(Part 01)
There was a lot of love on Teardrop Lake that Christmas, some was old and had stood the test of time, and some had led to marriage already, while others waited in the wings.
Some loves were still in the first flush while others were mere embers that were yet to ignite.
And there was more than one person with the hope of love in their hearts.
The old loves on the Lake, like Patrick and Kay O’Neill were approaching 30 years of Marriage and Paul and Lynn Cooper were in their 35th year and both couples were blessed with children.
Chris and Jemima Harris had just celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary and Ellen and James Huston were in their 10th year.
Daniel and Winifred Travers were married for 40 years in a Childless union, but one that was overflowing with love and they were still a sublimely happy couple.
Even Rob and Sheryl Brown had survived the ups and downs of the hospitality business and remained married for 42.
So it was another year when the Lake had worked its magic and those who had no romantic love were blessed with familial love in its stead.
Some loves born on the Lake celebrated Christmas on foreign shores and others returned in time for the special day.
It was a week before Christmas and India Harris was waiting at the arrivals gate as the passengers from the Sydney flight came through.
She was there to meet her best friend Penny Davies who had been in Australia with her artist fiancé for over two months.
Danny had a commission piece to do over there and neither of them wanted to be without the other for so long so he took her along.
Penny came through the gate and squealed when she saw Indie and then her friend did the same.
On one of their trips in the woods, Penny’s fiancée, Danny had spotted something glistening in the water of the brook, so he braced himself against a tree trunk and reached down and picked it up, it was about the size of a pocket watch and was made of some kind of Perspex.
The sort used on world war two German aircraft, a Messerschmitt probably that had been shot off during a dogfight.
The aircraft that may or may not have survived, there was no way of knowing, he slipped the piece of Perspex into his pocket and he thought he could do something with it when he had a spare minute of two.
Well every spare minute he worked on the Perplex and he fashioned it into a number of small objects one of which he slipped on Penny’s finger as an engagement ring.
But on that day she wore a different ring on her finger and when India saw it the squealed again and then Indie showed Penny her ring they were off again.
Penny still proudly wore the Perspex ring on her other hand, and that would remain special to her forever.
Just then Danny appeared pushing the heavily laden trolley.
“It’s ok I can manage” he said before kissing and hugging Indie.
“Is Paul with you?” he asked
Paul was India fiancé Capt. Spreadborough of the Downshire Light Infantry.
“No he’s still on camp” she replied “He’ll be home for Christmas though”
“Did you come on your own then babe?” Penny asked
“No, Dad’s waiting outside” she said
On the Tuesday afterwards, paramedic Chris O’Neill took Karen Cooper out on their first date to a very exclusive restaurant in Purplemere called the Runcible Spoon and after all the attention he lavished on her she began to feel that she might be as pretty as her sisters after all.
On the following day it was his brother Fran’s turn when he when on his first date with the lovely Dakota Harris, but being a student he couldn’t afford a fancy restaurant their date consisted of bowling and a slice of pizza, but Dakota didn’t mind a bit.
(Part 02)
Danny and Penny found the whole week after their return from Australia quite exhausting.
As they went from one friend’s house to another, retelling the same tales of their trip down under to different audiences.
So when Christmas finally arrived it came as something of a relief.
After midnight mass at St Mary’s, Megan and Angel shared the peace with fellow worshippers and then went back to Angelika’s Cottage and made love, again.
Early the next morning, just before dawn, Megan woke up and when her eyes grew accustomed to the dark she kissed Angels shoulder and got up.
She dressed quickly and then loaded Paris, Angel’s chocolate coloured Labrador, into her car and drove “Harrison” home to her flat.
She parked the car and went inside and when she came out again she was carrying a bag containing two changes of clothes and the Christmas presents and Skipper was trotting along behind her.
She let Paris out of her car and then she walked the dogs back to the Cottage.
“Settle down you two” she said to the dogs who quickly arranged themselves in front of the fire, then she placed the presents beneath the tree and returned to bed and cuddled up to Angelika.
“Merry Christmas Angel” Megan said as she kissed her lover awake.
“Merry Christmas honey” she replied sleepily and they cuddled up close.
“This is really nice but we’d better get up and walk the dogs before breakfast” Angel said
“I did it already”
“Really? So nothing to get up for then” Angelika said and started nibbling Megan’s ear.
Admittedly Christmas morning was special for everyone but it was also different for everyone.
Olivia Shenton’s Christmas for example was the busiest she had ever known and her organizational skills were invaluable to steer her husband Ben through his numerous seasonal commitments and she loved every minute of it.
Practice nurse Kate Marston meanwhile spent her Christmas morning doing home visits, she had volunteered for duty because her Police Officer boyfriend Ian was on duty all day so they had their Christmas Day on Boxing Day.
That year, Kate’s colleagues Evangeline Christodoulou and Siti Shahara celebrated their first Christmas as a couple and their first one living together.
Siti’s wounds from the brutal attack by her estranged husband two months earlier, had all healed and the invisible scars would be cured in time by Eva’s love for her, which was abundant.
Siti’s estranged husband spent his Christmas Day in prison.
Dr Claire Andrews and film director fiancé Peter Lutchford were in California for Christmas and ate their holiday lunch in bright sunshine on the terrace at a house in Beverley Hills.
Penny Davies spent the night of Christmas Eve at Lake View Cottage with Danny and after beginning the day by making love they were nearly late picking up her aunts for Church.
After the Christmas worship they went back with Julia and Amanda and spent the day with them at East Side House.
Consequently they didn’t get to open their presents until the evening.
Paul Spreadborough only got home on leave from the army on Christmas Eve and he didn’t get a moment alone with India.
Paul, his sister Ellen and his brother in law James had all been invited to the Harris’s for Christmas Day.
Chris and Jemima Harris put on a wonderful dinner at Shoe Buckle House of tradition fare but Paul’s appetite had not been fully satisfied.
So after lunch Paul and India announced they were going for a walk but they only got as far as the house next door and spent the following hour and a half in his bedroom in Chapel House.
(Part 03)
Later on Christmas afternoon India’s younger sister Dakota also went out for a walk on the pretext of seeing her friend Karen Cooper but in actuality she met up with Fran O’Neil by the old Tower and they wished each other a happy Christmas.
Chantelle Dooney and Richard Grimwood residents of East Cliff Lodge were unaccustomed to sharing Christmases’ and so this one was a novelty so they had their Christmas lunch at the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel and then they walked up to Lovers Leap and sat on the high ledge eating mince pies and drinking Mulled Wine as the snow began to fall.
Their downstairs neighbours, the Charlton’s, were away for Christmas and although they were over the moon at their recent reconciliation Matt and Emily’s Christmas was very hard work.
They had to divide their time equally between both sets of parents.
And neither set of parents were as thrilled with their reconciliation as the couple were themselves.
The atmosphere was at times tense and at others downright hostile but somehow they got through it.
Suffice is to say they were delighted when they returned to the sanctuary of their Lakeside home once again.
The Cooper and O’Neil families both had big family Christmas days full of loud voices and laughter.
But this year they were full of love as well.
Both families met briefly at St Mary’s on Christmas morning where Jane and Terry acted quite self-consciously around each other.
While Chris and Karen were quite conspiratorial, later during a lull in the festivities they snuck out of their respective houses and met down at the boathouse where they sat and held each other as they watched the snow fall on the lake.
Angelika and Megan finally dragged themselves out of bed and Meg walked the dogs again while Angelika put the bird in the oven and made breakfast.
After they’d eaten, they both needed to shower but time was running out.
“We’d better get in together” Angelika said
“Ok but no funny business” Meg said
“But you like the funny business” Angel pointed out
“I know but we don’t have time” Megan said
They made it to the service on time and when they returned to the cottage they got the lunch prepared.
Which was when they sat down with a large sherry and opened their presents.
Megan had never done Christmas presents before and she was very excited indeed, almost as excited as she was with the “funny business”.
She was already on her hands and knees under the tree by the time Angelika entered the room
“Open this one first” Megan said and handed up a little gift bag to her.
“Ok but let me sit down first” she said laughing
When she was seated she took the package and inside wrapped in tissue paper was a gold and platinum angel pendant inscribed on the back
“Mijn engel van liefde”
To my angel of love
“It’s beautiful” Angelika said and cried “So, so beautiful”
And then she joined Megan on the floor and kissed her.
“Your turn” she said and reached under the tree and brought out a small parcel.
“I’ve never had a Christmas present before” Megan said
“Well you have one now” Angel said “Open it, open it”
“I’m savouring it” Megan said
When she had carefully removed the paper she put it on the floor and opened the gift box and inside she found a gold locket.
“Wow” she exclaimed “it’s lovely”
“Look inside” Angelika urged “Look inside”
So Megan opened the locket up and in one side, it housed a pearl and on the other there was an inscription.
“To my little pearl”
When they had first met Angelika had told her that Megan was an Anglo Saxon name which meant “Little Pearl”
“Oh Angel” Megan said “It’s so beautiful, I love you”
“And I love you too” she responded and they hugged
Soon Christmas was over for another year but the love expressed in its many guises would live on into the coming year and beyond.
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Saturday, 7 January 2017
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (25) New to Life and Christmas Too
(Part 01)
In Coopers Hill Cottage on a cold, damp and foggy December afternoon Angelika Schmeltz and Megan Thomas lay naked beneath the duvet of the formers King-size bed.
And in its cosiness they were both silently contemplating their situation and reflecting that it was not how they had envisaged the day panning out.
Angelika was holding Megan, who had her head on her new lover’s chest.
It was Megan who finally broke the silence when she said
“That was quite a surprise”
“Which part?” Angelika asked
“All of it” she replied “but it was a very nice surprise”
“Which part?” Angelika asked
“All of it” she replied and giggled
“I’d never done it before” She confessed, in fact Megan had never done anything before, with anyone, she was a virgin in every conceivable sense of the word.
She hadn’t even touched herself very much.
“I know sweetie” Angelika said
“Do you mind?” the novice asked
“No of course not” she replied “You do know that I’ve done it before?”
“God yes” she replied and giggled again
“But I didn’t know you were a ….”
Angelika chuckled and kissed her forehead and said
“A lesbian”
“That’s right, because I automatically assumed Charlie was a man”
Megan explained.
Charlie was Angelika’s partner of 25 years until she died.
“Are you disappointed?” she asked
“What with?” Megan replied with another question
“The fact that I’m a Lesbian” answered Angelika
“Are you kidding? After what we just did?”
They both giggled and then Meg kissed Angel with warmth and passion.
“You realise that this means you are a Lesbian too now?”
“Really?” she asked “How exotic”
And she cuddled up closer still to her lover.
“What would my mother say?”
“Do you care?” Angelika asked
“Not for a second”
They lay quiet again for a few minutes before Megan said sheepishly
“I do have one question though”
“What’s that sweetie?” Angel asked
“I was just wondering when we might um…” she began
“You were wondering what?” she asked suspiciously
“Well when we could do it again?” she asked and buried her face in Angel’s chest to hide her embarrassment
“You little hussy” she said
“I know” Megan said without lifting her head
“Well as it’s a foggy afternoon and we’re all cosy warm in bed already I suppose we could do it again right now”
“Oooh smashing” Megan purred “I like the sound of that”
In the six months since her mother’s death, Megan Thomas had changed beyond all recognition.
She had moved to Teardrop Lake to fulfil a lifelong dream to live in the country, and she had fulfilled several other dreams along the way.
She was now the proud owner of a dog called Skipper, a car which she named Harrison, because it was a Ford, and a TV.
All things that her mother heartily disapproved of.
However at the age of 47 and with no life experience, the one thing she had dared not dream of was falling in love.
And quite frankly if she had thought of it at all or even if she had dreamt about falling in love, she doubted that that dream would have been to fall in love with a woman, and yet it happened anyway.
And was something else Mother would have disapproved of.
(Part 02)
Angelika Schmeltz on the other hand hadn’t dreamt of falling in love for a very different reason.
She had closed her heart to it, and drawn a line under such emotions.
For the five years since the death of her long term lover Charlie she never thought of love for a second.
It wasn’t just that she was reluctant to fall in love, she merely accepted that that chapter of her life was over and done with because she felt when Charlie died, part of her died too, and that she would never find another mate who would measure up to her.
And then she met a funny little red head wandering the woods with an American Cocker Spaniel and she felt alive again.
When Charlie passed, Angelika had pledged never to love again to protect herself against another broken heart.
But that was like living a half-life, yes there might be pain but the joy far outweighed the risk.
Since Megan had moved to Teardrop Lake she had discovered that life was actually rather wonderful.
She also discovered that there were things worth watching on Television and that there were some things in life that were even more enjoyable than “It’s a Wonderful Life”
One of them was Christmas and one of them very definitely wasn’t.
A couple of days after they kissed beneath the mistletoe and ended up making love.
Angelika managed to get Megan out of bed long enough to take her into Abbottsford to do some Christmas shopping.
“I’ve never been Christmas shopping before” Megan said
“Well there were several other things you had never done before and you seem to have mastered those quite nicely sweetie” Angelika said and Megan went Santa Red and giggled.
It was only a week from the big day and Angelika was unaccustomed to leaving it so late.
She liked to get things done early but she had got out of the habit.
It had been a long, long time since she had had to buy presents for anyone special.
But now she did have someone special to buy for so she took Megan into to Abbottsford to the Phoenix Shopping Centre.
The centre had been dressed for Christmas in tinsel and foil and twinkling lights almost since the beginning of October.
“My Goodness” Meg said “It’s huge”
“It is rather” Angelika agreed
“Have you never been here before?”
Megan began to speak but Angelika interrupted her
“That was a silly question wasn’t it?”
