The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (084) Life Begins at 40

 

After leaving the hospital Johnny Lemon indicated right, which would have taken him back to St Joan of Arc’s in St Pierre, but he hesitated and turned left which took him to Spaniards Creek, and the Galleon Coffee Shop. 

 

He parked down by the river and walked up and when he entered, he saw the reason he had come to the village, Rachel Hanson, the owner, and he was in love with her, and had been for some time.

But he was just about to turn 40, and as the saying goes, life begins at 40, and he wanted his to start with her.

She was a striking looking woman with a mass of flaming red hair, chemically aided as she was now 42 years old.

But she looked fabulous, and as she was about to take a bike ride, she was wearing a Lycra outfit which did nothing to hide her shapely assets.

But he thought she was too good for him, and he completely overlooked the fact that he was a man, and she was a woman and that bird’s bird and bee’s bee, and he convinced himself that his feelings were unrequited, he didn’t know that she felt the same way about him, which was why she gave him a beaming smile as he walked in.

“Hey Johnny, what’s this, the head teacher playing hooky?”

“I have permission, I can assure you” he retorted

“Well it’s nice to see you on a school day, sit down I’ll get your coffee”

“Thanks, I don’t want to hold you up though”

“Don’t be silly I’m the boss I can take my ride whenever I please” she said

 

She brought his coffee and joined him at the table

“What are you doing for your birthday?” she asked

“Nothing planned” he replied

“Nothing at all for the big 4 0?” she asked amazed

“Obviously there will be drink involved, but nothing out of the ordinary” he explained

“Scandalous” Rachel said “I’m not having that”

“What do you mean?”

“The weather is supposed to be good on Saturday, why not come mountain biking with me?”

“Mountain biking?” he retorted distaste

“It’ll be fun, we can make a day of it, I’ll pack a picnic” she said

“Ok I’d like that, but two conditions,” Johnny said

“Which are?”

“Firstly we finish up having dinner” he said “somewhere indoors”

“Agreed” she said, “And second?”

“I’m not wearing Lycra”

“Why not?”

“I won’t look as good as you do”

“Oh you think I look good, do you?” she said making him blush “that’s progress”

Then she added

“I agree to your terms”

 

Kevin put 12 stitches in the wound below her knee and applied a dressing.

“There you go, all done” Kevin said “Come back in 7 to 10 days and I’ll take the stitches out, or whoever is on duty” 

“Give me five minutes and I’ll get your discharge pack”

“So can I call my lift back?”

“Sure” he replied “Or I can drop you off”

“When do you finish?”

“About an hour ago” he replied

 

“Do you want another coffee?” Rachel asked

“I’d better not” he replied and then he received a text

“Oh it appears I’m not needed for a lift so yes I would love another coffee”

 

“So where do you want dropping?” he asked

“Just drop me at the school” she said

“You really need to keep off your feet” he said

“I know but my kids will be worried” Marion explained

“I won’t stay all day”

“Well I don’t think you should turn up at school looking like that” He said

“What do you mean? what’s wrong with me?”

“Well you have one leg that’s stunning and shapely, while the other one could easily belong to Nora Batty” he pointed out

She looked down at her semi naked leg with one of her tights legs settled around her ankle.

“Oh, I see what you mean” she said and giggled

 

So Kevin drove her home and she directed him to a small block of flats between St Pierre and Saxvirdan.

“Thanks for the lift” Marion said as she opened the car door

“I’ll wait for you” he said

“I should be ok now”

“No way, I'm not having you walking all the way to St Joan's and back again” he said “I’ll wait”

 

Johnny Lemon got back to the school about ten minutes before Marion did and he was feeling very pleased with himself, as he had been given an early birthday present.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (083) Hospital Visit

 

Abbottsford born Marion Monaghan moved to the Island the previous summer and immediately became infatuated with a young man twelve years younger than she was and they had a torrid Summer romance, until she came to her senses in the Autumn.

But not before she had been put through a long hot intimate summer workout by farmers son Derek Wilson which had kept her well limbered up, but in the end, she accepted the absurdity of dating a boy of 22.

