by Pat Posner
“And when are we planning on handing them out?”
“I think maybe do some this evening, before we settle down to watch Saturday-Night Out at seven-thirty.” She saw Sam smile and nod before they both glanced across to their new television set. It was their Christmas present to themselves. Had a seventeen-inch screen, it did, so much nicer to watch than the one with a tiny screen that Keith and Ellen had left behind. “We can pop along to Pearl and Alf’s first, Sam. See if my great-niece and great-nephews enjoyed themselves at the cinema last night.”
“I’m sure they will have done, Flo. It was a right good idea of yours for their Christmas present from us to be money to go and see White Christmas and enough for ice-creams and stuff while they were there.”
“And they’ll still have the little bits of things from us for Pearl to put in their stockings,” Flo said. “She seemed a bit down in the dumps when I saw her yesterday. Think she’s still put out at Alf having to work late on Christmas Eve. I wouldn’t of thought a warehouseman would have much to do in a soap factory then, would you?”
“Probably needs to make sure it’s all clean and neat and tidy for when they go back after Christmas.”
“Yes, that’s likely it. Anyhow, like I were saying, I thought we could hand out some of these cards this evening, some after church tomorrow and any we don’t get round to on Christmas Eve.”
“Sounds good to me. What about this afternoon. Any plans for then?”
“You can sit and watch Gardening Club while I make some more mince pies. How’s that sound?”
“Bliss. A right nice programme to see and a lovely smell wafting out of the kitchen while I’m watching it. Mind, everything you cook or bake smells good. Tastes good an’ all.”
Except probably for the capon, Flo thought. But, no, she must stay positive about that. It would turn out all right. Maybe she’d put it in the oven on a low light on Christmas Eve and give it a really long, really slow roasting. And for now, there was plenty more to think about and get on with. Only there did have to go and be a picture of a roast chicken on this card she was about to write, didn’t there!
*
“I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve already,” Flo said to Sam as she watched him fiddling with the rabbit ear aerial thing on top of the television, hoping to get a good picture for Stagecoach starting in a few minutes. She wasn’t over-keen on Westerns but she’d put up with this one because John Wayne starred in it. And with any luck they’d be tucking into roast chestnuts.
After they’d foraged in Broome Park for them a few weeks back, she’d sewn a bit of old net curtain into a sausage shape then Sam had put the chestnuts in and hung the chestnut sausage from a beam in his shed. He’d brought the chestnuts inside earlier and they’d put little slits in them before Sam had put them on a shovel, opened the fire doors and placed the shovel on the glowing coke. Flo sniffed. She was sure she could smell the chestnuts roasting already.
“Time does go quick when you’re enjoying yourselves,” Sam said now, sounding a bit breathless as he moved the aerial around. “There, Flo, love. “What d’you think of the picture?”
“It’s all snowy,” she told him with a giggle. “But I think it’s meant to be. It’s the weather forecast and a lot of places seem to have snow.”
“Was trying here, earlier,” he said, walking over to sit next to her on the settee. “Maybe our first Christmas Day together will be a white one. And we won’t have to go out in it, if we don’t want to.”
“No,” Flo agreed, a happy feeling spreading through her. “Nowhere to go or be except here. This room looks so cosy and Christmassy with all the decorations and the chestnuts roasting on the fire.”
“Our own Winter Wonderland and we won’t need to go in a meadow to build a snowman, we’ve got our own on the tree.”
“And the cotton wool one I made to go on the table when we have our Christmas dinner,” she said. Then wished she hadn’t thought of that meal. She still wasn’t sure whether to start the flipping capon roasting later tonight or leave it ‘til morning. But the film was starting and she’d stop thinking about that problem for a while.
“I’m really enjoying the film,” Flo said some time later. “But, even though I nearly burnt my fingers peeling them, I enjoyed the chestnuts more. I think I put too much salt on some, though, I’m parched now. Could do with a cuppa. How long to go before the end, Sam?”