Megan nodded
“So look around and remember where you are and we will meet back here in an hour and a half” Angelika said
“Can’t we go around together?” Meg asked sounding very small
“Well not really Hun” Angel said “as we’re buying for each other, they are supposed to be surprises”
“Oh yes I see what you mean” she said she was going to add sorry but I’m new to this but Angelika took hold of her hand and kissed her which gave her strength.
“Ok then back here at 11.30” she said and they went their separate ways.
Angelika knew where she was going first, she knew exactly what main present to get for her.
So that wasn’t a problem, it was the little extras, the stocking fillers that took the time, those little things that made Christmas morning extra special.
For Megan it was yet another new thing she had to experience.
Because her mother Edith, didn’t believe in the commercial side of the holiday there were never any presents, no frivolity or festivities.
So no need for Christmas shopping, wrapping paper or gift tags.
They celebrated Christmas to the extent that they ate Christmas dinner and went to the Church services but only the religious side of the season was ever observed.
Church, faith and her love of books were the only thing she retained from her old life.
Everything else was new and fresh and rather wonderful.
So having never done Christmas before, buying presents and treats was totally alien to her and she didn’t know where to start.
Until she passed a dazzling shop window that held her entranced.
“That’s absolutely perfect” she said and her eyes fixed on the prize.
(Part 03)
They were to meet back where they had started at 11.30, Angelika was there first and Megan trotted up about five minutes later.
“I thought I’d lost you” Angelika said
“Sorry, I lost track of time” she said “It’s very exciting isn’t it?”
“Yes it is” Angelika replied and smiled at the little redhead loaded with bags.
“Once I got started I didn’t know how to stop” Megan said and giggled
“You’re really lovely” Angel said and kissed her
They went and had Coffee and a cake in the food court and assessed their progress.
It transpired they only had to get paper and bows and a few etcetera’s so they went off together to complete the shopping before they went home.
When they got back to Shallowfield they dropped off their respective purchases at their respective homes and took their respective excited dogs for a good long walk.
Then they went back to Megs to watch the Matinee “The Shop around the Corner”
And at the end of the film both women were in tears again
“That was another brilliant one” Megan said and then started laughing
“What are you laughing at?” Angelika asked
“Well the last time we watched a James Stewart film together I discovered I was a Lesbian” she said “And I just wondered what I was going to discover this time”
And then they were both laughing hysterically.
The week between the exciting Christmas shopping trip and Christmas itself was spent in the way that had become their accustomed manner.
Watching more classic films, and taking more long walks in the woods with the dogs and of course being cosy beneath Angelika’s duvet.
But in addition to the customary activities there were also presents to wrap, another first for Megan.
She had neither given nor received a gift in her entire life.
On Christmas Eve, Megan drove “Harrison” down to St Mary’s Church, she hadn’t been a regular at the Church since she’d moved there but she had attended three Sunday services, the Christingle and the Carol service.
She had asked Angelika to join her a couple of times but she hadn’t been to Church since Charlie passed, and she was still angry with God for taking her and she was quite unforgiving on the subject, and was totally unmovable on the matter, for now.
Megan thought she would probably wear her down eventually but she didn’t want to push it.
Although Angelika had decline for Megan Midnight Mass was an un-missable event, so she went alone.
Megan said a few hello’s and thought to herself that there was a good sized congregation for the service.
She always found the Midnight Mass very moving and quite atmospheric it was possible that as it was conducted in the semi darkness it added to the magic.
So she took her seat and settled herself and then she bowed her head, closed her eyes and took a few moments to pray.
When she opened them again she was not alone.
“You came” Megan said and took Angels hand and cried
“Don’t cry honey” Angel said
“But I’m so happy that you’re here” Meg said wiping her eyes
“I’m still angry with him for taking her” she said defiantly looking to the heavens
“But now I know he only took her so he could give me you”
Angel said and Megan was crying again
“I love you Angelika Schmeltz” she said
“I love you too” she replied “and I really want to kiss you”
“Well you’ll have to wait until later” Megan said and smiled before adding “Have a little self-control”
“I don’t believe it” she said “I’m being chastised by a hussy”
In Coopers Hill Cottage on a cold, damp and foggy December afternoon Angelika Schmeltz and Megan Thomas lay naked beneath the duvet of the formers King-size bed.
And in its cosiness they were both silently contemplating their situation and reflecting that it was not how they had envisaged the day panning out.
Angelika was holding Megan, who had her head on her new lover’s chest.
It was Megan who finally broke the silence when she said
“That was quite a surprise”
“Which part?” Angelika asked
“All of it” she replied “but it was a very nice surprise”
“Which part?” Angelika asked
“All of it” she replied and giggled
“I’d never done it before” She confessed, in fact Megan had never done anything before, with anyone, she was a virgin in every conceivable sense of the word.
She hadn’t even touched herself very much.
“I know sweetie” Angelika said
“Do you mind?” the novice asked
“No of course not” she replied “You do know that I’ve done it before?”
“God yes” she replied and giggled again
“But I didn’t know you were a ….”
Angelika chuckled and kissed her forehead and said
“A lesbian”
“That’s right, because I automatically assumed Charlie was a man”
Megan explained.
Charlie was Angelika’s partner of 25 years until she died.
“Are you disappointed?” she asked
“What with?” Megan replied with another question
“The fact that I’m a Lesbian” answered Angelika
“Are you kidding? After what we just did?”
They both giggled and then Meg kissed Angel with warmth and passion.
“You realise that this means you are a Lesbian too now?”
“Really?” she asked “How exotic”
And she cuddled up closer still to her lover.
“What would my mother say?”
“Do you care?” Angelika asked
“Not for a second”
They lay quiet again for a few minutes before Megan said sheepishly
“I do have one question though”
“What’s that sweetie?” Angel asked
“I was just wondering when we might um…” she began
“You were wondering what?” she asked suspiciously
“Well when we could do it again?” she asked and buried her face in Angel’s chest to hide her embarrassment
“You little hussy” she said
“I know” Megan said without lifting her head
“Well as it’s a foggy afternoon and we’re all cosy warm in bed already I suppose we could do it again right now”
“Oooh smashing” Megan purred “I like the sound of that”
In the six months since her mother’s death, Megan Thomas had changed beyond all recognition.
She had moved to Teardrop Lake to fulfil a lifelong dream to live in the country, and she had fulfilled several other dreams along the way.
She was now the proud owner of a dog called Skipper, a car which she named Harrison, because it was a Ford, and a TV.
All things that her mother heartily disapproved of.
However at the age of 47 and with no life experience, the one thing she had dared not dream of was falling in love.
And quite frankly if she had thought of it at all or even if she had dreamt about falling in love, she doubted that that dream would have been to fall in love with a woman, and yet it happened anyway.
And was something else Mother would have disapproved of.
(Part 02)
Angelika Schmeltz on the other hand hadn’t dreamt of falling in love for a very different reason.
She had closed her heart to it, and drawn a line under such emotions.
For the five years since the death of her long term lover Charlie she never thought of love for a second.
It wasn’t just that she was reluctant to fall in love, she merely accepted that that chapter of her life was over and done with because she felt when Charlie died, part of her died too, and that she would never find another mate who would measure up to her.
And then she met a funny little red head wandering the woods with an American Cocker Spaniel and she felt alive again.
When Charlie passed, Angelika had pledged never to love again to protect herself against another broken heart.
But that was like living a half-life, yes there might be pain but the joy far outweighed the risk.
Since Megan had moved to Teardrop Lake she had discovered that life was actually rather wonderful.
She also discovered that there were things worth watching on Television and that there were some things in life that were even more enjoyable than “It’s a Wonderful Life”
One of them was Christmas and one of them very definitely wasn’t.
A couple of days after they kissed beneath the mistletoe and ended up making love.
Angelika managed to get Megan out of bed long enough to take her into Abbottsford to do some Christmas shopping.
“I’ve never been Christmas shopping before” Megan said
“Well there were several other things you had never done before and you seem to have mastered those quite nicely sweetie” Angelika said and Megan went Santa Red and giggled.
It was only a week from the big day and Angelika was unaccustomed to leaving it so late.
She liked to get things done early but she had got out of the habit.
It had been a long, long time since she had had to buy presents for anyone special.
But now she did have someone special to buy for so she took Megan into to Abbottsford to the Phoenix Shopping Centre.
The centre had been dressed for Christmas in tinsel and foil and twinkling lights almost since the beginning of October.
“My Goodness” Meg said “It’s huge”
“It is rather” Angelika agreed
“Have you never been here before?”
Megan began to speak but Angelika interrupted her
“That was a silly question wasn’t it?”
Megan nodded
“So look around and remember where you are and we will meet back here in an hour and a half” Angelika said
“Can’t we go around together?” Meg asked sounding very small
“Well not really Hun” Angel said “as we’re buying for each other, they are supposed to be surprises”
“Oh yes I see what you mean” she said she was going to add sorry but I’m new to this but Angelika took hold of her hand and kissed her which gave her strength.
“Ok then back here at 11.30” she said and they went their separate ways.
Angelika knew where she was going first, she knew exactly what main present to get for her.
So that wasn’t a problem, it was the little extras, the stocking fillers that took the time, those little things that made Christmas morning extra special.
For Megan it was yet another new thing she had to experience.
Because her mother Edith, didn’t believe in the commercial side of the holiday there were never any presents, no frivolity or festivities.
So no need for Christmas shopping, wrapping paper or gift tags.
They celebrated Christmas to the extent that they ate Christmas dinner and went to the Church services but only the religious side of the season was ever observed.
Church, faith and her love of books were the only thing she retained from her old life.
Everything else was new and fresh and rather wonderful.
So having never done Christmas before, buying presents and treats was totally alien to her and she didn’t know where to start.
Until she passed a dazzling shop window that held her entranced.
“That’s absolutely perfect” she said and her eyes fixed on the prize.
(Part 03)
They were to meet back where they had started at 11.30, Angelika was there first and Megan trotted up about five minutes later.
“I thought I’d lost you” Angelika said
“Sorry, I lost track of time” she said “It’s very exciting isn’t it?”
“Yes it is” Angelika replied and smiled at the little redhead loaded with bags.
“Once I got started I didn’t know how to stop” Megan said and giggled
“You’re really lovely” Angel said and kissed her
They went and had Coffee and a cake in the food court and assessed their progress.
It transpired they only had to get paper and bows and a few etcetera’s so they went off together to complete the shopping before they went home.
When they got back to Shallowfield they dropped off their respective purchases at their respective homes and took their respective excited dogs for a good long walk.
Then they went back to Megs to watch the Matinee “The Shop around the Corner”
And at the end of the film both women were in tears again
“That was another brilliant one” Megan said and then started laughing
“What are you laughing at?” Angelika asked
“Well the last time we watched a James Stewart film together I discovered I was a Lesbian” she said “And I just wondered what I was going to discover this time”
And then they were both laughing hysterically.
The week between the exciting Christmas shopping trip and Christmas itself was spent in the way that had become their accustomed manner.
Watching more classic films, and taking more long walks in the woods with the dogs and of course being cosy beneath Angelika’s duvet.
But in addition to the customary activities there were also presents to wrap, another first for Megan.
She had neither given nor received a gift in her entire life.
On Christmas Eve, Megan drove “Harrison” down to St Mary’s Church, she hadn’t been a regular at the Church since she’d moved there but she had attended three Sunday services, the Christingle and the Carol service.
She had asked Angelika to join her a couple of times but she hadn’t been to Church since Charlie passed, and she was still angry with God for taking her and she was quite unforgiving on the subject, and was totally unmovable on the matter, for now.
Megan thought she would probably wear her down eventually but she didn’t want to push it.
Although Angelika had decline for Megan Midnight Mass was an un-missable event, so she went alone.
Megan said a few hello’s and thought to herself that there was a good sized congregation for the service.
She always found the Midnight Mass very moving and quite atmospheric it was possible that as it was conducted in the semi darkness it added to the magic.
So she took her seat and settled herself and then she bowed her head, closed her eyes and took a few moments to pray.
When she opened them again she was not alone.
“You came” Megan said and took Angels hand and cried
“Don’t cry honey” Angel said
“But I’m so happy that you’re here” Meg said wiping her eyes
“I’m still angry with him for taking her” she said defiantly looking to the heavens
“But now I know he only took her so he could give me you”
Angel said and Megan was crying again
“I love you Angelika Schmeltz” she said
“I love you too” she replied “and I really want to kiss you”
“Well you’ll have to wait until later” Megan said and smiled before adding “Have a little self-control”
“I don’t believe it” she said “I’m being chastised by a hussy”
Friday, 6 January 2017
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (23) Loves Christmas Dreams
(Part 01)
Karen Cooper thought of herself as a plump girl but in reality she was just a couple of dress sizes bigger than her older sisters.
In every other respect she was clearly a Cooper, the looks were unmistakable.
All the Cooper girls had Auburn hair and an abundance of freckle.
And each one of the sisters thought their siblings were much more attractive than they were, whereas in reality they were all very pretty.
Karen was a tall girl like Jane and facially she favoured Kath.
Although she wasn’t born by the lake she was only two when she moved to Coopers Villa and she had no memory of living anywhere else.
Karen also took the credit for being responsible for them being on the lake in the first place.
Because when she was a baby she contracted meningitis and had to be rushed to hospital, and it was her illness that brought about the reconciliation between her Dad, Paul, and Granddad Harry.
Apart from the Auburn hair and abundant freckles, another trait she shared with her sister was that they all possessed a propensity towards hard work, clearly inherited from their parents.
Whatever she wanted she would get because she was a hard worker, it had helped her through her education and it would help her in her chosen profession.
But there were limitation though even for a strong work ethic, for example hard work was not going to get her anywhere with Chris O’Neil.
