Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1074.

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1074
by Angharad

Copyright © 2010 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg

“H–h–hello?” I squeaked down the phone.

“Hello, is that Cathy? I’m sorry I don’t have your other name.”

“Yes, I’m Cathy, Cathy Cameron.”

“I don’t think we’ve met but I feel I almost know you.” She sounded confident, compared to my terrified state.

“You do?” my voice went squeaky again, so what must she have thought of me.

“Oh yes, Daisy and Paul told me so much about you and how you helped both of them to cope with the accident, and how you helped me, too.”

“Did I?”

“Yes you did, and I’m grateful to be able to say thank you personally.”

“I don’t think I did very much.”

“Dr Rose said you were very self-effacing.”

“He did? I mean, did he?”

“He also said you were honouring a promise you made to Daisy when she was in hospital.”

“I did say that when I got married she could be one of my bridesmaids, it was offered as a promise.”

“I think it’s incredibly sweet of you. I’m sure she’d love to, if only to thank you for the help you gave her.”

“I was hoping she might find the experience fun as well.”

“I’m sure she will. When is the wedding?”

“It isn’t actually a wedding, it’s a wedding blessing–but with all the trimmings. We actually got married a few months ago, but my in-laws wanted to put on a bit of a show, so we’re organising one for them. I haven’t got a date yet but it will be end of August early September.”

“Oh okay, as far as I know we’re available. Where is it?”

“At Stanebury.”

“Where’s Stanebury, it sounds like Wiltshire.”

“No, it’s a little further north than Wiltshire, it’s in Scotland.”

“Scotland–that’s funny, because we nearly went to Scotland for our holiday this year. Your in-laws live up there do they?”

“They have a place up there,” I tried not to frighten her off. When you tell people it’s a castle they tend to go all funny and run away.

“Oh well, we get to see a bit of Scotland, a few old castles and things.”

“Indeed, there’s a castle at Stanebury.”

“This isn’t going to be in the castle is it?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Crikey, how posh–Daisy will be impressed. She’s never been to an event in a castle. Your in-laws must be quite rich.”

“They’re quite comfortable, I think the phrase is, and as they want this blessing up there, they’re paying for most of it.”

“Wow, I wish my parents in-law had been, we scrimped and saved for all ours ourselves.”

“Our actual wedding was a relatively small affair, this will be a bit grander.”

“How many bridesmaids are you having?”

“Six.”

“Cor, what ages are they?”

“One of sixteen, one of ten, two aged six and one five year old; plus Daisy if she wants to come.”

“I’m sure she will. Look could we meet sometime–I’m happy to come to you if you’re busy, or we could meet somewhere convenient to both of us.”

“I have the girls off school at the moment, though Julie could watch them for an hour, but maybe Daisy would like to meet them as they’ll be her fellow bridesmaids, or should that be sister bridesmaids? So would you like to come over?”

“I’d love to.”

“What about lunch tomorrow?”

“I don’t want to put you to any bother.”

“Come for lunch tomorrow, say about half past twelve?”

“That’s really kind of you. Daisy said you were a nice lady, she was right.”

“I try to be–I don’t always succeed, but I try.”

“Is that more self-effacement?”

“I like to believe it’s honesty, admitting my flaws.”

“As long as they don’t blind you to your good points.”

I gave her directions and we agreed to meet tomorrow. I got on with preparing the dinner, a lasagne with a fresh fruit salad dessert. I’d tell the others over dinner what was happening tomorrow.

They were all happy with my arrangements, only Stella had anything to ask, perhaps because she’s lived with the Cameron wealth for her whole life, she knew some of the pitfalls attached to it. “You told them we were using a castle as a venue, you didn’t mention it was our castle, did you?”

“No, I thought that might scare her off.”

“It does, they either think you’re some relic of the late mediaeval period or some nouveau riche who acquired their money selling drugs or guns.”

“You mean you’re not?”

“Good lord no, we did it when it was both fashionable and legal, now it’s neither, besides being so passé.” Goodness, how can you be so snobbish about snobbery?