“About ten minutes,” he said. And just as he’d answered, there was a loud hammering on the front door and Flo heard Babs, her great-niece, shrieking.
“What on earth’s wrong with her? And why come knocking at the front door instead of walking in the back door like usual?” asked Flo, jumping up and hurrying into the hallway.
“Auntie Flo. Auntie Flo. Come quick. Mum’s proper poorly. Jimmy and Rob have gone carol singing with the church choir and Dad’s not home from work. I’m frightened. She’s got an awful pain.”
Flo grabbed a coat from one of the hooks near the door, called for Sam to follow her to Pearl’s and hurried off.
*
“Mum thinks it’s her appendix,” Babs said as they dashed past the Whittakers’ prefab. “What if she has to go to hospital, Aunty Flo? It’s Christmas Day tomorrow.”
“Doesn’t matter what day it, is, lass, if she has to go, she has to. And she’d be in the best place if it’s appendicitis. But let’s wait ‘til I get inside and see her. If we need an ambulance, I’ll send Sam to Policeman Ken’s to phone.”
Flo made her way into the prefab, flinging off her coat in the hall before going into the living room where she could hear her niece groaning.
Pearl was half-sitting, half-lying down on the settee clutching her tummy. “Babs, go and put the kettle on and make us a nice cup of tea while I have a proper look at your mum,” Flo said, walking over to Pearl.
“Pearl, love,” she said a few minutes later, “the last time I saw you like this was when you were givin’ birth to Rob in the air-raid shelter back in May forty-one.”
“I know when and where Rob was born, ta very much, Auntie Flo. But this isn’t a baby. Good grief, I know I’ve put on a bit of weight recently but…” she broke off to groan again, “…I’m going through the change. Mam piled it on when she went through it and you never thought she were expecting. ‘Sides, you might have been there when Rob were born but you not being married ‘til a few months back and past it now anyway, that’s likely all you know about anyone having babies.”
“I know you were rude and stroppy that time an’ all,” Flo told her. “And we’ll soon see if I’m right or not. Here’s my Sam and I’m sending him to ask Policeman Ken to go and fetch the doctor. He might get here quicker than an ambulance.”
Flo moved away to have a quick word with Sam. “She says she can’t be having one but I’ll eat my hat if she don’t end up with a baby in the next hour or so.”
*
It was a little longer than an hour but, at one minute past midnight, Pearl gave birth to a baby boy. “Six pounds, six ounces,” the midwife said. The doctor had sent for her when Pearl had refused point-blank to go to hospital. “And he’s a right beauty, this Christmas Day baby,” she added, smiling round at Flo, before placing him across Pearl’s tummy.
“He’s a blinkin’ miracle, that’s what he is,” Pearl said, all happy and good-tempered again. “I think we might call him Michael. That’s the nearest I can get to miracle.”
“I’ll go and give the others the news,” Flo said and bustled off into the kitchen where her Sam, Alf, Jimmy, Rob and Babs were sitting around the ironing board they’d pulled down to use as a table.
“I still can’t understand how it happened,” Alf said, shaking his head. “I mean me and Bead being parents again.”
Flo swallowed a lump in her throat. She loved Alf’s affectionate nickname for Pearl.
Rob was smirking. “You ought to have listened to yourself when you told me about the birds an’ the bees, Dad. You’d of known then.”
Alf gave him a gentle cuff around the head before jumping up. “I’m going to take a look at my new son,” he said, “and I hope he grows up as good as you three kids, though maybe not as cheeky as our Rob,” he added over his shoulder as he went from the room.
“I think we might like having a baby brother,” Babs said.
“I will, Jimmy told her. “It means I’m not the baby of the family now.”
“I bet the lads at work will get at me something rotten having a baby brother almost sixteen years younger than me,” Rob said. “I mean, Mum and Dad are getting’ on a bit for… for being parents again,” he finished after Flo had given him a gentle kick.
“Never mind all that. When can we see him?” Babs asked. “And what are we going to do about our Christmas dinner? I always help Mum make it but I can’t do the lot on my own.”
