They didn’t go mad like they had with the cherries, but collected several large bags. They stored some for use over the next few months, ensuring only perfect ones were kept, as any blemishes or bruises would cause them to rot and spoil the others. These ones were wrapped in newspaper or straw and placed in boxes in the cellar. The remainder were preserved for future use: half were made into purees and bottled and the rest they cored, sliced and dried in a low oven, which was a long and laborious process. Now that the weather had turned cooler it wasn’t practicable to dry them on the racks as they had with the cherries. Back at the farm the whole household there was also busy with their own orchard as fruit became ready.
Megan helped with the fruit preparation but had to take regular breaks when her arm became painful. Having been inactive due to her injuries, by mid-September she had put on several pounds and was getting back to a more normal weight for her age and size. One day, they were all in the kitchen working when Jane asked Megan to do something for her.
‘Okay, Mum,’ she replied. Jane and Jamie looked at each other.
Megan caught the look and said ‘What?’
‘You called me Mum, honey.’
‘I know I did. Do you mind?’
Jane was moved and looked at her lovingly. ‘Oh, Megan, of course I don’t mind, if you’re happy calling me that. I’m touched that you think of me that way and it’s lovely. Jamie and I love you like you’re our own daughter, and that’s how we think of you now.’
‘Well, it’s the same for me, too. I still miss my parents and I think of them often, but I love you both and think of you as Mum and Dad now… You’re my family.’
She hugged them both tightly and they got a bit tearful. Jamie held her for a long time, remembering their ordeal at the retail park and how she had saved his life.
In the middle of the month there was a bit of an Indian summer for well over a week, when it grew hot again and the sun shone from almost clear blue skies. They ate outside every evening during that time and on one occasion Jamie was looking up at the sky with a glass of wine in his hand, looking pensive.
‘Look at the sky,’ he said to them. They looked up and both said it was a beautiful, clear blue sky.
Jamie nodded. ‘Yes, but what’s missing? Apart from clouds, I mean.’
They both looked stumped for a few seconds and then Megan smiled. ‘Planes! There aren’t any planes!’
Jane tutted and shook her head. ‘Of course! Well done, honey; you’re right.’
‘Yes,’ said Jamie, ‘and I can’t remember the last time I saw one, or any vapour trails. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. When was the last time you saw any?’ Neither of them could remember.
‘Well, I’m guessing it must have been back near the start of the year, or thereabouts. That means the plague was global for that to happen; it’s not just the UK that was affected, but everywhere.’ It was a sombre thought and they went quiet for a while thinking about it, then Jamie shrugged. ‘Sorry! I didn’t mean to put a dampener on things… it just suddenly occurred to me.’
In the coming weeks they made several trips to the farm to move their furniture and possessions into their new home. Between the Toyota and the Land Rover they managed to fit everything in and didn’t need to use Bill’s van. They took their favourite sofa, one of the armchairs, the double bed from their room and Megan’s single bed. Jamie and Jane slept afterwards in the spare bed in the other bedroom until they were ready to move in, and Megan said she was happy to sleep on the other sofa in the lounge until then.
By this time Jane was about three months gone, and even though she barely had a bump Jamie was still a bit concerned about her lifting heavy things. She waved him away and told him not to fuss. ‘I bet no woman in Neolithic times ever said “Can you lift this for me, darling, as it’s a bit heavy and I’m pregnant.”!’ Jamie laughed; he still looked a bit concerned, though he left her alone.
They also took the coffee table from the conservatory that they all liked and the dresser from the kitchen, but left the kitchen table and chairs until they were finally leaving. They took most of the crockery and kitchen equipment, too, leaving just enough for them to get by with in the interim. They decided to leave a few things there for when they came back for a fishing trip or to spend a day by the sea sometime. Jamie would leave the fishing tackle in the garage and they picked out some older kitchen utensils and pans that could stay there, along with some tinned food, matches for lighting the stove and a few other bits.
On one morning Megan knocked on their door after she’d heard them stirring. ‘Mum, can I talk to you, please?’
‘Of course, honey; just let me get dressed and I’ll be right with you.’
She went into the lounge to sit on the sofa with her and Megan told her that she’d had her first period. She was a bit shy and embarrassed about it, but Jane put her arm around her and reassured her, saying there was nothing to feel any embarrassment about and that she could talk with either her or Jamie about anything. She got some sanitary towels for her and they sat and talked for a while, then Megan smiled in gratitude and hugged her.
They still had a lot of vegetables to harvest and preserve before they left, along with the remaining tomatoes. Not all had grown as well as they’d hoped but they’d still had a good crop. They had been eating them in salads or making tomato sauces and the flavour was wonderful.
They’d not long returned from a trip to the farm one afternoon when Sarah and Georgie turned up for another visit to see how Megan was doing. Jane welcomed them inside and the sisters made a fuss of Megan, saying how pleased they were to see her looking so much better. They went out to the patio and sat down while Jamie made them all tea.
The sisters asked how the move was going and Jane said it was almost done, apart from the things they’d left at the bungalow until they were ready to move in. Sarah and Georgie were delighted and said they would come over soon to see the place. They then took turns telling them what they’d been doing in the last few weeks. They had finished the stables at their place and now had four horses and a pony that they had collected from the surrounding area. They had been around horses most of their lives, so it was nothing new to them. Jane and Jamie were pleased to hear it and congratulated them.
‘Two of the horses and the pony are for you to take to the farm when you’re ready, and we know where we can get more. We thought the pony would be good for Megan and Sally when they’re ready. We’ve got saddles, bridles and all the kit that’ll be needed for them,’ said Sarah. ‘Have either of you ridden before?’
Jane said she had done a fair bit in her youth but not for many years, while Jamie had never ridden before. They knew that Bill and Emma had been around horses for many years, though they hadn’t kept any at the farm before. They would need to convert a building in the top yard into stables, which they planned to do after they had moved there in mid-October.
‘Well, once you’re settled in and the stables are ready we can bring the horses over between us all and we’ll give you some instruction on riding and looking after them,’ said Sarah.
‘That’s brilliant, thank you,’ said Jane, smiling, and Jamie agreed. Although the vehicles were still running fine they were aware that it might only be a few more months before they started having problems with the fuel. None of them knew for sure, of course, but it was better to be prepared beforehand. They suspected that the petrol vehicles would be the first to suffer, but that the diesels might go on for a lot longer; at least that was what they hoped.
Megan went into the house and came out with her bike. Now that her concussion and the associated dizzy spells had almost gone she had been out a few times on it, being careful to take it slowly at first.