The room is full
Of good friends
And loving
family
But I’m
still lonely
There is
laughter
Happiness
and jollity
Kindness in
abundance
But I’m
still sad
There is
warmth
In the
familiar smiles
And in the
tender hugs
But I’m
still cold
I continue
to be lonely
I continue
to be sad
I continue
to be cold
Because
you’re not here
The Dulcets
are a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow,
Dulcet-on-Willow, Dulcet Green, and Dulcet-on-Brooke, to name but a few,
and of course Dulcet St Mary,
where
Doctor Harry Yorke had his practice.
Harry had never believed in love at first sight or in soul
mates he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and
sentimental movies.
That was
until he met, he met Nurse Melissa Ness and he was instantly smitten, and
he thought she may have felt the same.
Even his
sister had noticed and after she had seen them together, she said
“You two
are like two halves of a different whole, and that each of them was the missing
piece in the others puzzle”
It wasn’t
many months before when she was nagging him about getting a wife he had said
“I’m not
looking for a life partner” well he thought he may have found one whether he
was looking or not.
But after
the practice dinner at The Cross Keys, he was beginning to think he and his
sister had misread the situation and over the following week that feeling was
reinforced as she appeared to be avoiding him.
Harry had a
couple of late calls in the village on Christmas Eve, because of the weather he
decided not to drive, so he had to go out in the cold and trudge across the
village through the snow.
After his
second call he went back out into the cold night and by the time he got to the
made road it started snowing again and by the time he reached the crossroads it
was coming down hard and fast.
In fact, it
was coming down so rapidly that visibility was reduced to zero.
It was so
disorienting that he couldn’t have even found his way back to the house he’d
just left, despite being no more than 15 minutes away from the Owen’s
residence.
So, he
inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and
garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he
reached the end of a row of houses, he had to take a leap of faith, as he
couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he
trudged onward, he realised he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached
the other side.
He had no
idea how far he had gone as he had no point of reference, so he decided the
best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately,
he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had
already gone.
Harry was
just beginning to panic when he tripped on a kerbstone and crashed into another
lost soul, and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.
When he had
scrambled to his feet, he found he was outside the Post Office
“I’m saved”
he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but
first he had to help the other poor traveller he had left prostrate on the
snowy ground.
“I’m so
sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to
its feet.
The
individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves
off and he got the impression his apology was not being accepted gracefully.
And when
they began to turn in his direction, he was bracing himself for a volley of
abuse but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be
Nurse Melissa Ness and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly
changed to a beaming smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Harry” she
said excitedly, before cautiously giving a long look in the direction of the
shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t
know it was you”
“Are you
ok?” he asked
“I am now”
she replied and glanced again at the door
He looked
her up and down and realised why he hadn’t recognized her straightaway, she was
dressed in heavy duty winter clothes.
Her lovely
thick black curls were completely covered by a red woolly hat, her dainty feet
were in wellies and her slender figure was concealed by a puffer jacket.
She was
still looking anxiously towards the shop doorway and then impulsively she
steered him around the side of the building and kissed him as the snow fell
steadily on them, which he reciprocated.
After a
minute of mutually beneficial passion, he said
“Does this
mean you’re talking to me again?”
“That
depends” she said enigmatically
“On what?”
“On whether
you go around kissing random women every five minutes or not” she said
“I see, you
are referring to the mistletoe kiss in the pub”
“I didn’t
see any mistletoe” Melissa said
“So, you
thought it was just a snog?” he asked
“Yes” she
replied and looked down at her feet.
Harry
lifted her chin, so he could see her eyes and then he kissed her.
It was less
prolonged than the first however because a voice called from the shop doorway
“Mel?”
So, Harry
released her reluctantly and she called.
“I’ll be
there in a moment sis”
“I have to
go” she said and kissed him again
“Perhaps we
can pick it up again later” he said
“I’m going
to Connie’s for Christmas in Purplemere”
“How long
for?” he asked
“Until the
New Year” she replied
“In which
case I’m going to need another kiss before you go” Harry said and then they
kissed one last time
“Happy
Christmas Mel” he said
“Happy
Christmas” she echoed, and she paused at the corner and added
“I’ve got
you a present”
“You’re the
only present I want” he said, and she ran straight back into his arms.
Harry then
watched as they drove away and then turned around and continued his journey
home as the snow abated and he spent all that Christmas looking forward to the
New Year.
Now that it’s Christmas
There’s
something I must do
Or there’s
something I must say
My heart is
so full of love for you
I must tell
you how I feel
Say how
much I love you
And how
much you mean to me
Then hope
that you love me too
And if you
don’t then I will know
But I will
still love you
The Dulcets
are a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green, and Dulcet-on-Brooke,
to name but a few, and of course Dulcet-on-Willow,
a large sprawling village beside the gentle shallow River Willow, which ran
unhurriedly from the Pepperstock Hills to the more vibrant River Brooke, and it
was on the banks of the river where the home of Clare Gammon was situated.