So the next morning, we set off with the Cameron cycling club, and did a ten mile ride, came back, had breakfast and after showering and dressing, I set the chores each would do.

Although the weather was warm, I was going to do soup. Trish was in charge of making a loaf for the purpose. Livvie was looking after tidying up, and Billie and Danny helping me make the soup.

Julie went with Stella to the supermarket to get the necessary constituents for a new fresh fruit salad, melon, kiwi fruit, apple, that sort of stuff; plus some fresh double cream and some butter for the bread–we always use Flora, but it’s nice to have the choice of butter if you prefer it.

When they got back, Julie and Mima did the fruit salad, and we left the soup–carrot and coriander–to keep warm. I did a second loaf because I felt with all of us there, we could quite easily run out of bread.

By midday we were pretty well ready to receive visitors, the place looked tidy, we put some fresh flowers in the vase as a table centre, the place looked and smelt clean–in fact it smelt of fresh baked bread, yummy.

The kids were all clean and tidy, the girls were all wearing a little bit of makeup and some perfume, Danny was in his clean jeans–did I have to plead with him? He succumbed to threats about sharp pointy bits of metal to stick in his socks, or a lack of them if he misbehaved–I won’t be able to use that too often.

The food was ready, and I suddenly looked at my own clothes–I was wearing my jeans and old tee shirt–poo. I ran upstairs and changed into a pair of cut-offs in green embroidered material and a near enough matching shirt top. I threw on some makeup and a squirt of smellies, put on some jewellery and my watch, tidied up my hair and went down.

“I do like Calvin Klein clothes on you,” said Stella.

“Are they? I hadn’t noticed–they just saved me having to shave my legs.”

“A likely story,” she huffed and just then a car drove into the driveway and parked alongside Stella’s Ford.

“They’re here,” shouted an excited Trish.

“I take it, that’s them,” observed Stella as we watched a woman–heavily pregnant, waddle up the drive holding hands with a girl aged about six.

“She didn’t say anything about being pregnant,” I commented.

“Does that make a difference?” asked Stella.

“Of course not, but we could have gone to her to make it easier.”

“Would it be easier to feed the five thousand or drive a couple of miles to meet them?” Stella asked drily.

“Oh well, here goes, stand by your beds, guys,” I shouted to the kids who looked at me as if I was completely barmy. Sometimes I think I am.

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Comments

The Daily Dormouse-1074

Will Spike be attending the wedding since Cathy failed to check up on her while at the uni?

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Cut-offs?

Puddintane's picture

How does that save having to shave?

Might as well wear a mini-skirt.

erin_cutoffs.jpg

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

That wasn't what I meant

Angharad's picture

I meant trousers cut off mid calf, so whatever the cogniscenti call those.

Angharad

Angharad

Anghared

What you are talking about is capris.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

I call mine ...

... three quarters but they're what I wear on the tread-mill when it's too warm for longs but too cool on the knees for shorts. Does that make me a member of the cognoscenti? :)

I'm sure Daisy's mum's condition is going to be significant but I don't know how. Just what has Angharad got up her sleeve (apart from an elegant arm, of course)?

Robi

Actually she may have said Pedal Pushers

Andrea Lena's picture

The short legs were so that they wouldn't be caught in the chain when you pedaled a bike. Fitting for this, yes?

She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Con grande amore e di affetto, Andrea Lena

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Live and Learn

I always thought they were petal pushers. Pedal pushers makes more sense. An alternate name is floods.

Fifties styles

Puddintane's picture

Having been there and now suitably antique, I know a tiny bit about them. Capri pants were tight and usually ended just below the knee. Pedal pushers were tight and ended mid-calfish, and they usually had a little placket or notch to allow them to slip easily over your heel, but the length was always a little vague, and varied up and down as fashions changed. They were fairly daring at first, so were sometimes worn with an overskirt that was open at the front, something like some styles of modern beach coverup, but in fashion fabrics rather than gauzy beachwear fabric.

