Summer At Skylark Farm

by Heidi Swain

  ‘Have you made up your mind what you want yet?’ he had asked me one morning over breakfast. ‘Only Bob Richards up the road has a few Pekin Bantam eggs ready to go. He only wants pennies for them.’

  ‘What do they look like?’ I asked, trying to pick them out of the ‘hen fancier’s line up’ featured in one of my magazines.

  Jake grabbed the poultry keeper’s guide from the dresser and flicked through the pages.

  ‘He can’t guarantee what colours they are,’ he explained, spinning the book round to show me, ‘but this will give you an idea.’

  I looked at the tiny, fluffy feet and array of colours. They all looked lovely to me, but the lavenders were particularly pretty.

  ‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘these are adorable.’

  ‘They’ll only lay small eggs but what with the other three girls that’ll mean we aren’t inundated. Oh and by the way, I meant to tell you yesterday, I’ve found someone interested in putting some hives in the orchard. He’s bringing them at the weekend.’

  With the May Fair on the horizon, bees in the orchard and the prospect of fluffy chicks scratching about the yard it really did feel as if life at Skylark Farm was shaping up to be perhaps more hectic than I first expected, but perfect nonetheless.

  Chapter 16

  A couple of days before the May Fair the weather dawned sunny, warm and bright and I was woken by Annie shouting up the stairs and Jake pulling the covers off the bed.

  ‘Come on!’ he shouted excitedly, pulling on his jeans and T-shirt. ‘The fair’s here!’

  To say it was a tight squeeze manoeuvring the lorries, caravans and trailers down the Drove and into the field was the understatement of the millennium and by the end of the morning it felt as though my heart had spent far more time in my mouth than it had in my chest. Jake, however, was in his element and for the first time he actually looked and sounded genuinely excited about the prospect of his beloved farm playing such an integral role on the community calendar.

  By teatime everything was calm and in place, although far from quiet. The massive generators whirred away and the fairground children ran from ride to ride each with their own set of jobs and responsibilities, while their parents tweaked light bulbs and checked cables were secure and safe.

  ‘Jake tells me this was all your idea,’ said Luca, the fairground owner, smiling down at me as he surveyed his family flitting about the field.

  Luca was a mountain of a man. Thick set and strong with a head full of dark curls and a penetrating gaze that I discovered I couldn’t quite bring myself to return.

  ‘Sort of,’ I told him, my cheeks glowing. ‘I just hated the idea of the May Fair not happening at all, especially as it was going to be the first time I would have seen it. This,’ I said, indicating the freshly cut meadow, ‘just seemed like the ideal solution to me.’

  ‘Oh, absolutely,’ he said. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m extremely grateful you came up with the idea. I was beginning to wonder where we were going to end up.’

  I hadn’t really given the fairground’s schedule any thought when I made the suggestion of us hosting the fair, but I could see what Luca meant. They could hardly keep riding the roads until their next scheduled stop, could they?

  ‘Of course, as an incomer,’ I added, shaking my head, ‘I didn’t realise just how much hard work it was going to be when I suggested it.’

  ‘Nothing wrong with a bit of hard work,’ Luca grinned.

  Having watched him complete the work of three men throughout the day I guessed that sitting idle and watching the world go by was an alien concept to him, and indeed all his family.

  ‘And sometimes,’ he smiled, his dark gypsy eyes sparkling, ‘an incomer is just what a place needs to come along and shake things up a bit.’

  I didn’t say anything, but scuffed at the turf with the toe of my boot.

  ‘So what do you think?’ Luca shouted to Tom and another council official who were striding towards us with a file full of paperwork. ‘Is everything looking shipshape?’

  ‘Of course it is!’ grinned the official. ‘I wish everyone took as much pride as you lot, Luca, it would make my life far easier!’ He handed over what I guessed was the licence to operate to Luca and another couple of sheets to me. ‘Please pass these on to Annie, could you, Amber?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, taking the papers. ‘How do you think the other field is looking?’ I asked, hoping he was going to be as happy with the actual May Fair site as the fairground.