 

She was a School Teacher at St Joan of Arc Junior School in St Pierre and on Monday morning she was walking towards the building carrying homework she had been marking over the weekend, when she tripped and fell on the steps, and got a rather nasty gash on her leg.

So Johnny Lemon, the School Head, offered to drive her to the Bellevue Cottage Hospital.

 

The hospital was originally built by the army during the Great War when Beaumont Manor was commandeered by the Medical Corp for convalescing officers before returning to the front, but as the war went on, they found they needed to expand beyond convalescence.

After the armistice it remained War Office property but fell into disuse between the wars but was quickly brought back into service following the outbreak of World War Two.

The island played a much more active role between 1940 and 1945 with a radar station at Spaniards Point and two anti-aircraft batteries, and barrage balloons outside St Pierre and Spaniards Creek and the hospital saw more action as a result.

Two years after the end of the war the military left the island, leaving the fully equipped hospital mothballed but intact behind them and the Manor house became the Beaumont Manor Hotel.

The hospital would have remained in mothballs indefinitely had it not been for an outbreak of poliomyelitis on the mainland during 1949 and again in 1950 meant that the powers that be decided to get the hospital running again, if only in the short term, but a polio outbreak, coupled with high numbers of TB patients, meant that the short term lasted into the 1960’s when it was decided to update and improve the main buildings and add on a large extension.     

The hospital and the attached medical centre catered well for the islanders’ basic needs, but for more important treatments and surgeries, patients needed to travel to the mainland, which they would need to do by ferry, water taxi or some other vessel or in extreme cases a helicopter.

 

Johnny drove her to the hospital, and he parked as close to the entrance as possible and walked her inside and after waiting for a few minutes they were attended to by Nurse Kevin Holland.

“Oh dear what have you been up to?” Kevin asked

“Not looking where I was going, I suppose” she replied.

“Well let’s take some details and then we can get you sorted out”

 

After booking her in with Heather Edwards they sat in the waiting area for about ten minutes before the Nurse called her and took them into a cubicle.

“You don’t need to stay” she said

“Are you sure?” Johnny asked

“Absolutely sure”

“Well call me when you’re done, and I’ll pick you up” Johnny said

 

After Johnny left, Kevin went through the basics with her, and ten minutes after that he was cutting the leg of her tights after which he irrigated the wound.

 

Kevin Holland was born and bred on the island and had worked at the Bellevue Hospital as a Nurse for five years, and he lived with his brother who was the St Pierre Harbour Master, and he had something in common with his patient because he too had dated someone considerably younger than him and, in his case, it lasted a year.

Stable girl Lisa Scott was a much younger woman than Kevin.

It was very flattering for him at the time to have a stunningly attractive girlfriend on his arm, and his mates were well impressed, and at the time he looked upon her merely in those terms.

At first, he couldn’t believe she would possibly be interested in an older man like him.

Even though they laughed and joked together, and she flicked at her hair flirtatiously, he was flattered but he never thought it would lead anywhere, to think it would, was the stuff of cheap fiction, or so he thought, but he was wrong.

But it could never last because they had absolutely nothing in common, except the sex, which was good, but it was the bits in between the sex where real relationships dwelt.

Lisa wasn’t happy when he broke up with her, but he knew she would find someone better than him.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (082) Redeeming a Raincheck

 

On Saturday morning Doctors Woodward and Cameron took advantage of what was to be the calm before the storm by getting out for a walk, they had got out early that morning to drive up to Stephenson’s Supermarket to do a weekly shop, and then left for their walk as soon after putting the shopping away as possible.

They followed the cliff path south as far as Norman Beach before heading inland along Beacon Farm road until they reached the Spanish River.

They were headed to where the Beacon and Spanish rivers met and as they got close, there were streams and rivulets to negotiate and as he was about to jump over one of the babbling brooks, he caught sight of something glistening in the water, so he knelt on the bank and reached down and picked it up.

It was irregular in shape and was about the size of a cigarette packet and was made of some kind of transparent plastic or Perspex.

