streusel topping on it.
‘Where’s Angus?’ Garth asked his wife.
‘I never invited him. He’s in here for dinner every day as it is.’
‘I already met Angus,’ Mary said, glad of the change of direction. ‘We had a chat the other day.’
‘More tea?’ Gloria said. ‘Gay, put the kettle on again, there’s a love.’
Gayleen did as she was asked and sat down again, fixing her gaze on Mary, who she now realised was a much more interesting person than she’d imagined.
The rain was lashing outside, but the room was warm, the windows fogging with condensation.
Garth moved restlessly. ‘If it wasn’t so wet out there I’d take you to see the vegie garden,’ he told Mary. ‘See what you want.’
‘That’s very kind of you, but isn’t it your vegie garden?’
‘We’ve got an arrangement: I grow vegies for the boss, I can garden in work time. Same with the eggs. And the milk. Suits us both.’ His little dark eyes were alight with happiness. ‘Course, with the Missus away they didn’t want any of my vegies, so we got to eat the lot.’ He patted his flat belly.
‘Oh, dear,’ Mary said. ‘I’m afraid those days are over. I shall be making huge demands on your garden. What have you got?’
‘Carrots, celery, onions, silverbeet, cabbage, broccoli and sprouts. Salad greens. Plenty of pumpkins still from summer, and apples and pears. Heaps of pears, love?’ he said to Gloria.
She nodded. ‘They better be eaten up pronto. They go off soon’s you turn your back.’
Garth went on with his catalogue. ‘And there’s still walnuts. Rhubarb. The Missus grows her own herbs and things. Asparagus, strawberries and raspberries, in the spring. There’s fruit trees over there, too.’
The kettle boiled with a shriek, and Gloria motioned to Gayleen to refill the teapot and offer more tea around the table.
Mary turned to Cec. ‘I hear you know a lot about the local wildflowers, Cec?’
He lowered his head modestly. ‘It’s a bit of a hobby of mine.’
‘Is there a reserve near here where they grow?’
‘Just up the road a bit. Nothing on Downe. Too well cleared. You go north a way, there’s a bit of a wetland, too. Plenty of sundews and pitcher plants. It’s not far.’
‘Sorry,’ Mary said, ‘but I’ve got no idea where the road is.’
For a moment there was silence.
‘Of course, you flew down!’ Janet said. ‘So you haven’t got your car here?’
‘Tell you what,’ Garth said. ‘The kids have all got bikes, and while they’re crook they’re not using them. Can you ride a bike?’
‘I used to be able to. Don’t they say it’s something you never forget?’
Garth was pleased with himself for thinking of this. ‘When it stops raining we’ll go and get you sorted.’
There was general laughter, and Mary decided it would be a good moment to bring up her next question. She turned to Gloria. ‘Now, Gloria: shopping. I believe that if I phone an order to the Co-op, you’ll bring it home in the bus. Is that right?’
‘Sure.’
‘The trouble is, I have no idea what the Co-op carries. Do they have meat — chicken or pork, for instance? I don’t want to sound like a total dimwit when I phone them.’
‘You want a chook?’ Garth said. ‘I’m going to be chopping a few CFA hens tomorrow. Tough but tasty.’
‘CFA? What’s that?’
Garth grinned at her. ‘Cast for age. That’s what we call ewes that are too old for anything but cat food.’
Mary considered the offer. It must have been Garth who had dealt with the carcass that had been hanging in the meat room; when she’d come back from one of her walks, she’d found fresh meat stacked in the fridge. Had that sheep been CFA? She imagined a pot of rich chicken stock, the flesh, if it was too tough, minced and made into croquettes. ‘Yes, an old boiler would be excellent. Even two, if they’re going.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘To answer your original question, before I was so rudely interrupted’
‘Where’s Angus?’ Garth asked his wife.
‘I never invited him. He’s in here for dinner every day as it is.’
‘I already met Angus,’ Mary said, glad of the change of direction. ‘We had a chat the other day.’
‘More tea?’ Gloria said. ‘Gay, put the kettle on again, there’s a love.’
Gayleen did as she was asked and sat down again, fixing her gaze on Mary, who she now realised was a much more interesting person than she’d imagined.
The rain was lashing outside, but the room was warm, the windows fogging with condensation.
Garth moved restlessly. ‘If it wasn’t so wet out there I’d take you to see the vegie garden,’ he told Mary. ‘See what you want.’
‘That’s very kind of you, but isn’t it your vegie garden?’
‘We’ve got an arrangement: I grow vegies for the boss, I can garden in work time. Same with the eggs. And the milk. Suits us both.’ His little dark eyes were alight with happiness. ‘Course, with the Missus away they didn’t want any of my vegies, so we got to eat the lot.’ He patted his flat belly.
‘Oh, dear,’ Mary said. ‘I’m afraid those days are over. I shall be making huge demands on your garden. What have you got?’
‘Carrots, celery, onions, silverbeet, cabbage, broccoli and sprouts. Salad greens. Plenty of pumpkins still from summer, and apples and pears. Heaps of pears, love?’ he said to Gloria.
She nodded. ‘They better be eaten up pronto. They go off soon’s you turn your back.’
Garth went on with his catalogue. ‘And there’s still walnuts. Rhubarb. The Missus grows her own herbs and things. Asparagus, strawberries and raspberries, in the spring. There’s fruit trees over there, too.’
The kettle boiled with a shriek, and Gloria motioned to Gayleen to refill the teapot and offer more tea around the table.
Mary turned to Cec. ‘I hear you know a lot about the local wildflowers, Cec?’
He lowered his head modestly. ‘It’s a bit of a hobby of mine.’
‘Is there a reserve near here where they grow?’
‘Just up the road a bit. Nothing on Downe. Too well cleared. You go north a way, there’s a bit of a wetland, too. Plenty of sundews and pitcher plants. It’s not far.’
‘Sorry,’ Mary said, ‘but I’ve got no idea where the road is.’
For a moment there was silence.
‘Of course, you flew down!’ Janet said. ‘So you haven’t got your car here?’
‘Tell you what,’ Garth said. ‘The kids have all got bikes, and while they’re crook they’re not using them. Can you ride a bike?’
‘I used to be able to. Don’t they say it’s something you never forget?’
Garth was pleased with himself for thinking of this. ‘When it stops raining we’ll go and get you sorted.’
There was general laughter, and Mary decided it would be a good moment to bring up her next question. She turned to Gloria. ‘Now, Gloria: shopping. I believe that if I phone an order to the Co-op, you’ll bring it home in the bus. Is that right?’
‘Sure.’
‘The trouble is, I have no idea what the Co-op carries. Do they have meat — chicken or pork, for instance? I don’t want to sound like a total dimwit when I phone them.’
‘You want a chook?’ Garth said. ‘I’m going to be chopping a few CFA hens tomorrow. Tough but tasty.’
‘CFA? What’s that?’
Garth grinned at her. ‘Cast for age. That’s what we call ewes that are too old for anything but cat food.’
Mary considered the offer. It must have been Garth who had dealt with the carcass that had been hanging in the meat room; when she’d come back from one of her walks, she’d found fresh meat stacked in the fridge. Had that sheep been CFA? She imagined a pot of rich chicken stock, the flesh, if it was too tough, minced and made into croquettes. ‘Yes, an old boiler would be excellent. Even two, if they’re going.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘To answer your original question, before I was so rudely interrupted’
Similar Books