It was
previously her family home and she had lived there all 26 years of her life;
she had lived alone in the house for 2 of those years.
She worked
in Dulcet St Mary for the Dulcet Garden Centre as a senior buyer, but she had
many more strings to her bow.
Clare was
very active in the church, at St Bede’s as well as farther afield.
This
involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering
Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, Summer Fete, and Sunday
School, you name it, and she did it and that was only in the village.
Her wider
good works included the Soup Kitchens in Finchbottom or Purplemere, who were
always desperate for volunteers.
The
Christmas Charity Wagon in Sharpington, which was an old Mornington Brewery
dray, pulled by two white shire horses, which was bedecked with tinsel and
lights and carried on the back, a multi denominational choir singing Christmas
Carols.
Clare was
not however, among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the
town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the
excited children, no she was in the choir on the back of the Dray because she
had the voice of an angel.
She also
volunteered for the Roving Angels, which had been in existence for about two
years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups
that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 20 or 25 years.
They had
made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Finchbottom
and Purplemere town centres over the first two years, particularly in the
general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
Providing a
calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police
uniform might have the opposite effect.
In the
first two years of the Roving Angels, they had contributed to a 29% fall in
public place violence on the weekends.
It all
began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the
Borough Council’s to establish the Angels.
But it took
people of Faith to make it work as with so many things in life.
Clare had
been doing it for two years so had not been with them since the beginning.
But one of
her favourite good deeds was to help out on the Santa Express, which was
something to behold, and she loved it because it reminded her of her childhood.
The Santa
Express was in reality the Finchbottom Flyer, a 4-6-2 standard gauge
four-cylinder steam locomotive built at the Northchapel Works in 1933, liveried
in the black and gold of the DCRN, Downshire County Railway Network.
It was a
great work horse of the DCRN from 1933 until 1962.
After it
was taken out of service it was stored at the Northchapel Works and remained
there for twenty-five years, until it and several other engines and assorted
rolling stock were acquired by the Downshire Railway Preservation Society, with
the financial support and patronage of Baron St George of Mornington, who was a
man with a strong sense of history and his stewardship of the Mornington Estate
wasn’t restricted just to the land and properties within the Estate, they also
ensured the protection of historically significant buildings and landmarks
under threat from modernizers.
Although
steam railway engines didn’t really fall within the Estates normal parameters
his Lordship made an unprecedented exception.
The
acquisition of the Flyer was made in 1988 and the restoration was completed in 1992.
The maiden
journey for fare paying customers was on the August Bank Holiday in 1993 and
ran from Sharping St Mary to Sharpinghead and then onto Sharpington.
It wasn’t
until seven years later when the Sharpington spur line was completed, they had
access to the main Finchbottom line and were able to go County wide.
It was two years earlier than that when the Flyer had its first outing
as the Santa Express which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret
location where Santa was waiting in his village and grotto.
It was actually the old herb drying sheds which had been preserved and
renovated and dressed for the season.
The train picked up children and their parent’s late afternoon so that
they arrived at the grotto in darkness in order to make the most of the
spectacular lights.
It ran every day from the first of December up until Christmas and
there were always plenty of Elves aboard to ensure the children didn’t escape
from the carriages.
Clare
Gammon was one of those Elves, it was one of the high points of her year, she
well remembered her parents taking her when she was a young girl and she liked
to see other kids as excited as she used to be at their age.
On
Wednesday afternoon she drove to Sharping St Mary and when she got there the
kids were going crazy with excitement and she found the excitement was quite
infectious.
But her job
on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off
the train.
There were
always plenty of helpers, many of whom she already knew, but there was often a
new face or two, and that Wednesday was no difference, but one helper fell into
both categories.
She had
just got aboard the carriage and closed the door when a voice behind her said
“My God its
Miss Piggy”
Only one
person had ever called her Miss Piggy, and that was Michael Cooper, but she
hadn’t seen him since they were at school together when they were 14, because
he moved out of the village, she didn’t know where to.
She turned
around to face the speaker,
“It is you”
he said and laughed, and the schoolgirl crush she had on him as a 14-year-old
girl flooded over her again, even though the tall man with broad shoulders and
hands like shovels, short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard, and hazel eyes, was
so different from the boy she worshipped, only his infectious laugh was the
same.
“Michael!”
she exclaimed
“The very
same” he replied
“Not the
same” she corrected him “but definitely you”
She had
never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates, she thought them rather
fanciful notions, the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was
until she met the grown-up incarnation of Michael Cooper when she was instantly
smitten, but she doubted he would feel the same.