Deborah was slightly ahead of him and looked back to see where he was.

“What have you got there?” she asked

“It looks like a bit of aviation Perspex” he replied

“And what’s that when it’s at home?”

“It was used on World War Two aircraft, German in this case I think, Messerschmitt probably” he replied

“How did it get here?” Deborah asked

“It would have dropped here after the plane was hit by either cannon fire or flak” he said and slipped it into his pocket as a souvenir of the expedition, he thought he might even do something with it when he had a spare minute of two on a cold winter evening.

 

It was early evening by the time they walked down Halfway Lane and as they crossed the road and approached Manor Row she said

“Thank you”

“What for?” he asked

“For another lovely day” she explained

“No need for thanks” he said “it was very enjoyable”

Stuart looked at his watch and was amazed to see how late it was, no wonder he was hungry.

“It’s later than I thought” he said

“Me too” Deborah agreed “And I forgot to leave something out for supper”

“Have supper with me then” he offered

“Can you cook?” she asked him suspiciously

“I can” he replied

“I don’t mean “can you microwave”“ she said with a chuckle

“No I really can cook” he insisted

“Ok then”

“Are you a fussy eater?” Stuart added

“No, I’ll eat anything” she said and laughed

“Ok then that’s settled”

“Good I’m starving” she said “So you’d better make sure there’s plenty of it”

 

Because everything was coming together in Spaniards Creek Danny suggested getting Molly out of her own head for a few days, so he booked them a short break to Paris.

“I’m not sure now is a good time” Molly said

“Everyone knows what they are doing, and we’ll be back well before Holy week” he said “Think of it as research for the new book, with a little romance thrown in”

“You make a very persuasive argument” Molly said and kissed him, and they left the island on the last ferry on Sunday.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (081) A Busy Month

 

April was going to be a busy month for Molly, a lot of things were coming to fruition.

At Midnight on Friday 8^th of April owner ship of St Clara’s Church ceased to be part of the Church of England and changed to the ownership of the Barrington estate.

Molly chose that date because she thought it appropriate because it was Lazarus Saturday, which was the day when Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days.

She was metaphorically doing the same thing with the Church because if not for her intervention it would unquestionably have fallen into a state of disrepair from which it wouldn't have risen again.

 

Adam Jandrell and his team were on track to have the building renovation completed on the site over on the east side of the Spanish River, by the end of April and the west side by June 1^st.

Then the team could commence work on the Church Lane Cottages.

Which meant that Amelia Williamson needed to start looking for tenants, and the Parish Council helped with a list of suitable candidates.

Molly had instructed Amelia that priority was to be given to local people or people with ties to the village at the very least or those who worked in some capacity on the island either in agriculture, the hotel or the hospital.

For the commercial units they could be rented to non-islanders, but the businesses had to employ local labour.

But the month was also tinged with a small amount of sadness because once the Church was under her full ownership, she could complete the plans for her grandfather’s reinterment, which obviously opened old wounds.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (080) Redeeming a Raincheck

 

April

On the first of April, Architect Carolyn Livingston was back on the island, but unlike her previous few visits she was not there in connection with the Spanish River renovations, she had other designs in mind.

On her previous trip she got a nearside front puncture and came to rest on the verge, and Howard Nelson came to her rescue and got her to her appointment, if not on time, then close enough.

Meeting Howard had shaken her a little when she saw him, because they were actually a thing, for about three years, but  they split up eight years before, because she got a job on the mainland, and he had just taken over his father’s Boat Yard in Spaniards Creek.

Not making it work had been her biggest regret and saw the  puncture as providential.

She was on the verge of her 40^th birthday and he was close behind.

So with the mindset that it was maybe their last chance she walked into the office at Nelson’s Boat Yard and invited him for coffee as a thank you for helping her out.

He declined, but only because he was on the way out, so he asked for a raincheck for the next time she was on the island.

Well she was back, and she was going to redeem the raincheck.

 

Carolyn phoned Howard the day before and suggested upgrading the coffee date to dinner and he agreed, so she proposed meeting at the Beaumont Manor at 7.30pm.

