimes teasing him playfully by saying things like “You’re getting old, Jamie!”, or “Come on Jamie- no time for slacking!” Jamie just laughed and smiled with them. Peter, in particular, had a great time. He was as tall as his dad, but much leaner and looked quite studious, though he proved adept with the tools and made the work look easy. They didn’t coppice every tree but thinned them out a lot, which would let in more sunlight and encourage wild flowers to grow as a result.
Back at the farm, Jane and Megan worked on the garden area behind their place, digging over the soil and making beds for planting. They sowed onions, garlic, potatoes and several other vegetables in preparation for spring, and as they worked they chatted constantly about many things. One day near the end of the week, they stopped for a coffee in mid-morning and Jane noticed that Megan was looking thoughtful.
‘Mum?’ she said after a while.
‘Yes, honey?’
‘Would you mind telling me about your sisters? I was wondering what it was like for you as I always wanted a sister, but my mum and dad couldn’t have any more children after I was born, for some reason. I think they explained it to me when I was younger, but I can’t remember why now. I had some cousins that we saw often, but they were all spoilt brats and I never got on with them!’
‘Of course I don’t mind, sweetheart- you know you can always ask me anything.’
Jane told her about Debs and Kate; about their relationship, how close they had been and the fun they’d had together, both as children and as adults. Jane had been the middle sister and had loved them both dearly, and after a while she got upset and started crying.
Megan looked distraught and hugged her. ‘Oh, Mum, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’
Jane smiled at her through the tears. ‘Megan, honey, don’t be silly; you didn’t upset me. It’s only natural for you to ask and it’s nice for me to talk about them, even though it hurts. It’s all part of the grieving process and we mustn’t bottle these things up inside us. I think of them every day, but I haven’t talked about them for a while and it’s nice to do so.’
Megan felt better at that and when they went back outside to continue working she spoke in depth about her parents for the first time, which pleased Jane. ‘I know they loved each other,’ she said at one point, ‘but they were always bickering about things. I never see you and Dad bickering.’
‘Well, maybe they had some money problems, sweetheart, or troubles at work. You must understand, Megan, that before the plague everyone had to go to work- often in jobs they didn’t like- to earn enough money to live on, and to pay the mortgage or rent and all the bills. That could be very stressful for lots of people, Dad and I included. It’s different for us now, compared to how things were back then. Since the plague we’ve been free of all that; we haven’t had to earn money just to be able to live. We live now by our own devices. You’re never going to experience having to get a job to earn enough money to live- and thank God for that! If Jamie and I had been together before the plague, you may well have seen us bickering about things, too!
I know we’ve had plenty of stresses and problems since the plague: learning what to do to survive, and when our vegetables haven’t grown properly or have been lost due to disease or pests, and when we’ve gone a bit hungry because we didn’t get any rabbits or fish, or had to make special trips just to get water, etc., but it’s a different sort of stress. Before, we were at the mercy of money, employers, the government, taxes, insurance, and all manner of other stressful things that dictated our lives. Now, we’re just at the mercy of nature and our own resourcefulness, and that makes a big difference. Do you see what I’m saying?’
Megan thought for a while before answering. ‘I think so, yes. It’s kind of hard because I’m only twelve and I’ve never had to earn money- apart from doing chores for my pocket-money- but I see the difference and think I understand what you mean.’
‘You know, in many ways- apart from all the deaths and losing loved-ones, I mean- I’ve never felt so alive or so fulfilled before, and Jamie said something similar to me before we met you.’
The following Monday they had a visit from Sarah and Georgie, who rode into the yard on their horses. They hadn’t seen them for three weeks so it was a lovely surprise. After taking the horses up to the stable they all went into the farmhouse.
‘We had a lovely ride over,’ said Georgie. ‘We came partly by road, but mainly across country as we wanted to see what it was like. I took a bearing on the map from our place to here and just followed the compass; it’s almost due west and wasn’t difficult. There were a few awkward places with hedges and ditches, but it wasn’t too bad and we enjoyed it. I think the horses did, too!’
They sat at the kitchen table and had a good talk about what they’d all been up to since they last saw each other. The sisters were pleased that Jamie, Jane and Megan had settled well into their place and that they were all getting on okay with the horses.