She was convinced he didn’t even know she existed and she had been in love with Chris since she was 12 years old and she was now 18.
The Cooper girls may have been late comers to Teardrop Lake but the O’Neil boys were all Lakesider’s born and bred and whereas all the Cooper girls had Auburn hair and freckles all the O’Neil Boys had black hair and wild gypsy eyes.
Chris was 22 years old and worked as a paramedic.
He was the best looking of the O’Neil brothers and was as a result very popular with the girls, but the sort of girls who kept throwing themselves at him were not the type of girl he was looking for.
Like his elder brother Terry, what Chris was looking for was a girl he could settle down with, and a girl like that hadn’t yet thrown herself at his feet.
However Francis, the youngest of the O’Neil’s, who was 19 and was in his second year at University, studying English had other ideas.
Unlike his brothers he had no interest in a long term relationship, or settling down.
His plan was to get his degree and then travel the world with no burdens and no responsibilities to way him down.
Dakota Harris was 17 year old and she was the pretty girl of Teardrop Lake and she lived at Shoe Buckle House on the northwest side of the Lake, and she was a tall and slender girl with long dark hair.
She was on the outside at least ultra-confident and ultra-popular with the boys who she kept dancing on strings but they were only boys.
She was always immaculately turned out, painted, perfumed and powdered and ready to impress Mr Right.
But apparently he was never looking her way, whoever he might be.
But for all her big talk and bravado she was fast approaching 18 and hadn’t even been kissed.
Even her tomboy big sister was engaged to a gorgeous man, and an army Captain at that.
Because she was pretty and because she knew she was pretty, Dakota always talked big when it came to the opposite sex, and her friends bought into it.
But it was all bravado, if one of the men she flirted with actually came on to her she would have run a mile.
Outside she was sexy and confident but inside she was a shy and dowdy little mouse.
Karen Cooper’s hard work took the form of working multiple shifts waitressing at the Brown Windsor restaurant where her sister Jane was the Sous Chef.
But that was just in her spare time, the rest of the time she was serving an apprenticeship at the Purplemere Film Studios where she was training to be a makeup artist.
Peter Lutchford the renowned film director who also lived on the lake got her the position.
She also help her sister Jane with her home dining engagements as well as doing makeovers to the inhabitants.
That was how she first got to know Dakota Harris and they soon became good friends because of it and Dak let Karen practice her make up skills on her.
(Part 02)
Dakota was convinced she was never going to be kissed and especially not before she reached her 18th birthday.
She could quite easily get a kiss in time if she acted like a tart but she wasn’t a tart and she wanted her first kiss to be romantic, not desperate.
Meanwhile Karen was still dreaming of a romantic affair with her prince charming Chris Cooper but was resigned to the fact it would never happen.
On the Saturday before Christmas Karen had a rare night off and was around at Dakota’s house,
Dak’s parents were out to dinner and her older sister, India, was meeting her friend Penny at the airport.
So they had the house to themselves and Karen out did herself with Dakota’s makeover.
“Wow” she said “I look really hot”
“Not bad eh?” Karen said admiring her handiwork
“I look about 20” Dak said “Don’t you think?”
“21 maybe” Karen added
“Let’s go to the pub then” she suggested
Karen thought about it for a moment and said
“I don’t know” she said “I look rubbish”
“You can borrow something of Indie’s and I’ll do your make up” Dakota said
Karen reluctantly agreed so half an hour later they were laughing and joking and on their way to The Woodcutters Arms in Shallowfield.
At the same time Dakota was doing Karen’s makeup Chris and his brother Fran were just leaving Lakeside Villa bound for the same destination.
It was Chris’s first weekend off for a month and Francis had only got home from University that day.
The pair of them hadn’t been out for a beer together for almost a year so they thought a few jars at the pub might just fit the bill.
There were three pubs at the Teardrop Lake end of Shallowfield, The Woodman’s Axe, The Woodcutters Arms and The Foresters.
Ant the names clearly reflected Shallowfield’s dependence on forestry over the centuries, the pubs at the other end of town had more of an agricultural flavour in their naming, The Wheatsheaf, the Plough and the Farmers Tavern.
But all of those were too far to walk to so they decided very definitely to restrict their choices to the forest end.
Chris had drunk in all three at one time or another so he didn’t really have a preference and Fran didn’t care which one they went to as long as Chris was paying so they went to the closest the Woodcutters.
Dakota hadn’t been to the pub before and although she looked old enough to be in there after the makeover she had no ID so Dak went and found a table and Karen bought the drinks.
The girls were sat at a corner table facing back towards the bar.
“Look who’s just come in” Dakota said and Karen looked up and saw the O’Neil brothers standing at the bar.
As soon as she saw them Karen got all flustered and her cheeks flushed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dakota asked
“Nothing” she said trying to look anywhere but at the bar.
“You fancy one of them don’t you?” Dakota probed “Which one?”
“Chris” she reluctantly replied
“How long have you fancied him?” Dak quizzed
“Since I was 12” she replied
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked
“Because nothing will ever come of it” Karen said definitively and took a drink then she glanced at the bar just as Chris looked across at them and smiled
“He’s looking over here” Dakota whispered
They both smiled back at him and then Karen said
“Well he’s not looking at me is he?”
“Well he’s too old for me” she said “I like Fran”
Karen spent the next 20 minutes sneaking glances at Chris as he laughed and joked with his brother, every now and then he would throw a glance at her and she would look away.
There were a number of girls who approached them but whatever they were after they left without it.
Dakota suddenly got up and announced she was going to the loo and almost as soon as she left there was movement at the bar at Chris started walking towards her.
“Hi Karen” he said
“Hello” she replied “Dakota’s gone to the loo”
“I know I saw her go” he said “it was you I wanted to talk to”
“Me?” she said incredulously
“Yes you” he replied
“Why?” she asked
“Blimey you don’t make it easy for a bloke” he said
“I don’t understand” she said
“I wanted to ask you something while Dakota was in the ladies” he explained
“Oh I see” Karen said with a sigh “you want her phone number I suppose”
“No” Chris replied with surprise “Why would I want her number?”
“Sorry”
“I wanted to ask you out” he explained
“Me?” she said incredulously
“Oh no not again, yes you” he replied
“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for ages but you’re always working somewhere or other and I never get a look in”
“Seriously?” she asked
“Yes” he replied “So?”
“Yes” she said
“Now was that a question or an answer?”
“Definitely an answer” she said and grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“Good” he said “now can I get you a drink?”
(Part 03)
Chris walked to the bar just as Dakota returned from the toilet and Fran joined his brother at the bar.
When he first walked to the bar and saw Karen sitting at the corner table he congratulated himself on his choice of venue and hoped Christmas had arrived early and seemed he was not to be disappointed.
“Well?” Dakota asked when she returned to the table.
“Well what?” she replied
“Did he ask you?” Dakota asked
“Yes” she said excitedly and they hugged
“But how did you know?”
“Fran told me” she replied
“But how did he know?”
“Chris told him?” Dakota said
“Oh”
“Anyway Fran told me” she said “and then he kissed me”
“Where?” asked Karen, wide eyed with curiosity
“On the lips stupid”
“No I mean, Where?” she explained “Where were you when he kissed you”
“Oh outside” Dakota clarified
“What were you doing outside?” Karen asked “Apart from being kissed”
“Well I went to the loo” Dakota explained “and when I came out Fran was there waiting for me and he told me no to go back to the table because Chris was asking you out”
She paused for breath
“Which was taking forever by the way, and we were blocking the door so he suggested we went outside and that was when he kissed me, in the moonlight, it was very romantic”
“Wow” Karen responded “And did he ask you out as well?
“Yes” she said excitedly and they hugged again
“Who’d of thought it, I have a date with an O’Neil”
Karen said
“Me too” Dakota squealed just as the boys and the drinks arrived.
As they reached the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel on the way home from the pub they split up.
Fran took the left fork so he could walk Dakota home and romantically kiss her in the moonlight once more.
Chris and Karen took the right fork and walked slowly hand in hand in the moonlight, they were in no rush to get home.
“Fancy that, Chubby Karen is walking hand in hand with Chris O’Neil” she said inside her head
While Chris was thinking to himself how lucky he was.
“Was that romantic enough for you?” Fran asked moments after his lips left hers
“It was acceptable” she said
“Perhaps I should have another go” he suggested
“Definitely worth a try” Dakota said obligingly
Francis O’Neil felt ten feet tall as he headed for home despite the fact that the evening had not gone as planned.
It was just supposed to be a few pints with his brother Romantic kissing was certainly not part of his plan at all but as soon as he saw Dakota Harris sitting in the bar trying to look all grown up, he was smitten.
Hook, line and sinker, smitten.
And this from the man who had no interest in a long term relationship.
His plan to get his degree and travel the world with no burdens and no responsibilities to weight him down was in tatters.
But then maybe he could take her around the world with him, she wouldn’t be too burdensome.
Chris and Karen still hadn’t reached either of the Villa’s by the time Fran came running along the road
“Don’t mind me” he shouted as he sprinted past.
When they got to the top of the path that led down to her house they came to a halt and he turned to face her and he kissed her soft lips, in a long and sensual kiss.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that” Karen said
“Me too” he concurred
“How long?” she asked
“A couple of years, almost three to be precise” he confessed
“I was 12” she admitted “when I first noticed you like that”
“Was it worth the wait?” he asked
“It was for me” she said
And then her kissed her again which she took to mean “me too”
Karen Cooper thought of herself as a plump girl but in reality she was just a couple of dress sizes bigger than her older sisters.
In every other respect she was clearly a Cooper, the looks were unmistakable.
All the Cooper girls had Auburn hair and an abundance of freckle.
And each one of the sisters thought their siblings were much more attractive than they were, whereas in reality they were all very pretty.
Karen was a tall girl like Jane and facially she favoured Kath.
Although she wasn’t born by the lake she was only two when she moved to Coopers Villa and she had no memory of living anywhere else.
Karen also took the credit for being responsible for them being on the lake in the first place.
Because when she was a baby she contracted meningitis and had to be rushed to hospital, and it was her illness that brought about the reconciliation between her Dad, Paul, and Granddad Harry.
Apart from the Auburn hair and abundant freckles, another trait she shared with her sister was that they all possessed a propensity towards hard work, clearly inherited from their parents.
Whatever she wanted she would get because she was a hard worker, it had helped her through her education and it would help her in her chosen profession.
But there were limitation though even for a strong work ethic, for example hard work was not going to get her anywhere with Chris O’Neil.
She was convinced he didn’t even know she existed and she had been in love with Chris since she was 12 years old and she was now 18.
The Cooper girls may have been late comers to Teardrop Lake but the O’Neil boys were all Lakesider’s born and bred and whereas all the Cooper girls had Auburn hair and freckles all the O’Neil Boys had black hair and wild gypsy eyes.
Chris was 22 years old and worked as a paramedic.
He was the best looking of the O’Neil brothers and was as a result very popular with the girls, but the sort of girls who kept throwing themselves at him were not the type of girl he was looking for.
Like his elder brother Terry, what Chris was looking for was a girl he could settle down with, and a girl like that hadn’t yet thrown herself at his feet.
However Francis, the youngest of the O’Neil’s, who was 19 and was in his second year at University, studying English had other ideas.
Unlike his brothers he had no interest in a long term relationship, or settling down.
His plan was to get his degree and then travel the world with no burdens and no responsibilities to way him down.
Dakota Harris was 17 year old and she was the pretty girl of Teardrop Lake and she lived at Shoe Buckle House on the northwest side of the Lake, and she was a tall and slender girl with long dark hair.
She was on the outside at least ultra-confident and ultra-popular with the boys who she kept dancing on strings but they were only boys.
She was always immaculately turned out, painted, perfumed and powdered and ready to impress Mr Right.
But apparently he was never looking her way, whoever he might be.
But for all her big talk and bravado she was fast approaching 18 and hadn’t even been kissed.
Even her tomboy big sister was engaged to a gorgeous man, and an army Captain at that.
Because she was pretty and because she knew she was pretty, Dakota always talked big when it came to the opposite sex, and her friends bought into it.
But it was all bravado, if one of the men she flirted with actually came on to her she would have run a mile.
Outside she was sexy and confident but inside she was a shy and dowdy little mouse.
Karen Cooper’s hard work took the form of working multiple shifts waitressing at the Brown Windsor restaurant where her sister Jane was the Sous Chef.
But that was just in her spare time, the rest of the time she was serving an apprenticeship at the Purplemere Film Studios where she was training to be a makeup artist.
Peter Lutchford the renowned film director who also lived on the lake got her the position.
She also help her sister Jane with her home dining engagements as well as doing makeovers to the inhabitants.
That was how she first got to know Dakota Harris and they soon became good friends because of it and Dak let Karen practice her make up skills on her.
(Part 02)
Dakota was convinced she was never going to be kissed and especially not before she reached her 18th birthday.
She could quite easily get a kiss in time if she acted like a tart but she wasn’t a tart and she wanted her first kiss to be romantic, not desperate.
Meanwhile Karen was still dreaming of a romantic affair with her prince charming Chris Cooper but was resigned to the fact it would never happen.
On the Saturday before Christmas Karen had a rare night off and was around at Dakota’s house,
Dak’s parents were out to dinner and her older sister, India, was meeting her friend Penny at the airport.
So they had the house to themselves and Karen out did herself with Dakota’s makeover.
“Wow” she said “I look really hot”
“Not bad eh?” Karen said admiring her handiwork
“I look about 20” Dak said “Don’t you think?”
“21 maybe” Karen added
“Let’s go to the pub then” she suggested
Karen thought about it for a moment and said
“I don’t know” she said “I look rubbish”
“You can borrow something of Indie’s and I’ll do your make up” Dakota said
Karen reluctantly agreed so half an hour later they were laughing and joking and on their way to The Woodcutters Arms in Shallowfield.