“What are
you doing here?” she asked
“The same
as you”
“That’s not
what I meant” she said, but then became aware that the sounds of bedlam were
emanating from her carriage
“I’d better
go” she said regretfully
“I would
love to catch up though” she called over her shoulder
“Me too” he
shouted after her
She did
catch sight of him a couple of times after that, the first time was when one of
the Elves, Lily Farmer managed to trap him between the carriages armed with a
bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual
did, she let him go.
Irrationally,
having witnessed the kiss, she was not at all happy about it, but she did enjoy
seeing him again.
Now if the
kids were excited on the way to the grotto, then judging by the decibel level,
they were even more so on the way back to the station.
The second
time she saw him was when they disembarked after the return journey, and the
children and their parents made their way home, when her own cousin Eleanor kissed
him and said goodbye.
Sadly, she
never got to speak to him again, not that day at any rate.
She drove
back to Willow rerunning the day’s events in her head and just as she pulled
onto her drive, her phone rang, so she came to a halt and answered it.
“Hello!”
“Hi Clare”
her cousin Eleanor said
“Guess who
asked me for your number today?”
I’ve waited all year to bestow
A kiss
beneath the mistletoe
A kiss to
leave you all agog
Not just a
cheap drunken snog
A kiss to
leave you all aglow
A
passionate kiss to let you know
That I hold
a flaming torch for you
I hope you
feel the same way too
Dulcet St Mary was where the Dulcet Garden Centre was located, which
was where Jane Price and Mandy
Hubble
first met, and was also where Jane fell head over heels in love, with Mandy.
Jane had
worked at the Garden Centre since she left school but
Mandy joined
as a new hire in October, and was also new to Dulcet St Mary, and actually
lived in the same mews as Jane.
She was a
year younger than Jane, but like her she was socially awkward, and lacked
confidence.
As a
result, they just smiled at each other for the first month, but at least sat at
the same table for lunch, and by December they progressed beyond monosyllabic
conversations, and in the week before Christmas they arranged to go Christmas
shopping together in Abbottsford.
Jane was a
little concerned there might be an awkward silence on the drive over, or at
some point during the day as they had never spent more than half an hour in
each other’s company before that day.
She needn’t
have worried as Mandy chattered away for the whole journey, as she was so full
of excitement.
Jane had a lovely day, and she was pretty sure that Mandy had too, so
when they were heading back to the car park, walking past the library, hands
full of bags and chatting, Jane formulated her plan.
Just after the library they turned left by the art gallery and down a
cobbled alley which led to the carpark, then they put all their bags in the car and set off
back to the Dulcets.
Mandy was anxious to go and show her mum her purchases, but Jane had
other ideas.
So, when she parked outside her cottage and they had retrieved all the
bags, Jane locked the car and rushed up the path to her front door.
“Come on Mandy” Jane called “come in for a
minute”
“Ok I’m coming” Mandy called back “Just for five minutes though”
“Alright come in and close the door” she said and went inside.
Mandy followed her in with bags in each hand and closed the door
behind her as instructed, but when she pushed the sitting room door open, she
found Jane standing in front of her holding up a sprig of mistletoe, and before
she could react Jane took her by surprise and kissed her,
“I didn’t think we were doing presents until next week”
Mandy said, dropped her bags and kissed her back.
Mandy had stayed much longer than five minutes when they shared a
soft, gentle, and affectionate farewell kiss, before Jane opened the door and
Mandy went home to share her news with her mum.
It has taken the festive season
To give me
the perfect reason
To hold
this sprig of mistletoe
And kiss
you softly in the snow
The village
of Highfinch sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and the Lily Green
Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the
combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins
and was where the Bentleys lived.
Ken and Louisa Bentley were married, though not to each other, Louisa was
married to Ken’s cousin David, and they began their
affair the previous Christmas and lasted until Halloween.
At first, they thought that the attraction was the naughtiness factor,
the sneaking around, the guilty pleasure, but it turned out to be more than
that, they actually had feelings for each other, and it was the love that was
enhancing their anticipation and satisfaction.
So, it was falling in love that forced them to mutually end the affair
and they had successfully avoided each other for almost two months before.
However, that all changed when the same annual Christmas gathering
that brought them together came round again, and their resolve to keep out of
each other’s orbits was undermined when circumstances conspired against them.
Every year the Bentley clan gathered on the middle weekend in December
at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, and they travelled from all over the Country
and beyond to be there.
Normally this wasn’t a problem, but this year his wife Tamsin was up
in Northchapel at her company’s corporate office until Friday afternoon after
which she would be driving down alone, while Louisa’s husband was in Brussels
and he was getting a midday flight, so
they insisted that Ken and
Louisa drive down together on Friday morning.