‘Oh, we bumped into your friends Matt and Zoe and the twins last week,’ said Sarah. ‘We’d gone to the retail park for some things and they were there, too. We said hello and got talking and then found out that you knew each other.’ She chuckled; ‘I nearly said “
small world”, but then, of course, it is a small world now! We invited them back to our place for a drink and a snack and had a lovely talk for a couple of hours. They’re a nice couple and they seem to be getting things organised for themselves. We said we’d be coming to see you today; they send their regards and said they’ll come over on Wednesday for a visit. Matt said he had a surprise for you, but he didn’t elaborate on what it was.’
Emma asked them to stay for lunch, which they accepted gratefully, and they sat talking for a few hours. They were surprised to hear about the refugee camp closing and the army disbanding, but said they could understand it under the circumstances and were pleased that Tom and Karen would be coming to live close by.
‘It must be a bit of a relief to you, Jane, that there’ll be a doctor and a nurse nearby for when you give birth!’ said Georgie.
‘Oh, blimey, you’re right, there!’ she replied, and everyone laughed.
‘Something else that Georgie and I were talking about recently:’ said Sarah, ‘how would you like to keep bees and have your own honey? We’ve still got a few hives left in the barn that never got sold and we can set everything up for you in the spring.’ The others looked at each other and, without needing to confer, they all nodded enthusiastically and said thank you. Having their own honey in the future when all the stocks of sugar had been used up would be a real boon.
It came time for the sisters to leave so Jamie went up to the stable and brought their horses down to the yard for them. They all kissed and hugged, saying they would see each other soon, and as the sisters rode off down the track in their Barbours, shotguns slung over their shoulders, Jane grinned and turned to Jamie.
‘The Sussex hunting set!’ she said, and Jamie laughed out loud. The others, of course, didn’t get the joke and Jamie had to explain.
‘Earlier in the year, before we met Sarah and Georgie, we went to get some new clothes from a shop in Battle. Jane was posing with her shotgun in a Barbour jacket and hat and asked me if she’d fit in with the Sussex hunting set. I said something like “Right now, we probably are the Sussex hunting set!”’ Everyone laughed and then they dispersed to get on with their work around the farm.
On the Wednesday, as promised, Matt and Zoe arrived in mid-morning. Jane heard the vehicle on the track from the top yard and got the binoculars to see who it was as she didn’t recognise the car. She saw it was them and went to tell Jamie then they walked down to the bottom yard to meet them. They pulled up in the yard in an ancient Mercedes estate that must have been forty years old. They all exchanged greetings and said how nice it was to see each other.
Jamie looked at the car and smiled at Matt. ‘I see you got yourself another vehicle, then? Couldn’t you find anything newer than that?’
Matt smiled. ‘I’ll tell you what, Jamie; when the fuel does deteriorate, I bet this old thing will still be going long after that BMW of yours has kicked the bucket! These Merc’ diesel engines can run on really poor quality fuel- they were designed that way for use in all sorts of environments. After you told us about the fuel situation I kept my eyes open as we were driving around the town and spotted this on someone’s drive.’ He gave a wry smile; ‘Of course, I knocked on the door to see if the owner wanted to sell it, but there was no answer! As it was on the drive and in such good condition I knew the owner must have used it regularly, so I broke in, found the keys and then jump-started it from the motorhome.’
Jamie smiled. ‘Good for you, and good luck with it!’
They all went over to the farmhouse and Jane introduced them to Bill, Emma and Sally, who greeted them warmly.
‘Our son, Peter, and Phil and Sophie who live here, are around somewhere,’ said Bill. ‘You’ll meet them soon, too.’
They went into the kitchen and Zoe gave Emma a couple of bags, containing two good-sized fish, a pheasant and a bottle of wine. Emma smiled and thanked her.
‘We haven’t had fish for a while, so these will be most welcome.’
‘You haven’t been out in the boat in this weather, have you?’ asked Jamie.
Matt laughed. ‘No chance, mate! I got some beach-casting gear from the tackle shop in Sackville a few weeks back. I went down yesterday and caught these using some worms I dug up from the beach.’
‘Ah, well done. I’d intended to try that myself but didn’t get around to it before we left.’
They sat down at the table while Emma and Jane got drinks for everyone. Max was moving amongst the newcomers, wagging his tail and getting lots of attention. Megan and Sally said they would take Luke and Amber for a look around the farm so they went off, with Max in hot pursuit.
‘It was nice that you met Sarah and Georgie,’ said Jane. ‘They came round on Monday and told us about it.’
‘Yes,’ said Zoe, ‘that was a nice surprise. They’re a great couple, aren’t they? And their place is really cool. Sarah, in particular, reminds me of Katharine Hepburn.’