At the same time Dakota was doing Karen’s makeup Chris and his brother Fran were just leaving Lakeside Villa bound for the same destination.
It was Chris’s first weekend off for a month and Francis had only got home from University that day.
The pair of them hadn’t been out for a beer together for almost a year so they thought a few jars at the pub might just fit the bill.
There were three pubs at the Teardrop Lake end of Shallowfield, The Woodman’s Axe, The Woodcutters Arms and The Foresters.
Ant the names clearly reflected Shallowfield’s dependence on forestry over the centuries, the pubs at the other end of town had more of an agricultural flavour in their naming, The Wheatsheaf, the Plough and the Farmers Tavern.
But all of those were too far to walk to so they decided very definitely to restrict their choices to the forest end.
Chris had drunk in all three at one time or another so he didn’t really have a preference and Fran didn’t care which one they went to as long as Chris was paying so they went to the closest the Woodcutters.
Dakota hadn’t been to the pub before and although she looked old enough to be in there after the makeover she had no ID so Dak went and found a table and Karen bought the drinks.
The girls were sat at a corner table facing back towards the bar.
“Look who’s just come in” Dakota said and Karen looked up and saw the O’Neil brothers standing at the bar.
As soon as she saw them Karen got all flustered and her cheeks flushed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dakota asked
“Nothing” she said trying to look anywhere but at the bar.
“You fancy one of them don’t you?” Dakota probed “Which one?”
“Chris” she reluctantly replied
“How long have you fancied him?” Dak quizzed
“Since I was 12” she replied
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked
“Because nothing will ever come of it” Karen said definitively and took a drink then she glanced at the bar just as Chris looked across at them and smiled
“He’s looking over here” Dakota whispered
They both smiled back at him and then Karen said
“Well he’s not looking at me is he?”
“Well he’s too old for me” she said “I like Fran”
Karen spent the next 20 minutes sneaking glances at Chris as he laughed and joked with his brother, every now and then he would throw a glance at her and she would look away.
There were a number of girls who approached them but whatever they were after they left without it.
Dakota suddenly got up and announced she was going to the loo and almost as soon as she left there was movement at the bar at Chris started walking towards her.
“Hi Karen” he said
“Hello” she replied “Dakota’s gone to the loo”
“I know I saw her go” he said “it was you I wanted to talk to”
“Me?” she said incredulously
“Yes you” he replied
“Why?” she asked
“Blimey you don’t make it easy for a bloke” he said
“I don’t understand” she said
“I wanted to ask you something while Dakota was in the ladies” he explained
“Oh I see” Karen said with a sigh “you want her phone number I suppose”
“No” Chris replied with surprise “Why would I want her number?”
“Sorry”
“I wanted to ask you out” he explained
“Me?” she said incredulously
“Oh no not again, yes you” he replied
“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for ages but you’re always working somewhere or other and I never get a look in”
“Seriously?” she asked
“Yes” he replied “So?”
“Yes” she said
“Now was that a question or an answer?”
“Definitely an answer” she said and grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“Good” he said “now can I get you a drink?”
(Part 03)
Chris walked to the bar just as Dakota returned from the toilet and Fran joined his brother at the bar.
When he first walked to the bar and saw Karen sitting at the corner table he congratulated himself on his choice of venue and hoped Christmas had arrived early and seemed he was not to be disappointed.
“Well?” Dakota asked when she returned to the table.
“Well what?” she replied
“Did he ask you?” Dakota asked
“Yes” she said excitedly and they hugged
“But how did you know?”
“Fran told me” she replied
“But how did he know?”
“Chris told him?” Dakota said
“Oh”
“Anyway Fran told me” she said “and then he kissed me”
“Where?” asked Karen, wide eyed with curiosity
“On the lips stupid”
“No I mean, Where?” she explained “Where were you when he kissed you”
“Oh outside” Dakota clarified
“What were you doing outside?” Karen asked “Apart from being kissed”
“Well I went to the loo” Dakota explained “and when I came out Fran was there waiting for me and he told me no to go back to the table because Chris was asking you out”
She paused for breath
“Which was taking forever by the way, and we were blocking the door so he suggested we went outside and that was when he kissed me, in the moonlight, it was very romantic”
“Wow” Karen responded “And did he ask you out as well?
“Yes” she said excitedly and they hugged again
“Who’d of thought it, I have a date with an O’Neil”
Karen said
“Me too” Dakota squealed just as the boys and the drinks arrived.
As they reached the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel on the way home from the pub they split up.
Fran took the left fork so he could walk Dakota home and romantically kiss her in the moonlight once more.
Chris and Karen took the right fork and walked slowly hand in hand in the moonlight, they were in no rush to get home.
“Fancy that, Chubby Karen is walking hand in hand with Chris O’Neil” she said inside her head
While Chris was thinking to himself how lucky he was.
“Was that romantic enough for you?” Fran asked moments after his lips left hers
“It was acceptable” she said
“Perhaps I should have another go” he suggested
“Definitely worth a try” Dakota said obligingly
Francis O’Neil felt ten feet tall as he headed for home despite the fact that the evening had not gone as planned.
It was just supposed to be a few pints with his brother Romantic kissing was certainly not part of his plan at all but as soon as he saw Dakota Harris sitting in the bar trying to look all grown up, he was smitten.
Hook, line and sinker, smitten.
And this from the man who had no interest in a long term relationship.
His plan to get his degree and travel the world with no burdens and no responsibilities to weight him down was in tatters.
But then maybe he could take her around the world with him, she wouldn’t be too burdensome.
Chris and Karen still hadn’t reached either of the Villa’s by the time Fran came running along the road
“Don’t mind me” he shouted as he sprinted past.
When they got to the top of the path that led down to her house they came to a halt and he turned to face her and he kissed her soft lips, in a long and sensual kiss.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that” Karen said
“Me too” he concurred
“How long?” she asked
“A couple of years, almost three to be precise” he confessed
“I was 12” she admitted “when I first noticed you like that”
“Was it worth the wait?” he asked
“It was for me” she said
And then her kissed her again which she took to mean “me too”
Thursday, 5 January 2017
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (22) I’ve Never Seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”
(Part 01)
In November, Megan Thomas moved into Flat 4 of East Cliff Lodge, after it was hastily vacated by Emily Waugh who was reconciled with her ex-husband, and moved back in with him.
Megan was an only child and had spent all of her adult life nursing her invalid mother.
It was a thankless task, for her mother Edith was a bitter and demanding woman who put her timid daughter through the proverbial ringer.
When Edith finally shuffled off this mortal coil the overwhelming feeling that Megan had was one of relief.
At the funeral she looked every bit like a mournful daughter, but she was not grieving, it was just that life with Edith had drained her with the result that she was pale and drawn and she looked five years older than her 47 years.
Not that she ever had a lot of flesh on her bones, the years of being her mother’s skivvy had kept her thin and left her with a gaunt expression.
After the funeral and the reading of Edith’s last will and testament, Megan decided it was time for her to take stock of her life.
Although her mother had left her comfortably off in the financial sense but she was left with no family, no friends, no profession and most of all with no discernible purpose.
It took Megan several weeks to come to terms with her situation and to decide what path she should follow with her new found freedom.
Her mother Edith was a tyrant who imposed all of her draconian rules and Victorian prejudices on her dutiful brow beaten daughter.
Her mother hated the country so they lived in the city, Edith hated dogs so Megan wasn’t allowed a dog, and she didn’t like Television so TV’s weren’t allowed in the house.
She decided what books she shouldn’t read, what clothes she should wear, and what thoughts should occupy her mind.
And over the years of her servitude there were a million other petty little dictates and prejudices Megan had to adhere to and Edith revelled in them.
One of Edith’s prejudices was driving, Megan didn’t drive, because her mother thought car drivers in general were vulgar, and for women she didn’t think it was ladylike.
The day after the funeral Megan had her first driving lesson.
Finally three months after she had buried her mother Megan made a life changing decision, the first of many, the house that Edith called home and Megan called a prison was put on the market.
It sold within a week.
Megan’s next decision was to fulfil a lifelong dream of living in the country but she lacked the knowledge of how to proceed, her new found freedom was in the hands of someone not equipped to use it, yet.
So she spoke to the family solicitors, Stanislas, Boivin and Champeaux and instructed them to find her somewhere to live in the country.
As luck would have it her Solicitors also administered the Lakeside estate, in Shallowfield and the Dancingdean Forest which was how Megan Thomas came to move to Teardrop Lake.
Once she had moved in to her new home, her first action was to buy a dog.
She didn’t know what sort of dog she wanted other than the size.
The dog couldn’t be so big that it took her for a walk and nor could it be one of those ridiculous creatures that celebrities carried around in their handbags, other than that she was open to anything.
She read through the advertisement in the Shallowfield and Childean Chronicle and there were a number of dogs for sale but the one that caught her eye was placed by Erica Pritchard, an elderly lady who lived in a bungalow on the Childean Road in Shallowfield.
The advert stated that the lady was not looking to sell the dog but she did have to meet the potential recipients before she let him go.
When she realised it was an elderly lady it did put her off somewhat.
She had had enough of cranky old women to last her a life time.
But Megan phoned the number anyway and arranged a mutually convenient time for her to go round.
(Part 02)
Even though Megan could now drive she decided she would walk to Mrs Pritchard’s bungalow, which took her about 35 minutes.
Any misgivings she may have had about elderly ladies were immediately dispelled when she met Erica.
She couldn’t have been any more different to her cantankerous mother.
Erica was lovely and so was the dog, it was a honey coloured American Cocker Spaniel called Skipper, wagged his stump of a tail frantically as Megan made a fuss of him.
“Well I can see he’s made up his mind about you already”
“He’s adorable” Megan said “How can you bare to part with him”
“Well I have to admit it’s not through choice” she replied
“I’ve reached the point where I’m struggling to look after myself let alone that little fella” she explained
“So I’m moving into sheltered accommodation, and unfortunately he’s not allowed”
“That’s really sad” Megan said
Erica made up her mind within a few minutes that Megan was the right person to take on Skipper.
But they still sat talking for over an hour before Megan took her leave.
Megan wrote down her phone number and handed it to Erica
“If you let me know your address I can bring him to visit you”
“Would you dear?” Erica said “That would be lovely”
Megan thought Erica was crying as she waved them off but she just returned her wave and carried on.
The next thing she got herself was a Television, but she didn’t like it, a lot of the programs were quite distasteful and the language was appalling.
Her Mother Edith didn’t like Television, and Megan had to admit she had a point.
Edith also thought everyone on TV was a degenerate but Megan thought that was stretching the point.
Over the years of her servitude her only friends were the books she read because although her mother sanctioned what books she could read she was unable to actually influence her choices.
Megan just got whatever books from the library she fancied.
Those books and there wonderful characters would always be her friends and when she discovered something called a Kindle her circle of friends grew exponentially.
So after she moved into her flat that was how she filled her days reading books and taking Skipper for long walks in the woods.
And the effect on her was startling, she had lost her unhealthy pallor and gaunt appearance and her skin had a healthy lustre to it.
And even her copper coloured hair had body and vitality, her new life on Teardrop Lake certainly seemed to agree with her.
It was on one such walk on a cold and damp November morning two weeks or so after her life began, that Megan and Skipper went up to Coopers Folly.
According to Wikipedia there were two Folly’s in the area around the Lake the first one was built in the early 19th century by the local Nobleman, the 8th Earl of Dancingdean who had it built for himself, in the style of a Castle Keep.
He was an exceptionally vain man and so he had the an area of Forest cleared on top of a hill and had the Folly built there and then so everyone around the lake would know whose it was he hoisted his standard high above the turret.
Wikipedia went on to say that second was erected as an act of retaliation by Ezekiel Cooper who lived on the opposite side of the Lake.
Ezekiel was not of the nobility, he was a self-made man and he made his money in the cotton Mills of Lancashire, and he despised the Nobles and the way they looked down on him.
So in response to the Earl’s construction he had built an even gaudier Folly of his own in the Victorian Gothic style.
Like his noble adversary he built his atop a deforested hill and had his standard flying.
Megan took Skipper to see the latter building, she hadn’t seen it before and she wasn’t sure she liked what she saw.
“It’s hideous isn’t it?” a voice behind her said
Megan turned around to see a tall slim woman close to her own age with Slavic features.
“It is rather” Megan agreed
“I am Angelika” the woman said with the hint of an accent
“And this fellow is Paris”
Paris was a chocolate coloured Labrador
“Megan” she said and shook her hand “and this is Skipper”
“That’s a lovely name” She said
“It’s short for “Golden Skipper Delight”” Megan said and Angelika roared with laughter
“No I meant Megan is a lovely name”
“Oh I see” she said and laughed “I always thought it was rather a dull name”
“Nonsense it’s an Anglo Saxon name which means “Little Pearl”” Angelika explained
“Really? I didn’t know that” Megan responded
“I have seen you before from a distance I think” Angelika said
“That’s right” Megan said “but I haven’t been up here before, we’re new so we are still exploring”
“There is a lot to explore” Angelika agreed “perhaps we will meet again sometime on one of your explorations”
“I hope so” Megan said and then they went their separate ways
(Part 03)
Angelika Schmeltz was not, like Megan, a newcomer to Teardrop Lake she had lived in Coopers Hill Cottage, on a hill high above the Southern Perimeter road, just a stone’s throw from the Folly, for 30 years.
She was only 18 when she left her native Netherlands and moved in with her lover and she had never regretted it for a moment but death visited them five years earlier and she still hurt.
She was an elegant looking woman with striking looks and mesmeric green eyes full of sadness.