As they left home it had just started to snow and as they drove onto
the Pepperstock Expressway he said
“I don’t think we should weaken our resolve this weekend”
“I agree” Louisa said
“Good”
“It would be so easy to slip” she said,
“Very easy” he agreed
By the time they reached the hotel the snow was already laying quite
thickly and after checking in they found that they were the only Bentley’s to
have arrived and wouldn’t be joined by the rest of the clan any time soon, as
they had all been held up by the snow by some degree or other.
Tamsin was still at the Doll's House in Northchapel because the major
roads south had been closed and Louisa’s husband was stuck at Brussels airport.
So, they were in a quandary, should they spend an uneventful day alone
in their rooms being bored or spend it together and risk giving in to their
hearts.
They decided on the latter but reinforced their earlier pledge to not
revisit their previous behaviours and kept themselves busy for the rest of the
day, a light lunch followed by the jacuzzi and swimming, and finished with
coffee and cake in the conservatory.
The pleasurable afternoon went without a hitch, and they parted after
having agreed to dine together that evening.
The Restaurant at the Regents had a very good reputation, but neither
of them had eaten there before, because the usual form was to go out to The
Scented Garden in Abbottsford as it was the compromise choice because everyone
in the clan liked Chinese.
So, they decided to take advantage of the situation and indulged
themselves with the wonderful cuisine and a very superior wine list, however
along with wine came the flirting, and the more intoxicated they became the
more their true feelings came out.
So, their earlier pledge made in the cold light of day and complete
sobriety seemed unlikely to hold.
When they left the restaurant, he said
“I think I should escort you to your room”
“I think you should escort me into my room” she said and kissed him
As they lay
cuddling in the afterglow feeling very pleased with themselves Ken said
“I’ve
missed us”
“Me too”
Louisa murmured
Although the wine had broken down their resolve, it was love that got
them into each other’s arms and their night of passion was not a reboot of their affair it would prove to be a life
changing night and by the following Christmas they were very definitely a
couple, and when they married it was forever.
Have a lovely Christmas
My
companion and confident
My friend
of friends,
My comfort
and succour
Have a lovely
Christmas
Soother of
my soul
You are
everything to me
Except my
lover
Have a
lovely Christmas
Occupant of
my heart
My comfort
and succour
My secret
love
Downshire
is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a
lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of
Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the
Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the
beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the
Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light
infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in
the north but our story begins in the East, or more precisely, 20 miles inland
from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between Finchbottom and Pepperstock Green,
in the sprawling village of Denmead.
When Robert Hunter reached the Oak Park Hotel, he checked in and went
up to his room and after freshening up he went down to the bar to wait for her.
As he sat in the bar waiting, he reflected on how much he was looking
forward to seeing Janine Knighton again.
He had missed her terribly since they broke up, even though it had
only been three months, it was the longest 12 weeks of his life.
Rob had come to realize just how lucky he was to have her in his life;
but he took her for granted, and at no point did he think he would lose her,
even after she gave him an ultimatum to change his ways.
Then out of
the blue she called him and asked to meet in Denmead, she had moved there a few
weeks after they split.
Rob jumped
at the chance and made no effort to disguise his pleasure, which kind of set
the tone for the rest of the call and he was left feeling very positive when
the call ended.
In the week
that had elapse since then his mood had swung from runaway optimism to suicidal
pessimism and every possible emotion in between.
Was the
meet up because she missed him as much as he did her or had she found another
love and just wanted to rub his nose in it.
The longer
he waited the more negative his thoughts became and the fact that she was an
hour late wasn’t helping his nerves.
When Janine Knighton finally appeared she was wearing a grey wool dress which showed off her
shape deliciously well.
“There you
are” he said “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming”
“I’ve been
here an hour” she said
“I didn’t
see you” Rob said
“I was here
nonetheless” she said and kissed his cheek “I just needed a drink first”
“Well, it’s
great to see you” he said
“You too”
she said and kissed his mouth
As they had
both been drinking alone for an hour, he suggested that they should eat
something, and she agreed so they went through to the restaurant, but during
the meal he was still none the wiser as to why exactly she needed the Dutch
courage before showing herself.
But the
conversation flowed regardless with no tangible silences and then midway
through coffee and liqueurs just after Jan had returned from the loo she leant
down and kissed him moistly on the lips
“I really
do love you Robbie,” she said
“And I
really love you too” he replied
“I hope so”
she said, with a slight slur, as she sat down and took his hold of his hand
“Because I
want us to spend Christmas together”
“I would
love that” Rob said
“Really?”
Jan asked, “You’re not just saying that?”