  During the day, as the fairground rides were being built, the large marquee had been erected along with three or four smaller ones. Workmen had also put in place the fencing, blocking access to the river, and the posts and ropes that made up the boundary of the show ring where the gymkhana, dog show and displays would happen.

  ‘It all looks just as it should,’ said Tom. ‘I know there are plenty who don’t like change, but when they come I think they’ll see the benefit of having the fair somewhere else for a change. I for one think the site looks great.’

  ‘Yep,’ agreed his boss, shuffling his papers together again, ‘so do I, and I’ll be back tomorrow night with the kids for opening night.’

  The fairground was going to run on Saturday night ahead of the fair itself, which was happening on the Sunday and then again from mid-afternoon on Sunday until around midnight. The council was happy to grant a slightly later than usual operating licence because, unlike at the Harrisons, there were no other houses close by.

  When Tom and his boss had left and Luca had retired to his caravan for tea, Jake and I stood and surveyed the two fields and tried to imagine what it would be like when the event was in full swing.

  ‘Are you still cross about it all?’ I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist, safe in the knowledge that I already knew what he was going to say.

  ‘No,’ he said, kissing my hair, ‘not at all. In fact, I love it.’

  ‘Really,’ I asked, twisting round to face him just to be sure, ‘you really mean that?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I really do. I couldn’t see it at the time, but Annie was right, and you of course, this is just what I need, what Skylark Farm needs. It’s high time we shook the place up a bit and had some fun!’

  Chapter 17

  Leaning as far as I dared out of the bedroom window early Saturday morning I could just about make out the fairground rides and caravans and the sun bouncing off them as the wind twisted the endless lines of washing that had been strung up between them. I quickly dressed and rushed my breakfast, eager for the day to start.

  ‘When I’ve done my chores, Annie,’ I said as I swallowed my last mouthful of toast, ‘I’ll walk you down.’

  I grabbed my basket, pulled on my wellington boots and rushed for the door.

  ‘I’ve got a feeling the chicks are going to have finished hatching this morning,’ I said excitedly. ‘And before I come back I’m going to run down and check on Pip. She seemed a bit . . . I don’t quite know how to put it really. Well, she was sort of placid yesterday.’

  ‘In that case,’ said Annie, ‘check her by all means and twice if necessary. Placid isn’t a word I’ve ever heard associated with that little rascal!’

  My instincts about the chicks were spot on, not that it would have taken a genius to work it out. Jake had told me as he climbed into bed the night before that he had taken one last look under Patricia and could see some definite chips in two of the eggs. Of course, I had wanted to go rushing down to see for myself, but he said it was best not to disturb her again and that hatching generally took a while.

  Isolated from Mabel and Martha in a broody box, Patricia had been sitting tight for what felt like forever to me. For the last few days her every whim had been catered for and she had even been fed and watered on the nest. She was far easier to deal with once she realised we weren’t going to keep trying to throw her out every day and stuck fast to her post. I don’t think a bomb could have moved her.

  I let Mabel and Martha o
ut of the little door at the front and quietly slipped in the back, which we’d purposefully been keeping slightly darker and quiet.

  ‘Good morning,’ I whispered, ‘any news?’

  I changed the water and replenished the little bowl of feed. I was desperate to move her to one side and see what she was hiding, if anything, but I knew better than to interfere. I smiled to myself as I made everything shipshape for the prospective new mum.

  A memory from my former life flashed through my mind as I remembered how breathless, stressed and tight-chested I’d been while waiting for my ruby red Jimmy Choos to arrive from the US. The tension and expectation had been palpable, but it was nothing compared to this. Given the way my stomach was gurgling and my heart racing you’d have thought I’d laid the eggs myself!

  I was just about to call it a day and leave Patricia in peace when she slowly stood up and ruffled her feathers. Nestled together in the warmth of her soft and fluffy underside were four slightly bedraggled, wobbly necked little chicks. Suppressing the squeal of delight bubbling up in my chest, I stared in wonder, and although they weren’t in any way pretty, they nonetheless melted my heart. I quickly removed the fragments of shell, told Patricia what a very clever girl she was, and raced back to the house to tell Annie the good news.