Her short strawberry blonde hair was now streaked with grey.
Like Megan, Angelika had also been left comfortable after her bereavement but unlike Megan she did grieve and still grieved.
She filled her days reading old detective fiction, watching old movies, doing jigsaw puzzles and missing Charlie.
Angelika was not made to live alone, she needed company, but nor was she a natural mixer and she didn’t form attachments easily.
Her first impression of the lady at the Folly was a favourable one and she hoped she might bump into her again.
A mutually beneficial friendship might well develop if they could find some common ground.
They were both soppy about their dogs so that was a start.
The next morning Megan went to St Mary’s Church in Shallowfield.
A strong Christian faith was the only common ground between her and her mother and they maintained a regular attendance.
She was a little nervous as she walked in, she was quite self-conscious being the newcomer, but she was made very welcome, firstly by the Ben Shenton, the vicar, and then by his wife Olivia, who took her under her wing and introduced her to some of the congregation.
During the service Megan looked around to see if the lady with the chocolate Lab was there but she couldn’t see her.
And there was a very good reason why Megan couldn’t see Angelika at St Marys because Angelika hadn’t been to Church since Charlie passed.
She was angry with God for taking the love of her life and she was very unforgiving.
It was a week after their first meeting, on a crisp frosty autumn morning, when they met again.
The sky was a brilliant blue and the leaves crunched underfoot and the air was the freshest she had ever known.
It was the dogs who spotted each other first.
Megan and Skipper had just left East Cliff Lodge and were on the road about to head down the hill,
Angelika and Paris were coming the other way the latter considerable faster than the former.
“Good morning” Megan called brightly, she was hoping to run into her again at some time.
“Morning” Angelika said breathlessly “That dog will be the death of me”
“He’s hardly panting at all” Megan pointed out and laughed
Angelika would have laughed if she’d had the breath for it she just about had enough breath to say
“Well he’s a lot younger than me”
When she had completely got her wind back she asked
“So where are you off to?”
“Nowhere special we’re still exploring” Megan replied
“We’re off to Lovers Leap” she said
“Lovers Leap?” Megan repeated “I didn’t know there was one”
“Yes it’s a rocky outcrop above the cliffs, on a day like today the view is spectacular” she enthused
“Would you mind if we tagged along?” Megan asked hopefully
“Not at all, I would appreciate the company” Angelika replied and smiled
The cliffs that Angelika mentioned were an extension of those that formed part of the northern side of Teardrop Lake and formed the natural border between the Teardrop estate and the Dancingdean Forest proper.
Lovers Leap was so called because it was where desperate and broken hearted lovers would leap to their deaths although there was no evidence that anyone actually had but it made a good story.
(Part 04)
It wasn’t a long walk from where they met but it wasn’t an easy one either.
The dogs reached the top first and then Angelika and some distance behind was Megan who was extremely out of breath.
“I thought you had decided not to come” Angelika said jovially
“You must have the constitution of a mounting goat” Megan retorted
“The legs certainly” she agreed and laughed
By the time they reached Lovers Leap Megan was panting worse than the dogs and as she walked onto the shelf that was “Lovers Leap” and took in the vista it took away what little breath she had remaining.
“Wow” she said as she looked out across the russet hues of the deciduous Dancingdean Forest stretching into the distance and they sat down on the rocky shelf.
“This is my favourite place” Angelika said “Charlie and me used to come here often”
“I can see why” Megan said
Angelika almost cried but managed to stop herself.
“It’s different every time I come here, but it’s always special”
The walk back down wasn’t much easier on the legs than the one up was.
And when they reached the road Megan said
“Gosh I’m pooped, I could do with a cup of tea”
Megan was unaccustomed to social etiquette so she just added
“Why don’t you join me?”
“I’d love to” Angelika said pleased that she appeared to have found the friend she was looking for.
Megan on the other hand hadn’t had a friend since she left school so she was particularly pleased to have found a kindred spirit.
The yomp up to Lovers Leap was the first of many walks the four of them took in the forest, all of them ending in Tea or Coffee at whoever’s home they finished up nearest to.
On the first of December they had walked up to the Tower which was at the Southwest corner of the Lake.
The Watch Tower was reputed to date back to the time of the Armada but the truth of that had been disputed and in truth nobody actually knew even Wikipedia was vague on the subject.
But when they got there Megan found it a bit disappointing, it was not dissimilar to the towers you see dotted all over the Mediterranean, not that she’d ever seen one other than in a book.
While they were there the heavens opened so they beat a hasty retreat back to Coopers Hill Cottage.
Angelica opened the door and they both kicked off their boots in the lobby and discarded their coats.
And when they went deeper inside Megan was staggered to see the difference in the place since her last visit two day earlier.
There were coloured lights, garlands and baubles everywhere.
“Goodness me” she exclaimed
“Charlie always went overboard with the decks at Christmas so I’ve kept up the tradition” she said wistfully
“Have you not put yours up yet then?”
“I don’t have any” Megan confessed “Mother didn’t like decorations”
“Well “mother” can’t spoil your fun anymore” Angelika said “So tomorrow morning I’m going to take you to Shallowfield Garden Centre, they really know how to do Christmas”
Angelika would accept no argument and picked her up in her old Mondeo Estate and drove her to the Garden Centre.
Once inside Megan was like a child in a sweetshop at the end of rationing.
She didn’t know where to look first, Angelika had to rein her in a bit at times otherwise she would have bought the whole shop.
By mid-afternoon with Angelika’s help Megan’s flat was every bit as generously decorated as Angelika’s Cottage was.
Megan was absolutely thrilled, her mother would have hated it.
She had never done Christmas to any degree, other than the religious aspect.
There were never any festivities, no decorations, no presents, not even Christmas cards and very definitely no fun.
So this new experience made her tingle all over and with Angelika she felt a real sense of family.
(Part 05)
Over the next week or so the walks were foreshortened by the weather which was not conducive to prolonged country walks, but the dogs had to be exercised so some exposure to the elements was necessary.
When there was finally a break in the weather the dogs were given a thorough walking and at the end of it the four of them where shattered.
As they were on the south side of the lake Angelika said
“Let’s go back to mine for lunch and then we can watch “It’s a Wonderful Life””
“What’s that?” Megan asked
“What’s what?” Angelika replied
“It’s a wonderful something” she said
“It’s a Wonderful Life?” Asked Angelika
“Yes?”
“It’s a Classic” Angelika said
“A Classic what?”
“Movie, James Stewart, Donna Reed, Clarence the angel?” Angelika said but Megan looked at her blankly and responded
“I’ve never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life””
“Then you my dear are in for an absolute treat” she said and put her arm through Megan’s and they pressed on to the cottage.
At the end of the film both women were in tears
“That was brilliant” Megan said dabbing at her eyes with her hankie
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen it before” Angelika stated
“I’ve never seen a film before” she said
“Not one film?” Angelika asked incredulously
“No”
“Well you’ve started with a corker” she said
“I will have to introduce you to some more films”
“Will they be as good as that one?” Megan asked
“Some of them will be even better” Angelika replied
“Then I can’t wait” she admitted
After that they spent every afternoon in either the flat or the cottage watching classic movies, and Megan loved them all.
For Angelika watching Megan experiencing Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert in “It happened one night” or James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in “Shop around the Corner” was almost as special as the movies.
One day when she was on her way home from Angelika’s, Megan had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming that she was happy or that she was just remembering the plot of book she once enjoyed, because she was enjoying her new life and her new friendship so much.
Megan had been so unhappy for so long she didn’t realise just how unhappy she was until it was over.
It was only six months since her mother Edith had passed away but it seemed like a lifetime and in those six short months she had begun to live.
She never in her wildest dreams imagined she could ever be happier than she was at that moment.
A few days after they watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” together Megan and Skipper were just leaving Angelika’s to go home and as she was planning to go to the Carol Service at St Mary’s that night so she decided to ask Angelika if she’d go with her and her response surprised her.
“No, no” Angelika said adamantly “I haven’t set foot inside a Church since Charlie passed”
“But it’s only Carols” Megan said
“No! I am still too angry with God for taking my Charlie” she said
“Well if you’re sure” Megan said brightly
“Quite sure”
“Ok then I’ll see you tomorrow” she said and left it at that, Megan didn’t want to push her too hard because she didn’t want to risk upsetting her, their friendship was too important to her than that.
And as Angelika closed the cottage door she hoped she hadn’t been too blunt with her, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Megan in anyway, but she wasn’t ready yet to forgive God.
Megan went to the Carol service alone and thoroughly enjoyed it and she went to the Sunday service a few days later but she didn’t ask Angelika on that occasion though she hadn’t given up on her, she would bide her time.
The day after it was a foggy day, one of those days when the fog clung on all day.
They took the dogs out in the morning but the freezing fog got into their bones so they cut the walk short and went back to the cottage.
Just before lunchtime Coleman Bowers knocked loudly on the door.
He was a proper old country boy in his late fifties with white receding hair and a matching wiry beard.
He worked at the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel as an odd job/handyman and part of his duties was to take his Skiff around the lake twice a week delivering the mail and small parcels.
But that day he was in a van because he was delivering Door Wreathes, Holly boughs and sprigs of Mistletoe.
The Shallowfield Lodge Hotel took advance orders for them and then Coleman delivered them on his rounds.
“I’ve already delivered your’n to the flat” he said to Megan
“Thanks Coleman” she replied
“Can you hang this sprig on that nail?” Angelika asked pointing up at the beam.
“Yes’m” he replied and adopted a broad stance before reaching up.
At which point they both kissed him beneath the mistletoe, just a peck on each cheek, but that was enough to make him turn beetroot red, and leave the cottage unceremoniously.
Both of them fell about laughing at his reaction and then Angelika held the mistletoe above Megan’s head as she adopted Coleman’s distinct stance and she kissed her, but unlike with Coleman it didn’t stop at a peck, in fact it didn’t stop at all, and the recipient didn’t run away red faced into the fog.
In November, Megan Thomas moved into Flat 4 of East Cliff Lodge, after it was hastily vacated by Emily Waugh who was reconciled with her ex-husband, and moved back in with him.
Megan was an only child and had spent all of her adult life nursing her invalid mother.
It was a thankless task, for her mother Edith was a bitter and demanding woman who put her timid daughter through the proverbial ringer.
When Edith finally shuffled off this mortal coil the overwhelming feeling that Megan had was one of relief.
At the funeral she looked every bit like a mournful daughter, but she was not grieving, it was just that life with Edith had drained her with the result that she was pale and drawn and she looked five years older than her 47 years.
Not that she ever had a lot of flesh on her bones, the years of being her mother’s skivvy had kept her thin and left her with a gaunt expression.
After the funeral and the reading of Edith’s last will and testament, Megan decided it was time for her to take stock of her life.
Although her mother had left her comfortably off in the financial sense but she was left with no family, no friends, no profession and most of all with no discernible purpose.
It took Megan several weeks to come to terms with her situation and to decide what path she should follow with her new found freedom.
Her mother Edith was a tyrant who imposed all of her draconian rules and Victorian prejudices on her dutiful brow beaten daughter.
Her mother hated the country so they lived in the city, Edith hated dogs so Megan wasn’t allowed a dog, and she didn’t like Television so TV’s weren’t allowed in the house.
She decided what books she shouldn’t read, what clothes she should wear, and what thoughts should occupy her mind.
And over the years of her servitude there were a million other petty little dictates and prejudices Megan had to adhere to and Edith revelled in them.
One of Edith’s prejudices was driving, Megan didn’t drive, because her mother thought car drivers in general were vulgar, and for women she didn’t think it was ladylike.
The day after the funeral Megan had her first driving lesson.
Finally three months after she had buried her mother Megan made a life changing decision, the first of many, the house that Edith called home and Megan called a prison was put on the market.
It sold within a week.
Megan’s next decision was to fulfil a lifelong dream of living in the country but she lacked the knowledge of how to proceed, her new found freedom was in the hands of someone not equipped to use it, yet.
So she spoke to the family solicitors, Stanislas, Boivin and Champeaux and instructed them to find her somewhere to live in the country.
As luck would have it her Solicitors also administered the Lakeside estate, in Shallowfield and the Dancingdean Forest which was how Megan Thomas came to move to Teardrop Lake.
Once she had moved in to her new home, her first action was to buy a dog.
She didn’t know what sort of dog she wanted other than the size.
The dog couldn’t be so big that it took her for a walk and nor could it be one of those ridiculous creatures that celebrities carried around in their handbags, other than that she was open to anything.
She read through the advertisement in the Shallowfield and Childean Chronicle and there were a number of dogs for sale but the one that caught her eye was placed by Erica Pritchard, an elderly lady who lived in a bungalow on the Childean Road in Shallowfield.
The advert stated that the lady was not looking to sell the dog but she did have to meet the potential recipients before she let him go.
When she realised it was an elderly lady it did put her off somewhat.
She had had enough of cranky old women to last her a life time.
But Megan phoned the number anyway and arranged a mutually convenient time for her to go round.
(Part 02)
Even though Megan could now drive she decided she would walk to Mrs Pritchard’s bungalow, which took her about 35 minutes.
Any misgivings she may have had about elderly ladies were immediately dispelled when she met Erica.
She couldn’t have been any more different to her cantankerous mother.
Erica was lovely and so was the dog, it was a honey coloured American Cocker Spaniel called Skipper, wagged his stump of a tail frantically as Megan made a fuss of him.
“Well I can see he’s made up his mind about you already”
“He’s adorable” Megan said “How can you bare to part with him”
“Well I have to admit it’s not through choice” she replied
“I’ve reached the point where I’m struggling to look after myself let alone that little fella” she explained
“So I’m moving into sheltered accommodation, and unfortunately he’s not allowed”
“That’s really sad” Megan said
Erica made up her mind within a few minutes that Megan was the right person to take on Skipper.