“The midwife will call you in as soon as she’s tidied up,” Flo said. “She knew your mum didn’t realise about baby Michael coming so she brought some baby clothes and nappies with her. He’ll have to sleep in a drawer ‘til we can get a carry-cot from somewhere.”
“He can sleep in my dolls’ pram,” Babs said, “it’s a nice big one, remember, Auntie Flo. Some of my dollies’ clothes might fit him an’ all ‘til we get him some of his own. But what about our Christmas dinner,” she asked again.
Flo glanced at Sam who nodded vigorously, “You’ll all have to come round to me and Sam,” she said. “And you can help me cook it, Babs.”
“Have you got a chicken, Auntie Flo? Should I bring ours round? Can I be in charge of it? I’m right good at making roast chicken, you ask Mum.”
“We’ve got a capon, that’s the same as chicken really. I think it’ll be big enough for all of us, and we’ll keep yours for Boxing Day. And yes, I’ll let you be in charge of cooking the capon if you like, Babs.”
“I’m hungry now,” Jimmy said. “Instead of leaving mince pies out for Father Christmas who we know is really Dad but we pretend not to, can we have mince pies to eat now?”
“I don’t see why not,” Flo said. “I’ll make us all some cocoa as well. But after that, as soon as you’ve peeped into see your mum and your new brother, I think you’d all better go to bed. And you might not believe any more, but my guess is, when you wake up, you’ll still find Father Christmas has filled your stockings for you.”
*
It was another hour before Flo and Sam made their weary way home. “Not what we planned, Flo,” Sam said, but it will be nice having them all at ours. And if there isn’t enough capon to go round, I won’t mind not having any. To be honest, love, I’m not that keen on capon or any other poultry to be honest.”
“Oh, Sam. Why didn’t you say? Not that it matters now because Babs will see to it, but I’ve been dreading trying to cook the dratted thing and to think we could’ve settled for a nice joint of beef or pork. I can cook them all right.”
Laughing, Sam opened their front door and they went inside. “That’ll teach us to keep secrets from each other.”
Flo nodded. But she did have one more secret and that was the watch she’d bought for him, even though they’d said they weren’t buying each other anything because the television was their present.
“I bet Connie will be surprised when she comes home and finds out she’s got another grand-child to call her Nana Connie,” Flo said a short while later as they snuggled down under the bed clothes. “And we’re a great-auntie and great-uncle again.”
“So we are,” Sam agreed, chuckling. “Oh, and I know it’s only very early Christmas morning but…” He reached under his pillow and pulled out a small, prettily-wrapped package. “Happy Christmas, Flo.”
Flo reached under her pillow and pulled out her present to Sam. “Happy Christmas, Sam. Let’s open them together.”
“We’ll never forget our first Christmas together, will we, love?” Sam said as, a few minutes and a few kisses later, they finally settled down to sleep – both wearing the watches they’d secretly bought for each other.
Acknowledgements
Some of these prefab village stories made their first outing on the pages of The People’s Friend magazines. A special thank you to David Young who illustrated those stories and brought the characters alive for me and everyone who read about them. He just had to be my choice for the cover artwork!
Massive thanks to Jo Bartlett and all at Fabrian Books for their help and advice.
To everyone who asked for more Broome Park Prefab Village stories: I hope you enjoy this Collection.
To everyone who lived in a prefab in the 1940s and 1950s – or knew someone who did – I hope these stories bring back happy memories.
Also available from Pat Posner this Christmas
Also available from Pat Posner this Christmas
Fake Fiancé for Christmas
(A Fabrian Books’ Feel-Good Novel)
Best friends Flora and Val, will usually do anything for each other.
But Flora refuses to pretend she’s engaged to Val’s brother when Val says it will scotch the rumours about Bryce so their uncle won’t disinherit him.