  I’d never thought about the possibility of having a baby of my own, but a sudden image of Jake with a small child in his arms popped into my head and I could see it all as plainly as if it were really playing out in front of me. I watched him taking the toddler over to the henhouse to see the chicks and I imagined how idyllic a setting Skylark Farm would be in which to raise a family. Where better to spend long summer days and cosy winter nights?

  ‘They’ve hatched!’ I told Annie, plonking the broken shells next to the sink and quickly shaking off my own unexpected maternal feelings. ‘I saw all four of them.’

  ‘Oh, that’s wonderful news,’ she smiled. ‘Hens or cockerels?’

  ‘What?’ I frowned, momentarily forgetting my manners.

  ‘Hens or cockerels,’ she said again, ‘are they boys or girls?’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, trying to think what they all looked like, ‘crikey, I didn’t look. Sorry. I don’t know.’

  Not that I had a clue how or what to look for, of course. Annie started to laugh.

  ‘I’m just teasing, you silly girl,’ she said, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief, ‘you won’t be able to tell that for a good while yet!’

  ‘Oh Annie,’ I blushed, ‘you know how rubbish I am about that sort of thing.’

  ‘You are far from rubbish,’ she said, the laughter suddenly disappearing from her lips, ‘far from it.’

  ‘Well anyway,’ I puffed, ‘they’re all here safe and sound. Jake said they’ll be fine left to their own devices for a day or so and I’ve filled Patricia’s water bowl with pebbles so if they do have a wander and fall in, they’ll only get damp.’

  ‘Like I said,’ nodded Annie, her eyes shining, ‘far from rubbish. Now, go and check on Pip and see what surprises she has in store this morning!’

  Many a true word is spoken in jest and when I opened the top half of the stable door I got the shock of my life. Chicks I could cope with, but I was in no way prepared for the sight that met my urban eyes. I ran back up to the house and burst into the kitchen just as Annie was running a bowl of hot water to wash the breakfast dishes.

  ‘Whatever’s the matter?’

  ‘It’s Pip,’ I said, bending over to cradle the stitch in my side, ‘she’s lying down and it looks—’

  ‘It looks what?’ Annie said, grabbing the towel and drying her hands. ‘It looks what, Amber?’

  ‘It looks,’ I said, hardly believing the words that were coming out of my mouth, ‘like there’s a pair of feet sticking out of her back end.’

  ‘Oh good grief!’ said Annie, throwing down the towel and reaching for the phone. ‘I thought she was getting fat and I did mention it to Jessica but in the end we just put it down to the fact that the chubby little thing wasn’t getting as much exercise as she used to. I’ll call Kate. She’s our vet, but I don’t know when she’ll be able to get here. You’ll have to go back down there and help her, Amber.’

  ‘Me?’ I cried. ‘Where’s Jake?’

  ‘Down checking the fair,’ she said, quickly tapping in numbers, ‘and you know he won’t have a signal. Now get back down there, girl, and do what you can.’

  By the time I got back to the stable the situation had moved on and along with a pair of feet I could clearly make out a pair of nostrils and a tiny mouth. Pip was straining hard but I could see nothing was happening. Without thinking, without giving my fear a second to take hold, I rolled up my sleeves, sat on the straw behind her and prepared myself for her next contraction.

  It didn’t take long and this time as the little mare strained I took hold of the pair of slippery hooves and gently but firmly pulled. Unsure of just how hard to tug I was only able to help move the foal the tiniest bit and as the contraction passed it slipped back a little and Pip began to whinny and tremble. I crawled towards her head and stroked her rough, shaggy mane.

  ‘Come on,’ I whispered, ‘next time we’ll do it.’

  Pip seemed to go calm for a moment and then began to strain again, her eyes wide in distress. I rushed back and grabbed the tiny feet once more, pulling more forcefully this time and not letting go.