Howard was as eager to see her as she was to see him, so he arrived ten minutes early.

But by 7.45 when she hadn’t appeared he texted her.

“Hi Carolyn, I’m in reception”

Less than a minute later she texted him back.

“Sorry, I’m running late, come up and wait, I’m in room 223, I’ll leave the door on the latch”

 

He made his way upstairs and let himself in and he could hear movement in the bathroom, and he closed the door loudly to let her know he had arrived.

“Is that you Howard?” she called

“Why? Who else are you expecting?”

“Don’t be cheeky, go and take a seat, I’ll be out shortly”

“Ok no problem” he replied

It was about five minutes before she appeared, and when she stepped out of the bathroom, he gasped.

Carolyn was wearing matching black silk underwear, black stockings, high heeled shoes and a filthy expression.

“Can I assume that as you invited me to your room we are dining in?” he asked and pushed himself up out of the armchair

“Something like that” she replied as she walked slowly towards him, before pushing him onto the bed.

 

They never did get dinner that night, they had to make do with a room service sandwich and breakfast in bed the next morning, they did manage to make it to the restaurant on Saturday night.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (079) Exceeding Expectations

 

The Archer’s were on the early Monday morning ferry and once they left the harbour, the four siblings were all standing by the rail.

They were unmistakably siblings with their clear unblemished complexions and straw-coloured hair of various lengths and styles.

“Well Pan, we got to find out what’s so special about the place” Clarissa said

“It certainly exceeded my expectations” Pandora responded, as Peter Wilson and Kenny Woodward approached, and they smiled at one another.

 

Monday was also the day when Bucklebury and Brandywine took over the management of the Church Lane Properties.

Clive Crossfield had terminated Brown and Leigh’s contract for fraudulently invoicing for work that was never done, and legal action was still a distinct possibility and they had been ordered to supply all relevant documents to Amelia Williamson at their earliest convenience.

Brown and Leigh took the instruction literally and a Luton van arrived in Spaniards Creek at midday full to the gunwales with archive boxes.

Amelia was at St Clara’s, with Molly and the Vicar, when she took the phone call from the driver.  

After she explained the nature of the phone call, the Vicar suggested the Church Hall, but without knowing exactly when they would be able to actually open their own premises it would have been unfair to take her up on her offer, so Molly phoned Katie Harrison and she agreed to let them store the boxes in the Beacon Farm barn, so Amelia redirected the driver to the farm. 

 

The rest of the month for Amelia was spent in the barn sorting through the boxes searching for the most recent reports for the Church Lane Properties.  

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (078) The Morning After

The visit caused a great deal of chatter at dinner that night and that led to some overindulgence, so the next morning they were slow to surface and were sluggish and lethargic.

So after some reviving coffee they set off for a walk, with the exception of Harry, who was spending as much of the day as possible with the Vicar.  

Their first port of call was Beacon Farm where they picked up the rest of the walking dead and Hayley Stock who was the only clear-headed member of the party as she didn’t drink.

 

Also visiting the island that weekend was twenty-eight-year-old Peter White, who was staying on Long Lake Farm with his family for the weekend, he was also from Sharpington, but he arrived on the last ferry of the day on Friday.

He loved his family, and he loved the island, but he knew from an early age that farming wasn’t for him, and after a week at university he knew there was more to life than Beaumont island, so after getting his degree in hospitality he got a job at the Seaview Hotel where he was now the assistant manager.

On Sunday morning his brother Jamie got a call from his girlfriend Hayley so he was walking over to meet up with her so Peter said he would tag along with him as far as the river.

 

Roughly about two hours before the party set off from Beacon Farm Kenny Woodward was leaving his sister’s house in Manor Row with a packed lunch in his backpack and a crudely drawn map courtesy of his sister Deborah.

They were supposed to be walking together but she had been unexpectedly called in to the hospital at stupid o’clock.

 

Before leaving the farm George held a straw poll, to see where everyone wanted to go, and it appeared no one had a particular preference, but no one fancied climbing anything.

So they settled on following the river up towards the lake.