“No, I’m
not” he said earnestly “it would be the best Christmas present ever”
“You’d
better take me upstairs now then” she ordered “before I change my mind, I want
you so much”
There hangs a sprig of Mistletoe
The first
of the season I’ve seen
Its berries
glowing like pearls
Amongst the
tiny leaves of green
And below
stands sweet Emily
Where hangs
the Mistletoe above
Tied with
red ribbon to the beam
And I claim
a kiss from the girl I love
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket
battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port,
the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and
manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the
Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye
can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the
Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s,
Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story begins in Pepperstock Green
where Harry Ramsey was sitting
in the bar of the Squirrel, where he was waiting to meet Sherry Ghavami, who he
had run into by chance while he was Christmas Shopping, and they just stood
staring at each other.
It had been
5 years since they had last met, and they were so pleased with their
serendipitous meeting that they arranged to meet for dinner.
He had not
been on a date, or anything approximating one, for over two years, so his
brother Frank was very interested, and spent two days fending off questions
from him, about where he was going and who he was seeing.
Harry
wouldn’t say though because he feared he would pitch up on the night and ruin
things before they got started, and that was a real possibility.
So, at the
last minute he let slip that he was taking the mystery woman
To the
Angels Tears in Sharpington when he was actually meeting her at The Squirrel in
Pepperstock Green.
Sherry had
employed her time, after running into Harry, getting herself date ready,
facial, hair, nail, brows, and waxing.
She also
treated herself to the perfect outfit, and accessories, those on view and those
to be viewed.
“Hi” she
said “sorry I’m a little late”
“Wow, you
look stunning” he said, and Sherry smiled
“Thank you,
that was the reaction I was hoping for” Sherry replied
Any further
exchange was prevented by the waitress calling them for their table.
The evening
passed by so quickly, it was like an information exchange, as they found out
every detail about what each of them had been doing in the five years that had
elapsed.
They knew
everything else about each other, music, movies, TV, travel destinations,
favourite pieces of art, favourite books, and authors, they discussed
everything and anything and as a result they were so absorbed in each company
that they completely lost track of time, and to such an extent that they had to
be asked to leave the restaurant.
“Oh, dear
we seem to have overstayed our welcome and there is so much more to say” Sherry
said
“Then we
should perhaps consider this an adjournment, and continue it upstairs”
She nodded
her ascent, and she was rather pleased with herself, it would seem that the
expensive silk underwear would not go to waste.
When they
lay beneath the duvet enjoying the afterglow with Sherry’s head resting on his
chest, she sighed and said
“Well, I
think it’s safe to say we’re in for a bumpy Christmas”
“I think so
too” he agreed as he kissed the top of her head “But it’s worth it to finally
be with the love of my life”
“At least
we’ll have each other” she said and kissed him
At that
moment they cared only about themselves, but they would have to break the news
to his brother Frank who just happened to be
her ex-husband.
My gift is a special love
That lasts
the whole year through
So if I had
a Christmas wish
I would
still wish for you
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story begins in Pepperstock Green where Finn Ewing was the Locum Curate at St Agatha’s where he and Verger Katie Ralph had just finished tidying up the village hall after the Christmas Bazaar.
They had
just locked the doors when Finn took a deep breath and said
“I was
wondering, as you were so generous with your time over the past few weeks, you
might allow me to repay the favour”
“There’s no
need” she said
“But I
couldn’t have got through the last few weeks without you” he persisted “Just
dinner at the Squirrel”
“Ok” she
agreed and to herself added “Good decision”
“Is Monday
ok for you?” he asked
“Yes,
perfect for me” she said
“Great,
Monday it is” he said smiling “I’m looking forward to it”
“I’ll see
you for worship in the morning” she said
Katie had
taken a bold step in agreeing to the dinner with the Curate, she had hoped he
would ask her out, and now he had she had to
make the
most of it, so she had to make the most of herself, and her usual leggings and
sweater weren’t going to cut it.
You don’t
get a second chance to make a first impression so after the Sunday worship she
went shopping for some proper, knock him dead, girl clothes.
They agreed
to meet at the restaurant, as he had a late meeting at the church with a
prospective happy couple and she lived at the same end of the village as the
Squirrel, so it made more sense.
However,
Finn was sat in the bar a full half an hour before he was supposed to meet
Katie and he was insanely nervous, he hadn’t felt like that since he was 15
when he was waiting outside the multiplex for Cassie Harlow.
But his
apprehension wasn’t just first date nerves, he had something much more
important on his mind, however he was thinking it was a mistake to arrive early
as his stomach was doing somersaults.
While Finn
sat at in the bar Katie was second guessing herself as she stood in front of
the mirror wearing a little black dress.
Her long
brunette hair was down, instead of being tied up and her face was subtly made
up.
It had been
a while since she had given herself the treatment and the face, she was wearing
was her third attempt to get it right.
The first
one left her looking like a mortician’s subject fresh off the slab and the
second one made her look like a clown.
She was
much happier with the third one, but as time was running out it would have to
do regardless, and all the time she was getting ready she kept say to herself
“Why on
earth did I agree to do this” and “what was I thinking?”