  The next few seconds were a blur and before I could move out of the way I found myself surrounded by a pool of liquid with the tiniest foal practically on my lap. I wiped the sticky residue away from its nostrils and watched as it shook its head a little and its chest began to heave. Checking the umbilical cord was no longer attached I gently nudged the foal up to Pip’s nose, just as I’d seen vets do on television programmes, and she began to lick and whinny again, but softly now and not in fear.

  There was no point trying to wipe down my jeans or shirt, so I sat with my back against the wall, my breath sharp in my chest, trying to get a handle on what had just happened. I had always expected life on the farm to throw up new sights and experiences but this was beyond anything I had imagined. I closed my eyes for a second and let out a long, slow breath.

  ‘Oh well done you,’ a brisk voice cut through the quiet as a tall, dark haired woman wearing overalls strode into the stable. ‘Very well done indeed. Now, how do you fancy giving me a hand with the placenta?’

  Chapter 18

  ‘So, tell me again,’ whispered Jessica as we peeped over the bottom half of the stable door at the cosy scene within, ‘how did you know what to do?’

  ‘I’ve already told you,’ I shrugged, ‘I didn’t. I just thought back to all the things I’ve seen on TV and hoped for the best. It was all pot luck, and Pip of course. She knew what she was doing really.’

  ‘But if you hadn’t got in there and helped her do it,’ said Jake, kissing my hand, ‘neither she nor that little fella would probably even be here. I’m so proud of you, Amber,’ he whispered so quietly that only I could hear.

  I still couldn’t really believe what had happened. Not only had I helped deliver the little black velvety colt, I’d also assisted Kate and cleaned and tidied the stable after she left. Mother and son were now beautifully bonded and settled and fortunately, we all agreed, far enough away from the bustle and noise of the funfair for it not to disturb them.

  ‘I still can’t believe she was pregnant,’ Jessica tutted with a shake of her head. ‘Mother is absolutely furious. We would never have passed her on to you, Jake, if we’d known.’

  ‘How long are ponies pregnant for?’ Harriet asked, squeezing us all closer together so she could get another look.

  ‘Eleven months,’ Jessica and I said in unison.

  I had been doing a bit of research during the afternoon, just to prepare myself for any other little surprises the diminutive mare might have tucked up her sleeve, or anywhere else for that matter.

  ‘So to be fair, Jess,’ said Harriet equably, ‘when you fir
st had her she was only just pregnant. There’s no way you could have known, is there?’

  ‘But even so,’ said Jessica frowning. ‘We’ll help out with Kate’s fees and so on,’ she said to Jake.

  ‘Jess,’ Jake laughed, ‘please stop worrying. It’s fine. We’re delighted. It’s just one of those things. Now come on. Let’s go and have some dinner and get ready for the fair. I don’t know about you lot, but I’m in the mood to celebrate!’

  ‘Here she is!’ Annie smiled, clapping her hands together when we arrived back at the house. ‘My clever girl.’

  ‘Oh Annie, please don’t,’ I blushed, ‘I’ve told you it was all down to Pip really.’

  But Annie was having none of it.

  ‘This is a sign,’ she insisted as she plated up the fish and chips that Henry, Jess and Harriet had brought with them, ‘first the chicks and now this little colt. It’s been a long time since anything was born on this farm and now all this happens in one day. This is down to you, Amber. You’ve helped Skylark Farm turn a corner. I see good things on our horizon.’

  I was immensely proud of what I’d done, even though I still couldn’t believe it was really me who had played such a crucial part in it all. I thought of the wobbly legged little black foal with the white flash down his muzzle and smiled.

  ‘Have you got a name for him yet?’ Henry asked through a mouthful of mushy peas.

  ‘Me?’ I said.

  ‘Oh yes, Amber,’ said Jessica, ‘you have to name him, doesn’t she, Jake?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ grinned Jake, toasting me with his mug of tea.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘What about Star or Flash, because of that white splash on his face?’

  Annie wrinkled her nose, clearly not sure about either suggestion.

  ‘Well, all right,’ I said thoughtfully, ‘how about Blaze then?’

  ‘Perfect!’ everyone agreed.