What’s left can be cut up and used for a stew and that should see us through half the week’.
She looked at her family, each of them, smiling. ‘It don’t take much to make you lot happy, does it? Well I think you're a grand lot and I wouldn't swap my kids for anything. Mind you, don’t let it go to you heads because I can still give a good crack when it’s needed, and don’t you forget it’.
Withholding the laugh, which threatened to choke her, Maggie turned to Thomas and added, ‘that’s if I can manage to land one any more’. Everyone laughed.
Harry said, ‘I believe you Mam. I still have a red mark on my ‘backside’ from last night. They were all in good spirits and enjoying Ellie's visit.
The three boys had their breakfast then went to work on the washing of the ‘pots’. They wouldn’t hear of their sister doing any of the clearing up, saying, ‘ you do enough at the big house and you don’t want to do it on you day off, an all’.
She listened to their talk as they washed the dishes and smiled to herself as they discussed school.
Harry was saying how much he liked his new class teacher and he couldn’t wait for tomorrow because they were going to look for different leaves and wild flowers, around the playing field, and the one who found the most would get a prize.
‘What’s the prize going to be then Harry? A sticky bun?’ said Thomas, laughing at his young brother.
‘No, Silly. I don’t know what it’s going to be but it’s sure to be something good’, said Harry, he also wondering what the prize would be.
Sam’s face was straight, as he murmured , ‘I hate school. I never want to go there again’.
Thomas asked him why. ‘ You always liked it before’, he said.
O bviously, feeling sorry for himself, Sam said, ‘it’s Willy Dixon, he’s always bossing me around and thumping me and I’m fed up with him’.
He then went on to tell them what Ma Bagnall had told him about bullies. ‘She said I should pray for him an ask God to forgive him then he would be nicer to me’.
Thomas had his own ideas and with his fists up in the air, like a street fighter, he said, ‘I’d smash him in the mouth and then ask God to forgive me later’.
Ellie tried not to laugh as she didn’t want Thomas to get into trouble with Mother, but she knew that Maggie, unlike herself, had not listened to a word of what was said.
When they had finished, the boys went off to play and Ellie and her mother spent a pleasant hour catching up with each other’s news.
About twelve o’clock, Aunt Dora came barging into the house. ‘Eh!! Maggie, I’ve had such a ‘do’ with Albert. I didn’t think I was going to make it today’. When she saw Ellie sitting there, she said, ‘hello Ellie love, are you alright?’
Without waiting for Ellie’s reply, she went on breathlessly, ‘he’s a daft devil, is Albert. Went out to rake up the leaves out back and fell over the blooming cat, didn’t he?’
‘And did he hurt himself then?’ Maggie tried to show concern.
‘He’s only gone and broke his wrist hasn’t he. Fancy, not seeing the cat. It’s not as though she’s a little cat. She’s the biggest cat I’ve ever seen. Well, what do you think then, eh!! Breaking his wrist?’
Maggie thought, should have broke his bloody neck, the old Sod . But what she actually said was, ‘it could have been worse Dora, he could have broken his neck?’
Maggie had an appropriate expression on her face as she turned it towards her sister. She did not, for one moment, imagine that Dora was taken in by her feigned concern. Dora knew that Maggie despised Albert. And she knew why.
‘Anyway he’s got it fixed now and he’s in bed for the rest of the day so I’ve no rush to get back’.
‘How’s the cat?’
As Maggie said this, she gave a sideways glance at Ellie, who was doing her utmost not to smile. ‘Well, I mean, did Albert fall onto the cat,
She looked at her family, each of them, smiling. ‘It don’t take much to make you lot happy, does it? Well I think you're a grand lot and I wouldn't swap my kids for anything. Mind you, don’t let it go to you heads because I can still give a good crack when it’s needed, and don’t you forget it’.
Withholding the laugh, which threatened to choke her, Maggie turned to Thomas and added, ‘that’s if I can manage to land one any more’. Everyone laughed.
Harry said, ‘I believe you Mam. I still have a red mark on my ‘backside’ from last night. They were all in good spirits and enjoying Ellie's visit.
The three boys had their breakfast then went to work on the washing of the ‘pots’. They wouldn’t hear of their sister doing any of the clearing up, saying, ‘ you do enough at the big house and you don’t want to do it on you day off, an all’.
She listened to their talk as they washed the dishes and smiled to herself as they discussed school.
Harry was saying how much he liked his new class teacher and he couldn’t wait for tomorrow because they were going to look for different leaves and wild flowers, around the playing field, and the one who found the most would get a prize.
‘What’s the prize going to be then Harry? A sticky bun?’ said Thomas, laughing at his young brother.
‘No, Silly. I don’t know what it’s going to be but it’s sure to be something good’, said Harry, he also wondering what the prize would be.
Sam’s face was straight, as he murmured , ‘I hate school. I never want to go there again’.
Thomas asked him why. ‘ You always liked it before’, he said.
O bviously, feeling sorry for himself, Sam said, ‘it’s Willy Dixon, he’s always bossing me around and thumping me and I’m fed up with him’.
He then went on to tell them what Ma Bagnall had told him about bullies. ‘She said I should pray for him an ask God to forgive him then he would be nicer to me’.
Thomas had his own ideas and with his fists up in the air, like a street fighter, he said, ‘I’d smash him in the mouth and then ask God to forgive me later’.
Ellie tried not to laugh as she didn’t want Thomas to get into trouble with Mother, but she knew that Maggie, unlike herself, had not listened to a word of what was said.
When they had finished, the boys went off to play and Ellie and her mother spent a pleasant hour catching up with each other’s news.
About twelve o’clock, Aunt Dora came barging into the house. ‘Eh!! Maggie, I’ve had such a ‘do’ with Albert. I didn’t think I was going to make it today’. When she saw Ellie sitting there, she said, ‘hello Ellie love, are you alright?’
Without waiting for Ellie’s reply, she went on breathlessly, ‘he’s a daft devil, is Albert. Went out to rake up the leaves out back and fell over the blooming cat, didn’t he?’
‘And did he hurt himself then?’ Maggie tried to show concern.
‘He’s only gone and broke his wrist hasn’t he. Fancy, not seeing the cat. It’s not as though she’s a little cat. She’s the biggest cat I’ve ever seen. Well, what do you think then, eh!! Breaking his wrist?’
Maggie thought, should have broke his bloody neck, the old Sod . But what she actually said was, ‘it could have been worse Dora, he could have broken his neck?’
Maggie had an appropriate expression on her face as she turned it towards her sister. She did not, for one moment, imagine that Dora was taken in by her feigned concern. Dora knew that Maggie despised Albert. And she knew why.
‘Anyway he’s got it fixed now and he’s in bed for the rest of the day so I’ve no rush to get back’.
‘How’s the cat?’
As Maggie said this, she gave a sideways glance at Ellie, who was doing her utmost not to smile. ‘Well, I mean, did Albert fall onto the cat,
Similar Books