True, many years ago, as a very young teen, Flora idolised Bryce. She’s learned the hard way to stop doing that, though, and it’s no surprise to her when Bryce ridicules his sister’s idea. But then…
Flora and Bryce discover Val has a desperate reason of her own for needing their pretend engagement. So, for Val’s sake, even though acting as if they even like each other will be hard, they agree to go along with the idea.
They’ll tell their families they want to keep their engagement a secret until after Val’s Christmas wedding so as not to take the limelight away from her.
Because it will only be family who’ll think Flora and Bryce are engaged, breaking it off after Val’s wedding won’t cause any more unwanted publicity for Bryce.
But Christmas is a few weeks away and playing a part to deceive others can sometimes misfire.
Available on Amazon.co.uk and worldwide.
Other books available from Pat Posner
Daffodil Days – Stories from Broome Park Prefab Village
And the Jukebox Played their Song – A Broome Park Prefab Village Novel
Christmas Wishes…New Year Kisses – An Oaktree Farmhouse Novel
Shadowed Love – A Little Village in the Dales book
Also available from Fabrian Books
Christmas in Switzerland
By Melinda Huber
Christmas is approaching, the Lakeside Hotel is full of English-speaking guests, and Stacy and Rico can't wait to show them a real Swiss Christmas. There’s a visit from the Samiclaus, a Guetzli-baking demonstration, a snowman competition – not to mention the trip to Davos.
But in the middle of all the festivities, a guest has a huge problem and Stacy is left running backwards and forwards, wondering if she'll last the distance. And Rico’s father is behaving very oddly, too.
It doesn’t feel a lot like Christmas at Lakeside any more... Can Stacy get the magic back, before it’s too late for her and Rico?
Available from amazon.co.uk and worldwide.
A Merry Bramblewick Christmas
By Sharon Booth
Switch on those Christmas tree lights and settle down with a hot chocolate. It's time for another festive trip to beautiful Bramblewick. Christmas is approaching once again, but the residents of the little village on the North York Moors are almost too busy to notice.
Receptionist Anna is on maternity leave, awaiting the arrival of her baby, while husband Connor and colleague Riley are busy interviewing candidates for the post of third GP at Bramblewick Surgery. Izzy, meanwhile, is recovering from a broken relationship by focusing her attention on the primary school Christmas play. But even with the help of fellow teacher, Ash Uttridge, she’s beginning to wonder if she’s taken on more than she can cope with.
The weather's not the only thing getting chilly, either. Having confided in Anna the real reason for her break-up with he
r ex-boyfriend, Izzy is hurt when her best friend seems suddenly cold towards her. Has she made a mistake trusting Anna, after all?
As Christmas draws nearer and the snow begins to fall, Izzy and Ash develop a warm and growing attraction. But Ash has real concerns about their relationship and, with Anna judging her so harshly, dare Izzy really tell Ash the truth about herself and risk everything they have built so far?
Available from amazon.co.uk and worldwide
Christmas at Channel View Farm
By Jo Bartlett
How are you supposed to know what to do next with your life, if you don’t even know who you are anymore?
Freya Halliwell has always wanted to get married in Kelsea Bay, the place where she spent so many idyllic summers as a child. So when the chance arrives to have a Christmas wedding at Channel View Farm, perched high up on the cliffs above the Bay, everything in her life seems to be falling into place at last—almost two years after losing her beloved mum.
Ellie Hastings is finally making a success of the wedding business she set up after inheriting her great aunt’s farm and, even better than that, she’s about to become a mum for the first time. Christmas is just around the corner, but with runaway sheep causing havoc, a festive fundraiser to host, and the worst snow storm Kelsea Bay has seen in decades, life is anything but quiet.
When Freya uncovers an entry in an old journal, hidden amongst some boxes of Christmas decorations, her life changes forever, and soon everything she thought she knew about herself begins to unravel. Taking refuge at Channel View Farm and leaning on new friend, Ellie, for support, the best she can hope for is to make it through to New Year with some idea of what she wants to do next. But Ellie has problems of her own and, when it’s her turn to ask Freya for help, another big secret starts to unfold, which threatens to change everything for the people they love most.