But they still sat talking for over an hour before Megan took her leave.
Megan wrote down her phone number and handed it to Erica
“If you let me know your address I can bring him to visit you”
“Would you dear?” Erica said “That would be lovely”
Megan thought Erica was crying as she waved them off but she just returned her wave and carried on.
The next thing she got herself was a Television, but she didn’t like it, a lot of the programs were quite distasteful and the language was appalling.
Her Mother Edith didn’t like Television, and Megan had to admit she had a point.
Edith also thought everyone on TV was a degenerate but Megan thought that was stretching the point.
Over the years of her servitude her only friends were the books she read because although her mother sanctioned what books she could read she was unable to actually influence her choices.
Megan just got whatever books from the library she fancied.
Those books and there wonderful characters would always be her friends and when she discovered something called a Kindle her circle of friends grew exponentially.
So after she moved into her flat that was how she filled her days reading books and taking Skipper for long walks in the woods.
And the effect on her was startling, she had lost her unhealthy pallor and gaunt appearance and her skin had a healthy lustre to it.
And even her copper coloured hair had body and vitality, her new life on Teardrop Lake certainly seemed to agree with her.
It was on one such walk on a cold and damp November morning two weeks or so after her life began, that Megan and Skipper went up to Coopers Folly.
According to Wikipedia there were two Folly’s in the area around the Lake the first one was built in the early 19th century by the local Nobleman, the 8th Earl of Dancingdean who had it built for himself, in the style of a Castle Keep.
He was an exceptionally vain man and so he had the an area of Forest cleared on top of a hill and had the Folly built there and then so everyone around the lake would know whose it was he hoisted his standard high above the turret.
Wikipedia went on to say that second was erected as an act of retaliation by Ezekiel Cooper who lived on the opposite side of the Lake.
Ezekiel was not of the nobility, he was a self-made man and he made his money in the cotton Mills of Lancashire, and he despised the Nobles and the way they looked down on him.
So in response to the Earl’s construction he had built an even gaudier Folly of his own in the Victorian Gothic style.
Like his noble adversary he built his atop a deforested hill and had his standard flying.
Megan took Skipper to see the latter building, she hadn’t seen it before and she wasn’t sure she liked what she saw.
“It’s hideous isn’t it?” a voice behind her said
Megan turned around to see a tall slim woman close to her own age with Slavic features.
“It is rather” Megan agreed
“I am Angelika” the woman said with the hint of an accent
“And this fellow is Paris”
Paris was a chocolate coloured Labrador
“Megan” she said and shook her hand “and this is Skipper”
“That’s a lovely name” She said
“It’s short for “Golden Skipper Delight”” Megan said and Angelika roared with laughter
“No I meant Megan is a lovely name”
“Oh I see” she said and laughed “I always thought it was rather a dull name”
“Nonsense it’s an Anglo Saxon name which means “Little Pearl”” Angelika explained
“Really? I didn’t know that” Megan responded
“I have seen you before from a distance I think” Angelika said
“That’s right” Megan said “but I haven’t been up here before, we’re new so we are still exploring”
“There is a lot to explore” Angelika agreed “perhaps we will meet again sometime on one of your explorations”
“I hope so” Megan said and then they went their separate ways
(Part 03)
Angelika Schmeltz was not, like Megan, a newcomer to Teardrop Lake she had lived in Coopers Hill Cottage, on a hill high above the Southern Perimeter road, just a stone’s throw from the Folly, for 30 years.
She was only 18 when she left her native Netherlands and moved in with her lover and she had never regretted it for a moment but death visited them five years earlier and she still hurt.
She was an elegant looking woman with striking looks and mesmeric green eyes full of sadness.
Her short strawberry blonde hair was now streaked with grey.
Like Megan, Angelika had also been left comfortable after her bereavement but unlike Megan she did grieve and still grieved.
She filled her days reading old detective fiction, watching old movies, doing jigsaw puzzles and missing Charlie.
Angelika was not made to live alone, she needed company, but nor was she a natural mixer and she didn’t form attachments easily.
Her first impression of the lady at the Folly was a favourable one and she hoped she might bump into her again.
A mutually beneficial friendship might well develop if they could find some common ground.
They were both soppy about their dogs so that was a start.
The next morning Megan went to St Mary’s Church in Shallowfield.
A strong Christian faith was the only common ground between her and her mother and they maintained a regular attendance.
She was a little nervous as she walked in, she was quite self-conscious being the newcomer, but she was made very welcome, firstly by the Ben Shenton, the vicar, and then by his wife Olivia, who took her under her wing and introduced her to some of the congregation.
During the service Megan looked around to see if the lady with the chocolate Lab was there but she couldn’t see her.
And there was a very good reason why Megan couldn’t see Angelika at St Marys because Angelika hadn’t been to Church since Charlie passed.
She was angry with God for taking the love of her life and she was very unforgiving.
It was a week after their first meeting, on a crisp frosty autumn morning, when they met again.
The sky was a brilliant blue and the leaves crunched underfoot and the air was the freshest she had ever known.
It was the dogs who spotted each other first.
Megan and Skipper had just left East Cliff Lodge and were on the road about to head down the hill,
Angelika and Paris were coming the other way the latter considerable faster than the former.
“Good morning” Megan called brightly, she was hoping to run into her again at some time.
“Morning” Angelika said breathlessly “That dog will be the death of me”
“He’s hardly panting at all” Megan pointed out and laughed
Angelika would have laughed if she’d had the breath for it she just about had enough breath to say
“Well he’s a lot younger than me”
When she had completely got her wind back she asked
“So where are you off to?”
“Nowhere special we’re still exploring” Megan replied
“We’re off to Lovers Leap” she said
“Lovers Leap?” Megan repeated “I didn’t know there was one”
“Yes it’s a rocky outcrop above the cliffs, on a day like today the view is spectacular” she enthused
“Would you mind if we tagged along?” Megan asked hopefully
“Not at all, I would appreciate the company” Angelika replied and smiled
The cliffs that Angelika mentioned were an extension of those that formed part of the northern side of Teardrop Lake and formed the natural border between the Teardrop estate and the Dancingdean Forest proper.
Lovers Leap was so called because it was where desperate and broken hearted lovers would leap to their deaths although there was no evidence that anyone actually had but it made a good story.
(Part 04)
It wasn’t a long walk from where they met but it wasn’t an easy one either.
The dogs reached the top first and then Angelika and some distance behind was Megan who was extremely out of breath.
“I thought you had decided not to come” Angelika said jovially
“You must have the constitution of a mounting goat” Megan retorted
“The legs certainly” she agreed and laughed
By the time they reached Lovers Leap Megan was panting worse than the dogs and as she walked onto the shelf that was “Lovers Leap” and took in the vista it took away what little breath she had remaining.
“Wow” she said as she looked out across the russet hues of the deciduous Dancingdean Forest stretching into the distance and they sat down on the rocky shelf.
“This is my favourite place” Angelika said “Charlie and me used to come here often”
“I can see why” Megan said
Angelika almost cried but managed to stop herself.
“It’s different every time I come here, but it’s always special”
The walk back down wasn’t much easier on the legs than the one up was.
And when they reached the road Megan said
“Gosh I’m pooped, I could do with a cup of tea”
Megan was unaccustomed to social etiquette so she just added
“Why don’t you join me?”
“I’d love to” Angelika said pleased that she appeared to have found the friend she was looking for.
Megan on the other hand hadn’t had a friend since she left school so she was particularly pleased to have found a kindred spirit.
The yomp up to Lovers Leap was the first of many walks the four of them took in the forest, all of them ending in Tea or Coffee at whoever’s home they finished up nearest to.
On the first of December they had walked up to the Tower which was at the Southwest corner of the Lake.
The Watch Tower was reputed to date back to the time of the Armada but the truth of that had been disputed and in truth nobody actually knew even Wikipedia was vague on the subject.
But when they got there Megan found it a bit disappointing, it was not dissimilar to the towers you see dotted all over the Mediterranean, not that she’d ever seen one other than in a book.
While they were there the heavens opened so they beat a hasty retreat back to Coopers Hill Cottage.
Angelica opened the door and they both kicked off their boots in the lobby and discarded their coats.
And when they went deeper inside Megan was staggered to see the difference in the place since her last visit two day earlier.
There were coloured lights, garlands and baubles everywhere.
“Goodness me” she exclaimed
“Charlie always went overboard with the decks at Christmas so I’ve kept up the tradition” she said wistfully
“Have you not put yours up yet then?”
“I don’t have any” Megan confessed “Mother didn’t like decorations”
“Well “mother” can’t spoil your fun anymore” Angelika said “So tomorrow morning I’m going to take you to Shallowfield Garden Centre, they really know how to do Christmas”
Angelika would accept no argument and picked her up in her old Mondeo Estate and drove her to the Garden Centre.
Once inside Megan was like a child in a sweetshop at the end of rationing.
She didn’t know where to look first, Angelika had to rein her in a bit at times otherwise she would have bought the whole shop.
By mid-afternoon with Angelika’s help Megan’s flat was every bit as generously decorated as Angelika’s Cottage was.
Megan was absolutely thrilled, her mother would have hated it.
She had never done Christmas to any degree, other than the religious aspect.
There were never any festivities, no decorations, no presents, not even Christmas cards and very definitely no fun.
So this new experience made her tingle all over and with Angelika she felt a real sense of family.
(Part 05)
Over the next week or so the walks were foreshortened by the weather which was not conducive to prolonged country walks, but the dogs had to be exercised so some exposure to the elements was necessary.
When there was finally a break in the weather the dogs were given a thorough walking and at the end of it the four of them where shattered.
As they were on the south side of the lake Angelika said
“Let’s go back to mine for lunch and then we can watch “It’s a Wonderful Life””
“What’s that?” Megan asked
“What’s what?” Angelika replied
“It’s a wonderful something” she said
“It’s a Wonderful Life?” Asked Angelika
“Yes?”
“It’s a Classic” Angelika said
“A Classic what?”
“Movie, James Stewart, Donna Reed, Clarence the angel?” Angelika said but Megan looked at her blankly and responded
“I’ve never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life””
“Then you my dear are in for an absolute treat” she said and put her arm through Megan’s and they pressed on to the cottage.
At the end of the film both women were in tears
“That was brilliant” Megan said dabbing at her eyes with her hankie
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen it before” Angelika stated
“I’ve never seen a film before” she said
“Not one film?” Angelika asked incredulously
“No”
“Well you’ve started with a corker” she said
“I will have to introduce you to some more films”
“Will they be as good as that one?” Megan asked
“Some of them will be even better” Angelika replied
“Then I can’t wait” she admitted
After that they spent every afternoon in either the flat or the cottage watching classic movies, and Megan loved them all.
For Angelika watching Megan experiencing Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert in “It happened one night” or James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in “Shop around the Corner” was almost as special as the movies.
One day when she was on her way home from Angelika’s, Megan had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming that she was happy or that she was just remembering the plot of book she once enjoyed, because she was enjoying her new life and her new friendship so much.
Megan had been so unhappy for so long she didn’t realise just how unhappy she was until it was over.
It was only six months since her mother Edith had passed away but it seemed like a lifetime and in those six short months she had begun to live.
She never in her wildest dreams imagined she could ever be happier than she was at that moment.
A few days after they watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” together Megan and Skipper were just leaving Angelika’s to go home and as she was planning to go to the Carol Service at St Mary’s that night so she decided to ask Angelika if she’d go with her and her response surprised her.
“No, no” Angelika said adamantly “I haven’t set foot inside a Church since Charlie passed”
“But it’s only Carols” Megan said
“No! I am still too angry with God for taking my Charlie” she said
“Well if you’re sure” Megan said brightly
“Quite sure”
“Ok then I’ll see you tomorrow” she said and left it at that, Megan didn’t want to push her too hard because she didn’t want to risk upsetting her, their friendship was too important to her than that.
And as Angelika closed the cottage door she hoped she hadn’t been too blunt with her, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Megan in anyway, but she wasn’t ready yet to forgive God.
Megan went to the Carol service alone and thoroughly enjoyed it and she went to the Sunday service a few days later but she didn’t ask Angelika on that occasion though she hadn’t given up on her, she would bide her time.
The day after it was a foggy day, one of those days when the fog clung on all day.
They took the dogs out in the morning but the freezing fog got into their bones so they cut the walk short and went back to the cottage.
Just before lunchtime Coleman Bowers knocked loudly on the door.
He was a proper old country boy in his late fifties with white receding hair and a matching wiry beard.
He worked at the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel as an odd job/handyman and part of his duties was to take his Skiff around the lake twice a week delivering the mail and small parcels.
But that day he was in a van because he was delivering Door Wreathes, Holly boughs and sprigs of Mistletoe.
The Shallowfield Lodge Hotel took advance orders for them and then Coleman delivered them on his rounds.
“I’ve already delivered your’n to the flat” he said to Megan
“Thanks Coleman” she replied
“Can you hang this sprig on that nail?” Angelika asked pointing up at the beam.
“Yes’m” he replied and adopted a broad stance before reaching up.
At which point they both kissed him beneath the mistletoe, just a peck on each cheek, but that was enough to make him turn beetroot red, and leave the cottage unceremoniously.
Both of them fell about laughing at his reaction and then Angelika held the mistletoe above Megan’s head as she adopted Coleman’s distinct stance and she kissed her, but unlike with Coleman it didn’t stop at a peck, in fact it didn’t stop at all, and the recipient didn’t run away red faced into the fog.
Sunday, 1 January 2017
Christmas Poem Selection # 25
IS SANTA CLAUS REALLY A WOMAN # 8
Is Santa Claus really a woman?