“Because
you wanted to” she said out loud to the mirror “now suck it up and go and knock
him dead”
When Finn
turned around and saw this brunette in the little black dress coming towards
him, he couldn’t stop himself from saying
“Wow”
Katie
smiled and asked
“Will I
Do?”
“Comme ci
comme ça” he said making a gesture with his hand
“Charming”
she said and laughed, and her nerves at least melted away
“Well, I
was expecting someone in a sweater and leggings” he said defensively, and she
laughed again
“I can go
back and change, but as I decided to make an effort” she said as she sat down
“I thought
this might be more appropriate”
“Well, I am
speechless, you look so stunning” he said and they both blushed
Katie had
lived in Pepperstock Green her
whole life whereas Finn had only been there a matter of weeks, as locum for the
Vicar who was recovering from a broken leg, he would be in a Parish of his own
by Candlemas.
They had
hit it off right from the start and she had been by his side ever since, but
there was still a lot they didn’t know about each other.
That didn’t
last however because as soon as they sat down it was like an information
exchange, and the evening passed by so quickly, as they found out every detail
about each other and filed it away, their likes and dislikes.
Music,
movies, TV, travel destinations, favourite pieces of art, favourite books, and
authors, they discussed everything and anything and as a result they were so
absorbed in each company that they completely lost track of time, and to such
an extent that they had got to closing time and he still hadn’t asked her.
So outside
in the carpark before they said goodnight, he stood in front of her nervously
transferring his weight from one foot to the other and said
“I have to ask
you something”
“Ok what
would you like to know?” she asked, struggling to think of anything about her
that she hadn’t already shared.
“You know
that when the Vicar returns, I will be moving on?” he began
“Yes”
“Well, I’ve
been offered my own Parish in Clarence”
“That’s wonderful” she lied “So what did you
want to ask?”
“I was
wondering or perhaps more accurately hoping that you would like to come with
me…to Clarence” he said incoherently
“You mean
as Verger?” Katie queried
“Yes, and
also no” he replied
“I don’t
understand” she stated
“I want you
to be the Vicars…. wife”
My
Christmas gift to you
Is not
wrapped up in coloured paper,
Tied with
ribbon and bows
And hidden
beneath the tree
It’s
visible for all to see
It is
written on my face
Like ink on
parchment
It spills
out from my heart
Like
boiling milk from a pan
It emanates
from my every pore
And
surrounds us all
My
Christmas gift to you
Is my never
ending love
PS – there
are gifts under the tree as well
Gary Smith and Carla Lund were staying on a camp site in the Finchbottom Vale that was once a working railway station before it fell foul of Dr Beeching and his cuts, in a place called Sharpinghead.
The two of
them were staying in a converted signal box which was comfortable enough but
because of the limited floor space it had bunk beds which didn’t go down well
at all with Carla, she wanted a double bed and plenty of comfort and more than
a little loving.
“What the
hell are they?” she said when she saw the bunks
“A
challenge” Gary replied flippantly but she was not impressed
“We’re not
13” she said,
It was not
an insurmountable problem as far as he was concerned but she just wasn’t the
adventurous type.
Although
Gary could remember the time when she was, a time when she enjoyed a kiss and a
cuddle in the woods back in the days when they were courting but she seemed to
have forgotten just how much.
The bunk
beds were bad enough, but Carla really lost it when she realized there was also
no toilet or bathroom ensuite and the nearest facilities were 60 yards away.
She stormed
out and left Gary to unpack and she was gone for hours, in fact Gary was
already asleep in the bottom bunk when she got back.
The next morning
just after first light he had to get up to the toilet, he wasn’t going to
bother dressing but trotted the 60 yards to the toilet in his pants.
When he
returned to the signal box, he quietly closed the door and was just tiptoeing
across the room when he spied, highlighted in the early morning light, Carla’s
naked buttocks protruding from beneath her duvet and written on a post it note,
stuck to one buttock was one single word “Sorry”.
And that
was when he woke her in the dawn light and the adventure returned to their
marriage.
After that
first surrender to adventure Carla felt alive and tingling all over and was
keen to try some more while Gary was just intent on enjoying it while it
lasted.
But the new
adventurous Carla didn’t leave her sexual escapades in Sharpinghead when the
summer holiday was over, and they spent their spare time exhaustively finding
ever more adventurous ways to satisfy her brains out.
But they
were also regular visitors back to the Vale where they would revisit sights of
old adventures, where he would sully her anew, as well as finding new and
evermore sensual exploits.
Which was
why they took every opportunity to get back to the Vale because their intimate
exchanges always seemed hotter there than anywhere else.
So, they
became regulars at Maxlins holiday camp in Sharpinghead as its size and range
of activities gave them ever more opportunities of making nerve tingling dirty
adventurous memories.