‘Yes!’ said Jamie. ‘That’s who it is! She- well, both of them, actually- always looked familiar, but I could never pin down who it was they reminded me of. Ha ha!’
They all laughed and agreed with Zoe and Jamie, then talked about what they’d been up to in recent weeks. Zoe said she’d identified the sea beet growing on and near the beach, and that they’d been eating it regularly. ‘It’s great, isn’t it?’ said Jane. ‘We brought several plants with us and have planted them out the back. Apparently, they’ll grow well in normal soil or in pots, too, and not just by the sea. They’re obviously a tough plant.’
Zoe agreed with her and the conversation turned to other plants and herbs. She liked Jane’s idea of going out with them in the spring and summer to identify medicinal herbs and became very animated.
‘I love it down here; it’s fab! This area is so abundant with many varieties of herbs and other plants that we can use, both for medicinal and culinary purposes. It’s a herbalist’s dream, really. There are many more things we can eat than you might know about. Sussex was well-populated by Neolithic Man for good reason! There are several different habitats within a relatively small geographical area; from deciduous woodland, to chalk downs, to marshland like the Pevensey Levels, and down to the coastal areas. I’ve already been out a few times on my bike, out past the golf club, and identified many species that we didn’t have around Potters Bar. Between us we can identify and gather lots of beneficial plants that will help us in the years to come.’
It was nice to see Zoe so enthusiastic and they all agreed it would be great to learn more from her about the plants around them. Peter, Phil and Sophie came in for lunch, followed by Megan, Sally and the twins, and were introduced to Matt and Zoe before they sat down to eat. After lunch Matt said he had a surprise for them. He went out to the car and came back with a large cardboard box, which he put on the table and then removed a few items of equipment.
‘CB radios: I’ve had them since about February, but haven’t had a use for them until now. I brought them down with us as I knew they’d be useful. When the plague really began spreading I thought we’d need some form of communication system to keep in touch with people if the utilities went down. I went to several places and picked up lots of equipment, and I’ve been working on them over the last few weeks. I’ve got five sets and I’ve rigged them up to operate with a car battery and a solar panel to trickle-charge the batteries.’
‘Bloody hell, Matt, that’s brilliant!’ said Jamie.
‘Thanks,’ Matt replied, ‘but they will have their limitations, of course. I mean, we won’t be able to just leave them turned on all day and speak when we want to, as the solar panels won’t supply enough current. But, if we put the solar panels in a south-facing position to constantly trickle-charge the batteries then we can arrange pre-set times to turn on the sets so we can talk. They’ll be great for arranging visits and trips or exchanging news, but they won’t be any good for emergencies as we won’t be able to leave them on permanently.’
‘We’ll be able to leave ours o
n permanently,’ said Bill, ‘as we have mains power. The barn roof’s covered in solar panels, which charge up the batteries and supply mains through an inverter. Emma’s in the house most of the time, so she’ll be able to hear any messages.’
‘Well, that’s great,’ said Matt. ‘You can leave yours on all the time, then. It won’t create much drain on your system and it means that we’ll be able to contact you any time we need to. If you need to contact us, though, we’ll have to have pre-arranged times. Sarah and Georgie can have a set, too, so we can all keep in touch. I can set the rig and antenna up this afternoon.’
This was great news and they all thanked Matt. It would add a whole new dimension to their lives from now on: being able to talk, exchange news and arrange visits between them all would be a real blessing.
‘Blimey!’ said Jane. ‘Who’d have thought that in the twenty-first century, in the age of GPS, smart phones and the internet, we’d be communicating by CB radio again!’
Thirty-two
The following Thursday, just after lunch, Jamie heard two vehicles coming up the track and went to look. Two army Land Rovers were bouncing through the pot-holes, the second of which was towing a large water bowser. He called to Jane in the garden and they walked down to the main yard to meet them. Megan had gone over the fields with Sally to check the rabbit snares. Bill also heard the vehicles and met them in the yard.
Tom and Karen got out of the first Land Rover and came over to shake hands with them, smiling. As the second vehicle pulled up they saw it was Major Miller and a woman they hadn’t seen before, and they climbed from the truck and walked over to them. The woman, like the others, was in uniform: she was in her mid-to-late thirties, with olive skin and high cheek-bones, and was strikingly attractive but very tough-looking, with short cropped hair.
‘Hello, Major Miller,’ said Jamie, extending his hand. ‘Nice to see you again.’ Jane said the same and they all shook hands.
The Hoffmann Plague Page 29