Floods were somewhat later, Sixties, I think, and were usually looser than either capris or pedal pushers, although guys almost always wore them looser than girls did. The versions for girls were often called "clam diggers." I don't remember guys wearing anything they called clam diggers, but could easily be wrong.

Floods

These are modern floods, quite a bit more floppy than clam diggers would have been in the Fifties. There were very few garments in those days which could reasonably be described as "unisex."

Capri Pants

These are typical Capri Pants from the Fifties.

Pedal Pushers

These are pedal pushers (the short ones) and another style of capri pants that went down almost to the ankles. They use the same pattern because they were similar in concept, and you could turn one into the other based on where you cut them off. The central concept of capris and pedal pushers was that they were very form-fitting, although pedal pushers never migrated too near the ankles, as it wouldn't have been as handy for bicycling.

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

second that

Toss in Dad and con the boys onto a bike, and they could start timing runs and then spread it out to the rest of the families in school and the neighbors, and then put teams together for a charity ride

I'm still waiting...

...for Cathy to get herself a tandem, and then do some rides with the children just like Drew/Gaby and Jenny in the first book of that series.

I wonder if Roger from Paget's Cycles (est. 1976) might like to come to the party...

Paired Synergies


Bike Resources

Gosh mine host!

Well Cathy seems to work hard at being 'mine hostess'. Seems like a lot of effort to a man but a girl likes to show she's made the effort.
Hope litte Daisy gets to like her 'sister bride'smaids'and more importantly, a Scottish Castle.

Enjoy the wedding.

Loving it.

OXOXOX (Gosh! Some of this stuff is a right bugger to type single-handed!)

Love & hugs.

Bev.

bev_1.jpg

Barmy is a great act.

I use it all the time and it fools them. LOL

Gwen

Another great episode, but

Another great episode, but I'm a little confused. What's this a reference to?:

"stand by your beds, guys"

Saless 


Kittyhawk"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America


"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America

As in the inspection lineup at boot camp....

Puddintane's picture

...one presumes.

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

Ah Friendly EAFOAB

a lovely soap that is so much fun

1 out of 5 boxes of tissue and 5 gold starsDesHS.jpg

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

Goddess Bless you

Love Desiree

Seems even when she just

throws a few clothes on Cathy has style ....Even if she doesn't realise it...Mind you it does help when those clothes just happen to be Calvin Klein....

Kirri

A Note of Appreciation

That the Wedding Blessing is (finally) on the horizon. Please, Ang and Bonzi, no bad people to interfere with it?

This is also a Note if Appreciation for the fact that the story is actually getting better as it goes along IMHO. I would not have been surprised to see it fall off at some point. Some authors seem to run out of steam at some point and throw in a quick climax and dénouement but, Ang, you continue apace. Congratulations and thank you so much! This is my favoritist story!

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

x

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

Doesn't seem like Maria or

Daisy are such scary people. Interesting possibilities with an advanced preganacy. (I'm sure Bonzi is licking his chops in anticipation)

Cathy's Kitchen

I'm gaining weight reading about Cathy's meal prep. It's no fiction that kids (B's and G's and ?'s) should all learn to cook. Frequently I am treated to dinner at a client's home, often being presented by a nuked frozen concoction I am enthusiastically advised is 'better than fresh'. Yeah? Anyway, Lady Cameron stick to your homely good cooking! Eating is in the reading? Uhh...

jmacaulay

jmacaulay

if Cathy thinks she looks good in capri's

she's either delusional or very very good looking. I've seen some girl in Mema's age group look ok, and a very very few models that do, Otherwise I think they ought to be outlawed, but that my opinion

Gotta agree Mous.

[email protected] I've yet to see anybody that really looked good in them!LOL I don't even have cankles, and I wouldn't dare.

Love And Hugs,
Jonelle(Always Bailey's Cuter Half!)

I'm enjoying the comments as much as the posting.

I thought when Cathy said cut-offs she meant 'Daisy Dukes' in honour of young Daisy.
Caint wait until Cathy explains that yes, indeed, it is her castle. And please don't steal the silver.
I'm such a cynic.

Cefin