Which was
why they found themselves back in Sharpinghead in December on one of the big
Santa’s Grotto weekends at Maxlins holiday camp where they planned making nerve
tingling dirty Christmas memories.
The Grotto
was decorated with red and gold velvet drapes, adorned with tinsel and coloured
lights, with a huge throne in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas
parcels and leading to the throne was a fake snow-covered path and on one side
of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side
Santa’s sleigh was parked.
And when
they first saw it, they looked at each other and Gary asked
“Throne of
sleigh?”
“Both” she
replied with a giggle
“Both it is
then for my dirty little Christmas minx”
“Adventurous
dirty little Christmas minx, if you don’t mind” she corrected him.
So, on
Saturday night they sneaked past security and made their way into the grotto.
“Come on
Carla, the costumes are through there” Gary said and led the way.
Carla
rummaged through a rail of costumes and after a few minutes she appeared
holding a Santa suit.
“This one
will do for you” she said “put it on and I’ll be back in a minute”
When she
returned, Santa was sitting on the throne and she was dressed as an Elf, green
fitted tunic, with gold buttons, deep red tights, red and white striped knee
socks and pixie boots with turned up toes.
“There’s
one more customer for Santa” she said and sat on his knee.
“I’m almost
certain that you’re on the naughty list” Santa said.
“I’m nice
and naughty” Carla said and giggled
Then Santa
discarded his beard and kissed her, and after a prolonged period of heavy petting,
he gave her, her Christmas present from behind on Santa’s throne.
Unfortunately, the security guard interrupted their fun before he could sully her on the sleigh as well, so they had to leave the Grotto in a hurry, they took the costumes with them though and used them the following weekend when Santa mounted his Elf on Santa’s sleigh to their mutual satisfaction.
This is our
first Christmas
As husband
and wife
The very
first Christmas
Of our
married life
This is our
first Christmas
Together in
our house
The very
first Christmas
With my
very own spouse
Jenni was a pretty girl with long
straw-coloured hair and stood barely five feet tall, delicate, and slender who
looked like a breath of wind would blow her away, but she was as strong as an
ox.
She had started at the center while she was
still at school, as weekend staff and Lily took her under her wing, and they
had become firm friends over the years.
Jenni was
absolutely gob smacked when Lily recommended her for Assistant Manager, and in
response she worked tirelessly to repay her faith in her.
This meant
that she was always first in at the start of the day and very rarely went home
on time in the evening which didn’t leave much time for her love life, so she
didn’t have a significant other. There was a girl at the Garden Centre that she
liked in that way, but she wasn’t sure if her feelings were reciprocated.
Tasha Hayle
was only 20 and worked in the café, Jenni thought she was gorgeous, five-foot
tall, Filipino mother, part Spanish father, brown eyes, demerara skin, round
bum, narrow waist, large breasts, and a smile that melted Jenni’s heart.
But when
she was within ten feet of her, her brains turned to mush.
After six
months Jenni hadn’t spoken a whole sentence to Tasha until her 21st birthday, a
month before Christmas, when they all went to the pub and Jenni bought her some
novelty knickers with Penguins on them because she knew she had a thing about
Penguins.
Tasha liked
her present very much and was well aware of the effect she had on Jenni, and
she really loved it, but she thought it was time for her to put her out of her
misery.
It was
Jenni’s first day off for more than a month and she wanted to go Christmas
shopping in Abbottsford and spend most of the day at the Phoenix Shopping
Centre.
She
particularly wanted to go to Hanratty’s Department Store, the lingerie
department to be precise as she needed some new undies, and Hanratty’s knickers
were her favourite.
So, she had
spent more than half an hour browsing and had a number of sets in her basket
and was just admiring a red satin teddy when someone said
“Oooh, I
like that”
Jenni
turned around and saw that it was Tasha
“Er…um…er”
she stuttered, and Tasha laughed
“I bet it
will look lovely on” she said, and Jenni couldn’t even manage a stutter and
went as red as the Teddy and Tasha walked away giggling.
Jenni had
lost sight of her but Tasha had stayed close by as she paid for her scanties’
and then reappeared as she left the department before leading her on an
adventure through the store until they ended up in Ladieswear and Tasha stopped
by a rack of silk blouses, and after a discreet look around to make sure the
coast was clear and then she turned toward Jenni and pulled the front of her
leggings down, intended to show her she was wearing the Penguin pants, however
she had inadvertently pulled them down as well and flashed Jenni her
uncultivated lady garden.
When she
saw Jenni staring at her with her eyes on stalks and mouth wide open, she
laughed, but when she saw Jenni was still staring open mouthed, she was amazed
by her reaction to a flash of her knickers.
So, she
looked down and saw exactly what she had been flashing.