Katie Harrison had made sandwiches for everyone and made sure everyone had plenty of water and then they set off, leaving Katie’s sister Louise and her husband Neil and their twins to hold the fort.

 

You could not describe what they were doing as a yomp, it was more of a slow amble for the nine of them, as the newbies to the island appreciated the woods and some of the hidden treasures on view.

Hayley was the only one who wanted to press on at pace, but that was because she was eager to see Jamie, who she was meeting where the Beacon and Spanish rivers meet.

 

When they eventually arrived, Hayley could see Jamie and his brother on the far side of the river, but before she got there, there were streams and rivulets to negotiate.

Jamie and Peter moved further upstream and crossed at the widest point, using the boulders as steppingstones, while Hayley jumped another stream and one by one the others jumped across the stream behind her.

George, the gentle giant leapt it with ease, then Katie, Nikki, Sam, Molly, and by the time Danny cleared the obstacle, Peter and Jamie White had reached the party along with the Kenny Woodward, who had emerged from the woods and who the Archer’s recognized as the guy who asked for directions on the ferry.

Then Clarissa made her jump and got it wrong and ended up losing her footing on landing and fell on her backside with one foot in the brook and got a bootie.

Pandora laughed so much that when she jumped, she ended up in the water and got two booties and all of them laughed.

“Come on let’s get you out of there” Peter said reaching his hand out to Clarissa.

She took it gladly as she looked up at the gorgeous raven-haired young man and he pulled her effortlessly up to his level and she thought he was even more striking up close.

“Thank you”

“Ok, your turn” Kenny said and pulled Pandora up onto the bank.

“Thanks, that was worth getting my feet wet for.”

she said and giggled.

She and Clarissa were still giggling as they sat on a rock and tipped the water from their shoes.

“Well, I think this is as good a place as any to have lunch” Katie said, and everyone agreed.

 

After lunch Hayley and Jamie went off on their own, and five minutes later Sam and Nikki did the same, and the remaining 8 followed the path into Riverside Woods, Danny and Molly were at the back holding hands and they watched the others as they formed into pairs, the lithe Clarissa and her raven haired adonis and curvaceous Pandora and her bearded rescuer, with gentle giant George and Katie up front.

“There’s definitely something about this island” Molly said and squeezed Danny’s hand. “Something magical”

“You had already worked your magic on me before we even got to the island” Danny pointed out and she kissed him.

 

They emerged from the wood by the bridge and Kenny said.

“This is where I need to say goodbye.”

“So soon?” Pandora said rather too fervently.

“I’m afraid so” he replied, “My sister will be back from the hospital shortly.”

“We’re only five minutes from the farm” Katie said, “Come back for a hot drink.”

“Yes, please do” Pandora implored.

“I’ll run you back up the road after” George said.

“Then you I would love to” he replied.

 

About the same time Deborah arrived home from the hospital and Stuart was working in his front garden and he was pleased to see her and said “Hello”

“Hello Stuart” she replied, “Where did you walk today?”

“I haven’t been,” he replied “it’s more fun with company”

“Well if you’re up for it I’m happy to do a walk” she offered “it’ll have to be a little one as I’ve had a bit of a day”

“Well if you’re sure you wouldn’t rather have a good soak in the bath” he said “I’ll just change my shoes”

“Don’t worry I will have that soak, but later will do” she said “Just give me five minutes and I’ll be with you”

 

Five minutes later they did a short walk down to Manor Cliff  beach and spent a pleasant hour walking along the wet sands before returning to the Cliff Top and as they entered Manor Row at the Cliffs end, Kenny entered it from the other. 

“Hi Debs” he said

“Kenny! Meet Stuart”

“Stuart this is my kid brother Kenny”

“Nice to meet you” Kenny said shaking his hand

“Likewise” he replied and then added “Well I’ll say goodbye, thanks for your company”

“Bye Stuart” she chirped before addressing her brother

“How did you get on?”  

“Great”

“And you didn’t get lost?” she asked as she opened the front door

“No, far from it” he replied

“Tell me more” she said and closed the door