Well there’s no evidence yet
But ask yourself if a man
Would choose to wear red velvet
I DON’T LIKE THE SHORTENED FORM
I don’t like the shortened form
Of Christmas, it’s not quaint
I dislike it because Xmas sounds
Like some kind of skin complaint
FROSTY, WINDY, CLOUDY AND SQUALLY
Frosty, Windy, Cloudy and Squally,
Misty, Rainbow and Precipitous Hail
Are the met office seven dwarfs
And let’s not forget Princess Gale
EVERYONE KEPT SAYING I SHOULD DECK THE HALLS
Everyone kept saying I should Deck the Halls
There is even a Christmas song about it
So I acted when the opportunity came along
And you know Mr and Mrs Hall didn’t like it a bit
SANTA CLAUS LOVES CHRISTMAS
Santa Claus loves Christmas
It’s his favourite time by far
And that’s because he knows
Where all the naughty girls are
SANTA ASKED ABIGAIL
Santa asked as a little girl climbed onto his lap,
"And what would you like for Christmas Abigail?"
The child stared at him open mouthed with horror
And then she snapped "Didn't you get my E-mail?"
I LOVE CHRISTMAS PUDDING
I love Christmas pudding
But it doesn’t return the favour
I wish you could get Gaviscon
In brandy butter flavour
GROPIUS THE EIGHTH DWARF
Gropius the eighth dwarf
Is no longer a performer
Since all the allegations
He’s on the offenders register
IT’S ONE OF LIFE’S INEVITABILITIES
It’s one of life’s inevitabilities that there will
Definitely come a time in every family residence
A moment when the children notice that Santa
Uses the same wrapping paper as their parents
MY BOYFRIEND IS JUST LIKE SANTA CLAUS
My boyfriend is just like Santa Claus
Though he doesn’t fulfil a single wish
And he doesn’t give me presents
But he’s like Santa because he’s a myth
WHEN MY LITTLE KITTENS SETTLE DOWN
When my little kittens settle down
On Christmas Eve amidst the snores
The little kitties dream like a child
And they dream about Santa Claws
SCROOGE HATES CHRISTMAS
Scrooge hates Christmas
But loves all of the reindeer
And the simple reason for that is
To him every buck is dear
THIS YEAR’S NEW YEAR’S EVE FORECAST;
This year’s New Year’s Eve forecast;
A row with the girlfriend, acute loneliness
Followed by being mostly drunk with
A very slight chance of unconsciousness
Is Santa Claus really a woman?
Well there’s no evidence yet
But ask yourself if a man
Would choose to wear red velvet
I DON’T LIKE THE SHORTENED FORM
I don’t like the shortened form
Of Christmas, it’s not quaint
I dislike it because Xmas sounds
Like some kind of skin complaint
FROSTY, WINDY, CLOUDY AND SQUALLY
Frosty, Windy, Cloudy and Squally,
Misty, Rainbow and Precipitous Hail
Are the met office seven dwarfs
And let’s not forget Princess Gale
EVERYONE KEPT SAYING I SHOULD DECK THE HALLS
Everyone kept saying I should Deck the Halls
There is even a Christmas song about it
So I acted when the opportunity came along
And you know Mr and Mrs Hall didn’t like it a bit
SANTA CLAUS LOVES CHRISTMAS
Santa Claus loves Christmas
It’s his favourite time by far
And that’s because he knows
Where all the naughty girls are
SANTA ASKED ABIGAIL
Santa asked as a little girl climbed onto his lap,
"And what would you like for Christmas Abigail?"
The child stared at him open mouthed with horror
And then she snapped "Didn't you get my E-mail?"
I LOVE CHRISTMAS PUDDING
I love Christmas pudding
But it doesn’t return the favour
I wish you could get Gaviscon
In brandy butter flavour
GROPIUS THE EIGHTH DWARF
Gropius the eighth dwarf
Is no longer a performer
Since all the allegations
He’s on the offenders register
IT’S ONE OF LIFE’S INEVITABILITIES
It’s one of life’s inevitabilities that there will
Definitely come a time in every family residence
A moment when the children notice that Santa
Uses the same wrapping paper as their parents
MY BOYFRIEND IS JUST LIKE SANTA CLAUS
My boyfriend is just like Santa Claus
Though he doesn’t fulfil a single wish
And he doesn’t give me presents
But he’s like Santa because he’s a myth
WHEN MY LITTLE KITTENS SETTLE DOWN
When my little kittens settle down
On Christmas Eve amidst the snores
The little kitties dream like a child
And they dream about Santa Claws
SCROOGE HATES CHRISTMAS
Scrooge hates Christmas
But loves all of the reindeer
And the simple reason for that is
To him every buck is dear
THIS YEAR’S NEW YEAR’S EVE FORECAST;
This year’s New Year’s Eve forecast;
A row with the girlfriend, acute loneliness
Followed by being mostly drunk with
A very slight chance of unconsciousness
Christmas Movie Reviews # 12
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS
Firefighter Zachary Stone (Brandon Routh) is happy with the single life, no strings, no commitments and no settling down.
He has a succession of stunningly beautiful girlfriends, the latest one being model Blair (Chelsea Hobbs) but after he adopts a stray cat called Ambrose or more precisely the cat adopts Zachary, he meets veterinarian student Marilee White (Kimberly Sustad) in the pet food aisle at the supermarket and he begins to question if the single life is as fulfilling as he thought it was.
Marilee has also sworn off serious commitment or in fact dating in general until she finishes her final year of study but she is nonetheless drawn to the good looking firefighter.
They meet several times and the attraction grows until Blair gets Marilee fired from her dad’s pet store which leads to Zachary dumping her and going off in search of Marilee to apologize.
When he finally runs into her she gets evicted from her apartment for a breach of the tenancy agreement, namely having a cat.
So needing a place to stay he offers her his spare room and then the sexual tension builds between them.
But the question is will either of them break their vows against commitment in lieu of the love that is growing between them.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE PERFECT HOLIDAY
“The Perfect Holiday” is a fun-filled comedy full of laughter, love and just a hint of magic for Christmas.
A little girl, Emily (Khail Bryant) overhears her mother Nancy (Gabrielle Union) tell her friends that she would be happy if a man was to just pay her a compliment.
So when she goes to see the Mall Santa, Benjamin (Morris Chestnut), she asks Santa to make her mum’s wish come true.
Benjamin decides that he would make the wish come true and in the process he falls in love with Nancy with the help of an Angel, Mrs Christmas (Queen Latifah) and in spite of the efforts of her counterpart Bah Humbug (Terrence Howard).
Charlie Murphy, Katt Williams and Faizon Love also star in this, delightful family treat for the whole family to enjoy.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STORY
The film follows a young chorister from a small Appalachian mountain town, Grace Gibson (Desiree Ross) and her family as she pursues her dream of becoming a country music star.
She is ably supported along the way by her parents (Megyn Price and Brian McKnight), her teacher and mentor (Ross McCall) and grandmother (Mary Kay Place).
The pinnacle of the film is a country and western talent show hosted by Dolly Parton in which she is up against Jamie Warner (Dillon James) and the excellent Mary Lou Memphis (Camille Sanders).
This is an enjoyably sweet tale with the subtle morality messages which you would expect in a film aimed at young teens but it has very little reference to Christmas although the final scene showing the family sitting down to Christmas dinner accompanied by Desiree Ross’s rendition of Silent Night is quite beautifully done and its worth watching the film just for that.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
With the threat of foreclosure hanging over her father's candy store, Wendy Carroll (Ashley Williams) and her six-year-old daughter Grace (Kylie Price) travel to the big city in hopes of making extra holiday cash to save the store.
They stay with hometown friend Angie (Shanola Hampton) who works at Wolman’s Department store and Wendy manages to get a job in the toy department.
The job brings her into contact with the nephew of the store owner Tom Wolman (Jon Prescott) which prompts an instant mutual attraction, which brings her into direct conflict with Teanna Musk (Ashanti) the board appointed Grinch of a store manager.
On the surface Teanna seems hell bent on destroying the Christmas spirit throughout the store, even sacking Santa, but she has an ulterior motif.
With Wendy losing faith in Christmas she reaches out to the old man who was the store Santa only to discover he was the real deal and then she realises she must bring the true meaning of Christmas back to Wolman’s before it is too late and get her man into the bargain.
One of the films highlights is a nicely performed rendition of "The First Noel" by Wendy and Tom.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE MAGIC CRYSTAL
This is the delightful animated tale of a young orphan boy Yotan (Kyle E. Christensen) who is tricked into going to the North Pole to steal a powerful crystal by Santa’s Brother Basil (Gerald Owens).
But as soon he realises he has delivered it into the wrong hands, he sets out to return it to safety before it's too late and Christmas is lost forever.
Security Elf’s Jaga and Didi (Clarissa Humm & Cj Fam) don’t think Yotan is up to the task but Santa (Joe Carey) holds a different view.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS SWITCH
Eddie Bennett (Brian Krause) is a fast-talking, Three-card Monte dealer who has hustled the streets of New York City for the last 15 years and along with his friends, he has mastered every scam there is.
But one day in early December he is visited by a mysterious burly looking man called Nick (George Buza) who offers him an unusual proposition where he will give Eddie the opportunity to achieve eternal redemption for all the bad deeds he has done in his life and in return he must transfer his spirit into a different body for three weeks.
The body belongs to an aging, ailing Santa Claus, Sam Wells (Cedric Smith), who can use Eddie's body to play Santa for one more Christmas before he dies.
Eddie thinks the man is crazy and has no interest in redemption but if he were to go through with the deal, he'd want a million dollars in cash.
The mysterious Nick snaps his fingers and a million dollars appears before an amazed Eddie and so the deal is done.
Complications arise when Eddie's friends find out about the million dollar pay off and want part of the action and when Eddie meets Sam's daughter, Susan (Natasha Henstridge) he finds himself falling in love with her and also finds the real meaning of Christmas along the way.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE ELF THAT RESCUED CHRISTMAS
This is the delightful animated tale of a young orphan boy Yotan (Kyle E. Christensen) who is tricked into going to the North Pole to steal a powerful crystal by Santa’s Brother Basil (Gerald Owens).
But as soon he realises he has delivered it into the wrong hands, he sets out to return it to safety before it's too late and Christmas is lost forever.
Security Elf’s Jaga and Didi (Clarissa Humm & Cj Fam) don’t think Yotan is up to the task but Santa (Joe Carey) holds a different view.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHON TOOMEY
This is a story of the coming together of sad and lonely people in a gentle, moving and heart-warming way.
Jonathan Toomey (Tom Berenger) is a lonely ill-tempered and reclusive woodcarver who lives in a cabin in the woods.
He is lonely because he has lost his wife and child and he is ill-tempered because he is angry about his loss.
Thomas McDowell (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) is sad because he lost his father in the war.
When he moves to the country with his mother and he suffers further heart break when, on the journey, he loses the treasured wooden nativity set that held a special meaning for him and his dead father,
So his worried mother, Susan (Joely Richardson), persuades the curmudgeonly woodcarver to create a replacement set, and to allow her son to watch him work on it.
A curious relationship then develops during the commission as the young boy makes greater and more difficult demands of the woodcarver's ability, and as Christmas approaches, the three of them struggle to come to terms with each other and their painful memories of the past.
A lovely and very enjoyable, film beautifully shot with idyllic chocolate box scenes of the country.
There is also a strong supporting cast and even a small part for the always excellent Saoirse Ronan who never disappoints.
All in all a very good watch.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS SHEPHERD
The Christmas Shepherd is the delightful story about Sally Brown (Teri Polo) who is a published children's book author and the widow of a veteran.
After her husband Dylan died she was left with his German Shepherd "Buddy" who became her constant companion and muse.
But after a severe storm, Buddy, who is afraid of thunder, runs away and after a number of human interventions ends up with widower, Mark Green (Martin Cummins) and his daughter Emma (Jordyn Ashley Olson) and Buddy becomes the bridge that bring the two lonely people together.
A lovely film of which Buddy is the real star.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS SONG
When a boys schools merges with a girls school they are left with two music programs and two music teachers, Diana (Natasha Henstridge) and Ken (Gabriel Hogan) which is unsustainable.
One of the programs would eventually have to go which is why Principal Gedler (Brigitte Robinson) suggests they enter duos in a televised singing competition to decide who is most worthy to stay.
But despite the fact they were in direct competition Romance blossoms between the two music teachers as they also compete for the same job.
A very enjoyable holiday offering, especially the scene when the Principal has a Christmas Dinner rehearsal.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – IRA FINKELSTEIN'S CHRISTMAS
Ira J. Finkelstein (Elijah Nelson) is a Christmas obsessed Jewish boy.
He's seen every Christmas movie ever made and his dreams are filled with reindeer, sleigh rides and of course, snow.
The problem is, apart from the fact that Ira is Jewish is that at 11 years of age he feels that Christmas is passing him by and When Ira's hopes for a holiday vacation in Aspen are dashed, he hatches a plan to finally get the Christmas of his dreams.
When flying unaccompanied to visit his grandparents in sunny Florida, he swaps tickets with Mikey Amato (Justin Thomas Howell), another 11-year-old also flying unaccompanied on his way to Christmastown, WA.
But they not only trade airline tickets but places as well and Ira gets more than he bargained for when he experiences his first "White Christmas".
Elliott Gould and David DeLuise also star in this pleasant Christmas caper.
Firefighter Zachary Stone (Brandon Routh) is happy with the single life, no strings, no commitments and no settling down.