“Oh my God”
she exclaimed and pulled her leggings back up and ran towards the cubicles and
very excited Jennifer Evans followed her into an empty cubicle.
“You
weren’t supposed to see that” Tasha said as she stood in the corner facing the
wall.
“I just
wanted to get your attention”
“Well,
you’ve certainly got my attention, but I’ve always noticed you” Jenni said and
giggled
“But I
liked what I saw”
“I know you
did” Tasha replied as she slowly turned around but without raising her eyes
“You were
only supposed to see my Penguin pants”
“An early
Christmas Present for me then” she said and putting hand gently beneath her
chin, she lifted her head and kissed her, but not just a Christmas Kiss.
You’re my
Christmas angel
You’re my
very own Christmas delight.
Please stay
with me tonight
Abbottsford is
Downshire’s administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government, it
iss also a Cathedral City, is home to Abbottsford Town
football club and benefits from the renowned Winston Churchill Hospital.
It is also a place of learning thanks to the Downshire University,
which is where, long-time friends Abbie Musgrove and Sonja Prinsloo were in their first year.
Both girls
had rooms on the same landing in student halls and spent all their free time
together.
They were
all packed ready for the trip home for Christmas but when it snowed, they
quickly made a beeline for the park, and they were surprised to find that more
students hadn’t had the same idea.
After about
an hour and a half they were both breathless and panting, Abbie sat on a park
bench to catch her breath while Sonja scrambled around in the snow making a
snowman while chatting inanely about the best technique for the perfect
snowman, but Abbie was more focused on the speaker than her words.
Sonja
wasn’t beautiful in the way that most people considered that Abbie was, but she
thought she was only on the attractive side of beautiful by virtue of the fact
that she never wore a scrap of makeup, but she thought with a little makeup on
her pretty face she’d have looked gorgeous.
“More
gorgeous anyway” Abbie thought
She was
suddenly brought back to the moment when Sonja said
“We’d
better get moving”
“What?”
Sonja
pointed heavenward
Abbie
looked up to see the sky had visibly darkened.
“Ok” she
said “Let’s go”
They
scrambled their way back through the snow and on the most exposed part of the
park the moment the snow fell in earnest, big wet flakes, falling like fury.
“Quick this
way” Abbie said and grabbed Sonja’s hand and they ran to the nearest large tree
which offered them some protection from the snowfall, and they were giggling
like schoolgirls when they reached sanctuary and squeezed up close to the
trunk.
Abbie
looked down at the giggling Sonja as large wet snowflakes dripped from the tip
of her aquiline nose.
She giggled
again and put her head back and shook it like a dog would, and that was when
Abbie did it.
Sonja was
only 5ft tall so with Abbie’s 4” height advantage over her she was in the
unusual position of being able to kiss downwards on to Sonja’s inviting lips.
It was a
deliciously gentle kiss to which Sonja responded to in kind.
When they
had stopped Sonja looked up at Abbie and said
“I wasn’t
expecting that”
Then Abbie
kissed her again, a much more urgent, passion filled kiss altogether, perhaps
too much so, because Sonja suddenly pushed her away.
“No, no”
she said “I can’t”
Then she
ran off through the snow
“Sonja!”
Abbie called “Please don’t go, I’m sorry”
But she
just kept going and didn’t look back.
Abbie traipsed
home miserably through the snow, kicking her way through slushy puddles, and
chastising herself for her stupidity, and her haste.
“You idiot,
you stupid idiot, you’ve lost your friend now” she shouted into the snow.
She got
back to her room in halls and silently stripped off her wet clothes and dried
her hair before redressing then she switched on the kettle and got out two
mugs, but she paused and put one back.
Abbie was
just pouring the hot water onto a teabag when there was a gentle knock at the
door, so she put the kettle down and walked to the door and when she opened it,
she saw Sonja standing in the hall looking like a drowned rat.
“I don’t
want to run away” she said pathetically
“You don’t
have to baby” Abbie said “Come inside”
Her heart
swelled as she looked at the beautiful forlorn creature dripping on the carpet,
and she quickly wrapped her in dry towels.
Abbie dried
Sonja’s fine dark brown hair and when she stood there wrapped in fluffy white
towels with damp tousled hair, she looked at Abbie with her big brown eyes and
asked
“Can you
kiss me now?”
Abbie’s
heart skipped a beat and she smiled at Sonja and duly obliged her.
It was just
another dream
That I
awoke from that morn
It was a
very familiar dream
A regular
one rather well worn
The theme
was the same as usual
The dream
was all about you
Just
another stupid dream
That will
never come true
But it
wasn’t exactly the same
It was a
variation on a theme
This time
it had changed
It was a
Christmas dream
But this
time it felt so real
Will it
ever come true?
This
Christmas dream of mine
About
spending Christmas with you