He has a succession of stunningly beautiful girlfriends, the latest one being model Blair (Chelsea Hobbs) but after he adopts a stray cat called Ambrose or more precisely the cat adopts Zachary, he meets veterinarian student Marilee White (Kimberly Sustad) in the pet food aisle at the supermarket and he begins to question if the single life is as fulfilling as he thought it was.
Marilee has also sworn off serious commitment or in fact dating in general until she finishes her final year of study but she is nonetheless drawn to the good looking firefighter.
They meet several times and the attraction grows until Blair gets Marilee fired from her dad’s pet store which leads to Zachary dumping her and going off in search of Marilee to apologize.
When he finally runs into her she gets evicted from her apartment for a breach of the tenancy agreement, namely having a cat.
So needing a place to stay he offers her his spare room and then the sexual tension builds between them.
But the question is will either of them break their vows against commitment in lieu of the love that is growing between them.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE PERFECT HOLIDAY
“The Perfect Holiday” is a fun-filled comedy full of laughter, love and just a hint of magic for Christmas.
A little girl, Emily (Khail Bryant) overhears her mother Nancy (Gabrielle Union) tell her friends that she would be happy if a man was to just pay her a compliment.
So when she goes to see the Mall Santa, Benjamin (Morris Chestnut), she asks Santa to make her mum’s wish come true.
Benjamin decides that he would make the wish come true and in the process he falls in love with Nancy with the help of an Angel, Mrs Christmas (Queen Latifah) and in spite of the efforts of her counterpart Bah Humbug (Terrence Howard).
Charlie Murphy, Katt Williams and Faizon Love also star in this, delightful family treat for the whole family to enjoy.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STORY
The film follows a young chorister from a small Appalachian mountain town, Grace Gibson (Desiree Ross) and her family as she pursues her dream of becoming a country music star.
She is ably supported along the way by her parents (Megyn Price and Brian McKnight), her teacher and mentor (Ross McCall) and grandmother (Mary Kay Place).
The pinnacle of the film is a country and western talent show hosted by Dolly Parton in which she is up against Jamie Warner (Dillon James) and the excellent Mary Lou Memphis (Camille Sanders).
This is an enjoyably sweet tale with the subtle morality messages which you would expect in a film aimed at young teens but it has very little reference to Christmas although the final scene showing the family sitting down to Christmas dinner accompanied by Desiree Ross’s rendition of Silent Night is quite beautifully done and its worth watching the film just for that.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
With the threat of foreclosure hanging over her father's candy store, Wendy Carroll (Ashley Williams) and her six-year-old daughter Grace (Kylie Price) travel to the big city in hopes of making extra holiday cash to save the store.
They stay with hometown friend Angie (Shanola Hampton) who works at Wolman’s Department store and Wendy manages to get a job in the toy department.
The job brings her into contact with the nephew of the store owner Tom Wolman (Jon Prescott) which prompts an instant mutual attraction, which brings her into direct conflict with Teanna Musk (Ashanti) the board appointed Grinch of a store manager.
On the surface Teanna seems hell bent on destroying the Christmas spirit throughout the store, even sacking Santa, but she has an ulterior motif.
With Wendy losing faith in Christmas she reaches out to the old man who was the store Santa only to discover he was the real deal and then she realises she must bring the true meaning of Christmas back to Wolman’s before it is too late and get her man into the bargain.
One of the films highlights is a nicely performed rendition of "The First Noel" by Wendy and Tom.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE MAGIC CRYSTAL
This is the delightful animated tale of a young orphan boy Yotan (Kyle E. Christensen) who is tricked into going to the North Pole to steal a powerful crystal by Santa’s Brother Basil (Gerald Owens).
But as soon he realises he has delivered it into the wrong hands, he sets out to return it to safety before it's too late and Christmas is lost forever.
Security Elf’s Jaga and Didi (Clarissa Humm & Cj Fam) don’t think Yotan is up to the task but Santa (Joe Carey) holds a different view.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS SWITCH
Eddie Bennett (Brian Krause) is a fast-talking, Three-card Monte dealer who has hustled the streets of New York City for the last 15 years and along with his friends, he has mastered every scam there is.
But one day in early December he is visited by a mysterious burly looking man called Nick (George Buza) who offers him an unusual proposition where he will give Eddie the opportunity to achieve eternal redemption for all the bad deeds he has done in his life and in return he must transfer his spirit into a different body for three weeks.
The body belongs to an aging, ailing Santa Claus, Sam Wells (Cedric Smith), who can use Eddie's body to play Santa for one more Christmas before he dies.
Eddie thinks the man is crazy and has no interest in redemption but if he were to go through with the deal, he'd want a million dollars in cash.
The mysterious Nick snaps his fingers and a million dollars appears before an amazed Eddie and so the deal is done.
Complications arise when Eddie's friends find out about the million dollar pay off and want part of the action and when Eddie meets Sam's daughter, Susan (Natasha Henstridge) he finds himself falling in love with her and also finds the real meaning of Christmas along the way.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE ELF THAT RESCUED CHRISTMAS
This is the delightful animated tale of a young orphan boy Yotan (Kyle E. Christensen) who is tricked into going to the North Pole to steal a powerful crystal by Santa’s Brother Basil (Gerald Owens).
But as soon he realises he has delivered it into the wrong hands, he sets out to return it to safety before it's too late and Christmas is lost forever.
Security Elf’s Jaga and Didi (Clarissa Humm & Cj Fam) don’t think Yotan is up to the task but Santa (Joe Carey) holds a different view.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHON TOOMEY
This is a story of the coming together of sad and lonely people in a gentle, moving and heart-warming way.
Jonathan Toomey (Tom Berenger) is a lonely ill-tempered and reclusive woodcarver who lives in a cabin in the woods.
He is lonely because he has lost his wife and child and he is ill-tempered because he is angry about his loss.
Thomas McDowell (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) is sad because he lost his father in the war.
When he moves to the country with his mother and he suffers further heart break when, on the journey, he loses the treasured wooden nativity set that held a special meaning for him and his dead father,
So his worried mother, Susan (Joely Richardson), persuades the curmudgeonly woodcarver to create a replacement set, and to allow her son to watch him work on it.
A curious relationship then develops during the commission as the young boy makes greater and more difficult demands of the woodcarver's ability, and as Christmas approaches, the three of them struggle to come to terms with each other and their painful memories of the past.
A lovely and very enjoyable, film beautifully shot with idyllic chocolate box scenes of the country.
There is also a strong supporting cast and even a small part for the always excellent Saoirse Ronan who never disappoints.
All in all a very good watch.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS SHEPHERD
The Christmas Shepherd is the delightful story about Sally Brown (Teri Polo) who is a published children's book author and the widow of a veteran.
After her husband Dylan died she was left with his German Shepherd "Buddy" who became her constant companion and muse.
But after a severe storm, Buddy, who is afraid of thunder, runs away and after a number of human interventions ends up with widower, Mark Green (Martin Cummins) and his daughter Emma (Jordyn Ashley Olson) and Buddy becomes the bridge that bring the two lonely people together.
A lovely film of which Buddy is the real star.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS SONG
When a boys schools merges with a girls school they are left with two music programs and two music teachers, Diana (Natasha Henstridge) and Ken (Gabriel Hogan) which is unsustainable.
One of the programs would eventually have to go which is why Principal Gedler (Brigitte Robinson) suggests they enter duos in a televised singing competition to decide who is most worthy to stay.
But despite the fact they were in direct competition Romance blossoms between the two music teachers as they also compete for the same job.
A very enjoyable holiday offering, especially the scene when the Principal has a Christmas Dinner rehearsal.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – IRA FINKELSTEIN'S CHRISTMAS
Ira J. Finkelstein (Elijah Nelson) is a Christmas obsessed Jewish boy.
He's seen every Christmas movie ever made and his dreams are filled with reindeer, sleigh rides and of course, snow.
The problem is, apart from the fact that Ira is Jewish is that at 11 years of age he feels that Christmas is passing him by and When Ira's hopes for a holiday vacation in Aspen are dashed, he hatches a plan to finally get the Christmas of his dreams.
When flying unaccompanied to visit his grandparents in sunny Florida, he swaps tickets with Mikey Amato (Justin Thomas Howell), another 11-year-old also flying unaccompanied on his way to Christmastown, WA.
But they not only trade airline tickets but places as well and Ira gets more than he bargained for when he experiences his first "White Christmas".
Elliott Gould and David DeLuise also star in this pleasant Christmas caper.
Christmas Poem Selection # 24
IS SANTA CLAUS REALLY A WOMAN # 7
Is Santa Claus really a woman?
Well surely it’s self-evident
It takes a great deal of effort
To achieve the necessary merriment
And no man is capable
Of that level of commitment
NO FRANKINCENSE, GOLD OR MYRRH
Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar
Travelled long with Gifts to bring
Not frankincense, Gold or myrrh
Or other valuable precious things
But non glutinous food stuffs
As they were Wheat Free Kings
A BLONDE GIFT
Bimbette got a new scarf for Christmas
But in the New Year she exchanged it
The store took it back without a quibble
Even though she said it was too tight a fit
DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
During the Christmas holiday
From coast to coast
What do you call a stuffed animal?
We call it a turkey roast
I AM A MAN OF SIMPLE TASTES
I am a man of simple tastes
But obviously there’s a twist
So all I want for Christmas
Is Santa’s naughty girl list
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
All I want for Christmas is you
Let me make this perfectly clear
All I want for Christmas is you
To be trampled by a herd of reindeer
ARE YOU WEARING XMAS STOCKINGS?
Are you wearing Xmas stockings?
With a holly wreath motif
Along those long festive garlands
How I wish to trace each leaf
Along each luscious limber leg
An ascent exquisitely brief
To reach the Christmas gift
Beyond the holly wreath motif
SANTA ANA AND HIS REINDEER
"Now Vortex! Now Bluster!
Now, Twister and Mizzle!
On, Cyclone! On, Humid!
On, Monsoon and Drizzle!
From their HQ in Exeter!
To the Met office ball!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"
DON’T LOOK BACKWARDS, MERELY
Don’t look backwards, merely
Half-heartedly and insincerely
Remember those Christmas’s clearly
And remember the people dearly
DOWN AT THE SHOPPING MALL
Down at the shopping mall
There’s a lot of bustle and fuss
As the registers ring its beginning
To cost a lot like Christmas
THEY SAY THAT IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS
They say that it’s the thought that counts
Rather than the size of the gift
But if you decided to give everyone your
Opinion in lieu they might be miffed
WE LOST THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
We lost the true meaning of Christmas
Almost from the start
It’s become about what’s in your pocket
And not what's in your heart
WE WOKE UP EARLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY
We woke up early on Christmas day
And she reached for her negligee
While I checked the children’s room
And finding them asleep in the gloom
I held her in the first light of dawn
And we made love on Christmas morn
I FOUND HER SITTING IN MY STUDY
I found her sitting in my study
And she was completely in the nuddy
So given the delicate situation
I exploited her infatuation
And as the church bells rang
We started Christmas with a bang
A RED RIBBON TIED IN YOUR HAIR
A red ribbon tied in your hair
You’re a lovely Christmas miss
Come under the mistletoe
And let me steal a Christmas kiss
Is Santa Claus really a woman?
Well surely it’s self-evident
It takes a great deal of effort
To achieve the necessary merriment
And no man is capable
Of that level of commitment
NO FRANKINCENSE, GOLD OR MYRRH
Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar
Travelled long with Gifts to bring
Not frankincense, Gold or myrrh
Or other valuable precious things
But non glutinous food stuffs
As they were Wheat Free Kings
A BLONDE GIFT
Bimbette got a new scarf for Christmas
But in the New Year she exchanged it
The store took it back without a quibble
Even though she said it was too tight a fit
DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
During the Christmas holiday
From coast to coast
What do you call a stuffed animal?
We call it a turkey roast
I AM A MAN OF SIMPLE TASTES
I am a man of simple tastes
But obviously there’s a twist
So all I want for Christmas
Is Santa’s naughty girl list
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
All I want for Christmas is you
Let me make this perfectly clear
All I want for Christmas is you
To be trampled by a herd of reindeer
ARE YOU WEARING XMAS STOCKINGS?
Are you wearing Xmas stockings?
With a holly wreath motif
Along those long festive garlands
How I wish to trace each leaf
Along each luscious limber leg
An ascent exquisitely brief
To reach the Christmas gift
Beyond the holly wreath motif
SANTA ANA AND HIS REINDEER
"Now Vortex! Now Bluster!
Now, Twister and Mizzle!
On, Cyclone! On, Humid!
On, Monsoon and Drizzle!
From their HQ in Exeter!
To the Met office ball!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"
DON’T LOOK BACKWARDS, MERELY
Don’t look backwards, merely
Half-heartedly and insincerely
Remember those Christmas’s clearly
And remember the people dearly
DOWN AT THE SHOPPING MALL
Down at the shopping mall
There’s a lot of bustle and fuss
As the registers ring its beginning
To cost a lot like Christmas
THEY SAY THAT IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS
They say that it’s the thought that counts
Rather than the size of the gift
But if you decided to give everyone your
Opinion in lieu they might be miffed
WE LOST THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
We lost the true meaning of Christmas
Almost from the start
It’s become about what’s in your pocket
And not what's in your heart
WE WOKE UP EARLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY
We woke up early on Christmas day
And she reached for her negligee
While I checked the children’s room
And finding them asleep in the gloom
I held her in the first light of dawn
And we made love on Christmas morn
I FOUND HER SITTING IN MY STUDY
I found her sitting in my study
And she was completely in the nuddy
So given the delicate situation
I exploited her infatuation
And as the church bells rang
We started Christmas with a bang
A RED RIBBON TIED IN YOUR HAIR
A red ribbon tied in your hair
You’re a lovely Christmas miss
Come under the mistletoe
And let me steal a Christmas kiss
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